The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page 24

5 01 rier.joi ral, tiedav, jixy 23, 1, Iff 0 rn jTh Th TlVTi ItTk I ITS If If sports explosion 0 Soaring prices, strikes, other woes may burst pro sports bubble V4 4 money keeps pouring into sports. At the beginning of this year, there were 105 "major league" teams in 20 divisions in seven leagues. Since then, some franchises have folded and others have switched either geography or ownership but the total has grown by 15. It has grown, however, at a price. Without enough name players to go around, teams have signed fringe talent or reactivated old talent and labeled it "prime." Without enough money to go around, they have started to overpay the best performers and probably underpay the worst.

The World Hockey Association got into business last winter with one name play-er, Bobby Bull, who was spirited from the Chicago Black Hawks for $2.5 million. The World Football League started with three Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick and Paul Warfield, for $3 million, with delivery of the players due in 1975 after they cut their legal ties to the Miami Dolphins. The league opened for business two weeks ago with so much obscurity that even Las Vegas recoiled. "Nobody knows who, what, or wby," said Sammy Cohen, operator of the Santa Anita Race Book, reflecting on the bookmakers' caution. "We'll be booking it lightly two or three hundred dollars per customer at most.

Those teams that have the most veterans will be put up as favorites." The credit, or blame, for the World Football League avalanche belongs to a 39-year-old lawyer named Gary Davidson, who works out of an office in Newport Beach, and who has become the whirling dervish of the "rival" leagues in recent years. Besides being the first commissioner (The first of a series of articles about the expansion of professional sports.) By JOSEPH DURSO 9 1974, New Yerk Times News Service NEW YORK. Is the professional sports bubble ready to burst or is it just inflating along with everything else in the economy? To some people in the booming business of sports, like Weeb Ewbank of the New York Jets, the signs point to "a depression." To others, like Michael Burke of Madison Square Garden, to "disorder" that foreshadows "a point of no return." To Bob Woolf, the lawyer-adviser-agent for 300 athletes: "It's a fantastic explosion that may very well envelop everybody" because "the average fan is getting fed up with the number of franchises and dilution of play." New urgency was read Into the old question this month as the professional football season arrived midway through the baseball season with contrasting developments: The 1,200 players on the 26 teams in the National Football League went on strike, while 500 players on 12 teams were launching the World Football League, a rival enterprise that expects to lose $15 million in its first year. Whatever it meant, the kickoff of the football season during a heat wave in July raised the number of "major league" teams in this coun to 120, almost four times as many ar the start of the postwar inflation. The results, "sides four strikes in sports in the las 'ur years, have included a rush of lawsu soaring salaries and ticket prices, mor government involvement in building tadiums and taxing bets, city-swappin, jy teams, league-hopping by players -J, lately, gyrating economics indicators like these: A record total of 135 million persons paid last year to watch baseball, football, basketball, hockey, and racing.

But to keep their share of the action, more sports resorted to new rules or gimmicks like the designated hitter and 10-cent beer in baseball, the "tie-breaker" in tennis, the 3-point field goal in basketball, and mass changes in football this year that will include sudden-death periods to settle Associiled Press GARY DAVIDSON: He's "whirling dervish" behind boom Strike negotiations halted until parties 4are willing' of the World Football League, Davidson was the first president of the American Basketball Association and the first president of the World Hockey Association though he confesses that "I'd never seen a hockey game before I started the W.H.A.". Not content with letting any artificial grass grow under his feet, Davidson has indicated that he plans to extend the blessings of pro football to Mexico, Japan, and Europe, but when he reaches the continent, he may find the N.F.L. already there. It announced recently that it would create a "Satellite" league of six teams next spring: The Istanbul Conquerors, the Rome Gladiators, the Munich Lions the Berlin Bears, the Vienna Lipizzaners, and the Barcelona Almovogeres. Meanwhile, football will swamp the public with games this fall that can be seen on television six days a week.

To get the games, the three networks have spent great quantities of cash and guile, though hints of a backlash are being heard. "There's been too much sports on television," conceded Ronald E. Bain, director of sports for the Columbia Broadcasting system. "The question is when is the viewer going to find that." Television already is: devoting 1,000 hours a year to sports, about 11 per cent of all network time and double that. of a decade ago.

