North America

The NBA finally has some good news to report on its post-season television ratings.

Legal issues relating to internet intellectual property rights and piracy were stressed at the 26th annual Sports Lawyers Association Conference in San Francisco.

The Boston Red Sox are examining plans to sell the naming rights to its new Fenway Park stadium.

Florida State has admitted a new university Gridiron team into competitive college football, adding to the three major university teams that dominate the state.

A major New York tabloid newspaper is to launch its own separate sports weekly to cover local teams in major sports.

Tighter beer sale restrictions and an improvement in crowd management is being called for by a Major League Baseball team after fighting between players and fans.

Concession stands at the Yankee Stadium ? home of Major League Baseball?s New York Yankees ? are to stop selling beer.

Fans of the Los Angeles Lakers are looking forward to a full house at the Staples Center for their upcoming NBA Western Conference final series?even though they are playing away from home.

Ratings for the NBA playoffs on both broadcast and cable television remain down from a year ago, although favorable match-ups in the conference finals could help stop the bleeding.

The Texas-based seven-team World Indoor Soccer League (WISL) is looking for a three-year sponsorship deal worth between $300,000 and $500,000 per year.

Laurie Landgrebe, director of marketing for Pro Player Stadium, home to the Miami Dolphins, has enlisted the help of the NFL in securing a new naming rights deal.

Michael Jordan, the Washington Wizards? president of basketball operations, has appointed two possible candidates for the position of coach to head-office positions.

An IOC member is being investigated over alleged irregularities in the bidding process for the 1996 Atlanta Games.

An attendance report into Major League Baseball compiled by the Sports Business Daily has revealed that the San Francisco Giants are the only MLB team playing to capacity crowds in the new 2000 season.

Former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, who served a three-year jail term for rape, has applied for British immigration clearance to fight in Scotland next month, officials have confirmed.

Kellogg USA is set up a special ?commemorative box? promotion involving eight US Olympic hopefuls in the run up to the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Maurice Greene, Marion Jones, Lenny Krayzelburg, Jenny Thompson, Amy Chow, Mark Ruiz, Leah O'Brien-Amico and Alison Dunlap will feature on commemorative packages of Kellogg's cereal. The promotion will hit US stores in August.

FOX Sports World (English-language) and FOX Sports World Espanol (Spanish-language) have acquired the broadcast rights to the UEFA European Championships (EURO 2000).

The National Association of Attorneys General Boxing Task Force has released a 60-page report calling for an independent ranking system and an increased protection of boxers.