<table> </table> The NBA is laying off employees.Major-league baseball attendance has dropped after four straight record years.The NFL says revenue is under pressure and opted out of its labor contract with the players because it said it put too much of a squeeze on future team revenues.Professional sports, which has seemingly been immune to the current financial tumult in the U.S. economy, is starting to see an impact. Take the Celeveland Indians fan last week who said:“I used to come to maybe eight or 10 games a year. But this year it was only four games on three trips. The price of tickets has gone up, you’ve got to pay to park, the price of food at the ballpark is ridiculous, and so are the gas prices.”NBA commissioner David Stern said his league plans to trim at least 50 of the 800 jobs in its U.S. work force and has shut the NBA office in Los Angeles.“Our revenue targets are still being met,” he said. “But we know there’s going to be enormous pressure on those targets in the next year or two.”NFL commissioner Roger Goodell recently wrote a memo to his staff urging it to control costs and identify new sources of revenue.Bernard Baumohl, chief global economist of The Economic Outlook Group, said: “Anything outside of rent, taxes, fuel, food, shelter, after that everything falls into the category of discretionary spending. We may not see any significant rebound in consumer spending, especially discretionary, disposable spending, until 2010.”Teams also have seen other developments that have an impact. Coverage in many newspapers has been cut back, meaning a decreased presence in print for teams. All the leagues expect a decrease in car ads — long a major sponsor — forcing clubs and networks to search for other advertisers.For major-league baseball, the sale of licensed goods — such as jerseys and caps — is flat compared with last year. It would be down factoring out the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, which produced extra revenue.

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Posted on Thu, Sep. 18, 2008 10:15 PM

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Pro sports feeling impact of downturn in the economy

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The NBA is laying off employees.

Major-league baseball attendance has dropped after four straight record years.

The NFL says revenue is under pressure and opted out of its labor contract with the players because it said it put too much of a squeeze on future team revenues.

Professional sports, which has seemingly been immune to the current financial tumult in the U.S. economy, is starting to see an impact. Take the Celeveland Indians fan last week who said:

“I used to come to maybe eight or 10 games a year. But this year it was only four games on three trips. The price of tickets has gone up, you’ve got to pay to park, the price of food at the ballpark is ridiculous, and so are the gas prices.”

NBA commissioner David Stern said his league plans to trim at least 50 of the 800 jobs in its U.S. work force and has shut the NBA office in Los Angeles.

“Our revenue targets are still being met,” he said. “But we know there’s going to be enormous pressure on those targets in the next year or two.”

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell recently wrote a memo to his staff urging it to control costs and identify new sources of revenue.

Bernard Baumohl, chief global economist of The Economic Outlook Group, said: “Anything outside of rent, taxes, fuel, food, shelter, after that everything falls into the category of discretionary spending. We may not see any significant rebound in consumer spending, especially discretionary, disposable spending, until 2010.”

Teams also have seen other developments that have an impact. Coverage in many newspapers has been cut back, meaning a decreased presence in print for teams. All the leagues expect a decrease in car ads — long a major sponsor — forcing clubs and networks to search for other advertisers.

For major-league baseball, the sale of licensed goods — such as jerseys and caps — is flat compared with last year. It would be down factoring out the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, which produced extra revenue.

| Star News Services

Posted on Thu, Sep. 18, 2008 10:15 PM

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