One night, Stan Smith was seen playing Arthur Ashe on two networks in two tennis matches at the same time, thanks to video tape. Many civic and religious organizations have switched traditional meeting dates from Monday night, fearful that pro football telecasts would shatter their attendance. On both sides of the picket line, which has replaced the goal line for the moment in the National Football League, people agree on some of the key elements in the inflated sports bubble: Average salaries in football have gone past in baseball, past and in basketball, to $85,000. Seven years ago, just before the American Basketball Association started, the National Basketball Association had 12 teams five of which had payrolls below $200,000. Now, many players make more than $200,000 and some make twice as much.

Wilt Chamberlain signed as player-coach of the San Diego team in the A.B.A. last year for $600,000, and the franchise may not last. is Roy Boe, who controls the basketball Nets of the A.B.A. and the hockey Islanders of the W.H.A., said he paid $1 million just to pry Julius Erving from the Virginia Squires last year. On the day they got him, the Nets sold 100 season tickets at $350 apiece.

Then they won the league championship and grossed $2,5 million and, Boe says, cleared nothing. In the baseball draft of high-school and college players last month, 726 amateurs were chosen by the 24 teams, the lowest number since the draft was created 10 years ago, The reason was the pinch of inflation, said the club officials, who added that the bonuses would be smaller this time, too. "We're paying kids $5,000 to $15,000 more than they're worth," said the Jets' Weeb Ewbank, expressing the front-office lament. "Second draft choices now have to be offered what first choices used to get. But it's going to end now because inflation is cutting into us," "An awful lot of people with money are being seduced into sports," Burke said.

"The rich jocks are being drawn into doubtful investments. They think life in the new league is going to be like life with the Knicks. It isn't. But the investors are clamoring to get in, they think every sports franchise is a bonanza. It isn't." Wednesday: Television's stranglehold.

Pro American Basketball Assn. ST. IOUIS SPIRITS SAN ANTONIO SPURS DENVER ROCKETS INDIANA PACERS-lndianapolii KENTUCKY COLONELS-Louiivill. MEMPHIS NEW YORK NETS SAN DIEGO CONQUISTADORS UTAH STARS-Salt Lake City VIRGINIA SQUIRES-Norfolk National Basketball Assn. CHICAGO BULLS IOST0N CELTICS BUFFALO BRAVES DETROIT PISTONS WASHINGTON BULLETS londovtr (Md.) CLEVELAND CAVALIERS MILWAUKEE BUCKS NtW YORK KNICKERBOCKERS HOUSTON ROCKETS PHILADELPHIA 76n ATLANTA HAWKS KANSAS CITY-OMAHA KINGS SEATTLE SUPERSONICS PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS PHOENIX SUNS GOLDEN STATE LOS ANGELES LAKERS NEW ORLEANS JAZZ (1975) TORONTO (1976) National Football League MIAMI DOLPHINS MINNESOTA VIKINGS GREEN BAY PACKERS WASHINGTON REDSKINS SAN FRANCISCO 49ers ST.

LOUIS CARDINALS PHILADELPHIA EAGLES NEW YORK GIANTS NEW ORLEANS SAINTS LOS ANGELES RAMS DETROIT LIONS DALLAS COWBOYS CHICAGO BEARS ATLANTA FALCONS SAN DIEGO CHARGERS PITTSBURGH STEELERS OAKLAND RAIDERS NEW YORK JETS NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS-Foxboro KANSAS CITY CHIEFS HOUSTON OILERS DENVER BRONCOS CLEVELAND BROWNS CINCINNATI BENGALS BUFFALO BILLS BALTIMORE COLTS SEATTLE (1974) TAMPA (1976) World Football League MEMPHIS SOUTHMEN NEW YORK STARS CHICAGO FIRE DETROIT WHEELS PHILADELPHIA BELL FLORIDA BLAZERS BIRMINGHAM AMERICANS JACKSONVILLE SHARKS HOUSTON TEXANS PORTLAND STORM SOUTHERN CALIF. SUN-Anahtim HONOLULU HAWAIIANS National Baseball League MONTREAL EXPOS NEW YORK METS ATLANTA BRAVES CHICAGO CUBS CINCINNATI REDS HOUSTON ASTROS LOS ANGELES DODGERS PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES PITTSBURGH PIRATES ST. LOUIS CARDINALS SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS SAN DIEGO PADRES American Baseball League NEW YORK YANKEES BOSTON RED SOX DETROIT TIGERS CHICAGO WHITE SOX CLEVELAND INDIANS MINNESOTA TWINS MILWAUKEE BREWERS BALTIMORE ORIOLES KANSAS CITY ROYALS TEXAS RANGERS Arlington CALIFORNIA ANGELS Anohtim OAKLAND A'S National Hockey League MONTREAL CANADIENS TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS VANCOUVER CANUCKS BOSTON BRUINS NEW YORK RANGERS CHICAGO BLACK HAWKS DETROIT RED WINGS PHILADELPHIA FLYERS ATLANTA FLAMES ST. LOUIS BLUES BUFFALO SABRES MINNESOTA NORTH STARS PITTSBURGH PENGUINS NEW YORK ISLANDERS LOS ANGELES KINGS CALIF. GOLDEN SEALS-Oaklond KANSAS CITY SCOUTS (1973) WASHINGTON CAPITALS (1975) World Hockey Associaiton EDMONTON OILERS WINNIPEG JETS VANCOUVER BLAZERS TORONTO TOROS QUEBEC NORDIQUES CLEVELAND CRUSADERS CHICAGO COUGARS HOUSTON AEROS 1 to MICHAEL BURKE 'We're getting to point of no return' vice will continue to make its services available, but there is little we can do until both parties are willing to con-sumate an agreement," In New York, Wellington Mara, owner of the New York Giants and chairman of the owners' executive committee, said there was a likelihood "that we are going to play our preseason games without many of our established veterans." He added that, although he thinks the games will be competitive and attractive, the owners group feels that the fans should have the "opportunity to decide for themselves." Ticket holders for Saturday's Hall of Fame game and for the first week of preseason will be entitled to refunds if they so desire.

Associated Press Negotiations in the National Football League labor dispute collapsed yesterday further threatening the start of the exhibition schedule and the federal mediator said no further meetings between the owners and the striking players would be called off "until there is reason to believe that the talks will result in progress." The announcement in Washington by mediator James Scearce came minutes after he had met briefly with representatives of the players' union and an attorney for the 26 club owners. "There was no progress made today toward reaching an agreement and negotiations have broken off," Searce said. "The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Ser WFL Central Division rosters Memphis Southmen Chicago Fire Hi. Wt. Yr 6-1 230 tie games.

But the fans are growing more choosy in what they will watch, either in the stadium, or on television. Box lacrosse, a sport that few even understand, is thriving in Philadelphia and other Eastern cities as "the meanest game on earth." But team tennis, which made its debut this spring by importing "home teams" into 16 cities, has drawn as few as 400 customers to some matches. The television networks, which supply much of the money to the leagues, have intensified their rivalry for control of sporting events despite their viewers' moodiness. The Nielsen ratings in baseball have gone down in six of the last seven years, in hockey and college football for the last three years, in basketball in three of the last four years and in pro football up on Monday but down on Sunday. "A depression in sports can happen, and in some ways it's already happening.

In the 60's sports were building up. In the '70's, we're starting to slide," Ewbank said. "Within the last 10 years," said Burke, former president of the Yankees and now president of Madison Square Garden Center, "The salaries of the Knicks and Rangers have multiplied eight times. Ticket prices haven't. So TV money has kept everybody afloat.

"The disorderliness of the whole sports scene at this moment is distracting and fragmenting the public's attention. There is a point of no return, and we're getting there. There's going to be a shakedown." Despite the problems, though, new Pos. OT OG LB Te CB QB OB WR DE RB DE Ne. Nime 49 J.

D. Armstrona 75 Chuck Bailey 70 Earl Belaravt S5 Keith Best 52 Mike Botts 64 Dave Bradley 88 Richard Brewer 83 Don Burchfieid 30 Mike Carter 7 Viro Carter 12 Maurie Daigneau 22 Jack Dolbin 79 Dan Gleason 18 Clayton Heath 87 Mick Heinrich 28 Harry Howard 7A Glenn Hvde 6-1 235 6-4 250 6-3 220 6-3 250 6-3 245 6-2 225 6-2 225 6-1 185 6-1 195 6-1 195 5- 10 185 6- 3 245 5- 11 190 6- 5 230 and then there's National Lacrosse League BALTIMORE MONTREAL ROCHESTER SYRACUSE TORONTO PHILADELPHIA N.F.L. satellite (1975) ISTANBUL CONQUERORS ROME GLADIATORS MUNICH LIONS BERLIN BEARS VIENNA UPIZZANERS BARCELONA ALMOVOGERES Canadian Football League MONTREAL ALOUETTES OTTAWA ROUGH RIDERS TORONTO ARGONAUTS HAMILTON TIGER-CATS WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS CALGARY STAMPEDERS EDMONTON ESKIMOS B.C. LIONS 6-1 190 6-3 245 AJI Of RB LB 220 31 Mark Kellar Pro. College Ft.

Hays Michigan St. Ohio St. Kansas St. Perm St. Penn St.

S. Diego St. Ball St. W. Michigan Brig.

Youna N'western Wake Forest Hillsdale Wake Forest Illinois Ohio St. 1 Plttsburoh N. Illinois Illinois Indiana Michiqan Tex. Chris. Va.

Union Michigan St. Illinois Idaho Wake Forest Butler Central Mo. Indiana Utah St. Notre Dame Hend'son J.C. N'western Md.

E. Shore Alabama N. Texas Sh Eastern Ky. 48 Chuck Koaut Ne. Name P01.

Pre Ht. Wt. Yr. Colin 99 Tom Beckman DE 6-6 250 3 Michigan 2 David Boyd DB 6-1 165 Fisk 58 Charlie Bray OG 6-0 245 Cen. Okie.

St. 55 Tom Beutler LB 6-1 215 4 Toledo 66 Jake Burkhardt LB 6-0 205 Dayton 73 Justin Canale OG 6-2 250 9 Miss. St. 77 Festus Cotton DT 6-3 258 Dayton 81 Ben Ellegood DE 6-4 237 Kutitown St. 23 Jack Ettinger WR 6-3 185 Arkansas 3 Bob Etter 5-11 180 2 No college 91 Mike Gibbons OT 6-4 250 2 S'western St.

30 John Harvey RB 6-1 185 2 UT Arlington 47 Emery Hicks LB 6-1 230 3 Kansas 20 Sonny Hicks DB 6-1 192 N. C. 61 Wally Highsmith OT 6-5 250 6 Florida 53 Ralph Hill 6-1 230 Florida 88 Bob Houmard TE 6-3 230 6 Ohio U. 7 John Huarte QB 6-1 190 10 Notre Dame 36 J. J.

Jennings RB 6-1 220 Rutgers 68 Willie Lee Jones LB 6-1 220 1 Tampa 64 Tom Kruver OG 6-2 245 2' Indiana 59 Bob Lally LB 6-3 225 Cornell 67 John LeHeup DT 6-2 250 3 So. Carolina 89 Ed Marshall WR 200 3 Cameron St. 62 Ron Mikolalczyk OT 6-4 285 3 Tampa 25 Paul Miles RB 6-0 188 Bowling Gr. 40 Seth Miller 6-4 210 2 Arli. St.

17 Gary Powell WR 5-10 175 Indiana 90 Cecil Prvor LB 6-5 227 4 Michigan 75 Dan Sartln DT 6-3 250 5 Mississippi 87 Gary Shirk TE 6-1 212 Morehead St. 31 Willie Soencer RB 6-4 225 No college 24 David Thomas DB 5-11 175 Tex. Southern 45 Dick Thornton DB 6-0 185 13 Northwestern 52 Charles Tibiom 6-2 245 5 Cen. Conn. St, 84 Roger Wallace WR 5-11 180 Bowling Gr.

11 Danny White QB 6-3 180 Arizona St, Kauchenbera LB Rudy 6-2 220 6-2 230 62- 230 6-5 250 6-2 225 6-1 190 6-2 220 6-3 235 6-1 185 6-0 180 6-0 180 6-1 190 6-4 250 6-4 205 6-0 185 6-2 250 6-3 250 .1 ins 56 Guy Murdock 81 Mickey McCarty TE 80 Luther palmer TB 17 Hal Phillips CB 46 Cyril Plnder RB 50 Ron Porter LB 15 Chuck Ramsey P-PK 84 Tom Redmond WR 27 Walter Thone DB 32 Barry Ruffnar 74 Ron Sanduk DT 85 Jim Seymour WR 42 James Scott WR 61 Mike Slkich OG 72 Wayne Whye DT 47 Joe Womack CB 73 Steve Wriqht OT 35 Bob Wvatt RB INACTIVE ROSTER 44 Jlmmlt Brooks US 11 6-0 2 40 3 5-10 180 Birmingham Americans THREE DAY Pro Yr. College Ht. Wt, 6-5 265 THIS WEEK'S SPECIAL Folks, our prices are aways low and extremely competitive, hut every week are going fo really slash prices on certain cars. Here it a BRAND NEW Oldsmobile Omega 2-door equipped with HYDRA-MATIC TRANSMISSION and POWER SJJffRJHfi, stock 15942 FOR ONLY 2 Morgan sr. Lenoir Rhyn Tenn.

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Alabama Mor. Brown Ohio St. 5-10 17: fUl SHOCKS Pos. DT RB TE DE OG LB RB LB OG TE OT DT QB RB WR WR OG LB LB QB LB TE CB QB RB CB DT DT LB DT CB of No. Nam 70 John Andrews 33 Carl Bartles 84 Jim Bishop 61 Butch Brezina 73 Buddy Brown 74 Ross Brupbacher 22 Art Cantrelle 55 Warren Capone 57 Jay Casey 88 Steve Connelly 79 Paul Costa 66 Grant Cvitanlch 7 Denny Duron 31 Charley Harraway 25 Dennis Homan 80 Alfred Jenkins 60 Jim Kregel 32 Cecil Leonard 35 Dicky Lyons 59 Steve Manstedt 53 John Matlock 10 George Mira 51 ft ike Mullen 67 Joe O'Donnell 82 Ted Powell 85 Jim Owings 45 Charles Reamon 11 Matthew Reed 18 Paul Robinson 5 Earl Sark 34 Drane Scrlevener 68 John Skladany 72 Dick Trower 58 Mike Truax 63 Clar.

Washington 30 Steve Williams 28 Larry willingham 71 Bob Wolfe We Sincerely Believe It's Impossible For Jim Hannan To Be Undersold! 3 I uskegee in. 1 Kentucky Nebraska 8 Miami 10 Miami Tulane 9 Michigan Ohio St. Georgia Tech 2 Md. E. Shor 6-2 250 6-0 170 6-0 192 6-2 220 6-3 250 5- 11 190 6- 1 220 6-3 250 6-2 220 6-4 206 5- 11 187 6- 4 225 64 198 6-0 188 6-4 2S5 6-7 274 6-2 213 6-3 270 5- 11 175 6- 0 180 6-5 260 Gramonns N.

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Miami Tulane Ark. AMfcN Alabama Auburn Nebraska Detroit Wheels Pro. Yr. College 2 Amherst 2 Tulsa 5 Minnesota 5 Gramblino dAl 2 E. Michigan CATCH THE 5:25 FERRY AT UT El Pass NEW ENGLAND WHALERS Botton MINNESOTA FIGHTING SAINTS SAN DIEGO KNIGHTS DETROIT SHARKS INDIANAPOLIS RACERS PHOENIX ROAD RUNNERS (1975) CINCINNATI STINGERS (1975) World Team Tennii TORONTO ROYALS CHICAGO ACES CLEVELAND NETS DETROIT LOVES NEW YORK SETS BALTIMORE BANNERS BOSTON LOBSTERS PITTSBURGH TRIANGLES PHILADELPHIA FREEDOMS SAN FRANCISCO GOLDEN CATERS DENVER RACQUETS HAWAII IEIS LOS ANGELES STRINGS MINNESOTA BUCKSKINS HOUSTON E.Z.

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4037 Taylorsville Rd. louisville, Ky. SIS-4141 Louisville, Ky. 4S9-W1 Spei ioIisK aliqomp' tUets ks -rwakr Wednesday: Western Division rosters..