ITEM ONE:

FANS: NFL FAVORITE SPECTATOR SPORT

Ask a sports fan – as the ESPN Sports Poll did in the first half of this year – which is their favorite spectator sport, and the answer will be, hands down, the NFL.  ESPN polled 11,859 fans ages 12-and-up to name their favorite spectator sport.  “Spectator” was defined as one who attends games, watches on TV, listens on radio, or reads about them.  The NFL was the favorite of 22.5 percent of the fans polled, followed by Major League Baseball (13.0), the NBA (10.1), college football (6.4) and college basketball (5.2).

ITEM TWO:

SEARCH CONTINUES FOR FUTURE AMERICAN FOOTBALL STARS

The search for the best American football talent in Europe continues this weekend when NFL Europe League coaches kick off the national player tryouts in Germany and the United Kingdom in preparation for the 2002 season.  Glasgow, London and Berlin are the first stops for NFL Europe Director of Game Development TONY ALLEN and Amsterdam Admirals special teams and defensive backs coach JEFF REINEBOLD as they bid to unearth potential stars. They then move to Amsterdam, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Barcelona for the conclusion of several months of scouring the continent for future stars. Those selected to advance to a minicamp for national player candidates and ultimately to the NFL Europe League training camp in Tampa, Florida, can follow in some illustrious footsteps. For instance, SCOTT COUPER, a Scottish native, played seven years in the league and has just retired.  “There are players out there in the amateur game who have shown they have the ability to step up to the next level,” Couper says. “I lived the dream of playing in front of thousands of fans each week and they can too.”

ITEM THREE:

NFL EUROPE LEAGUE ALL-STARS TAKE TO FIELD IN MADDEN NFL 2002

NFL Europe League fans can watch their favorite European stars compete against the NFL’s best in the new PlayStation 2 version of Madden NFL 2002 by EA SPORTS. The latest in the best-selling series of NFL games, now in its 12th year, is available this month on PC CD-Rom and on PlayStation 2.  For the second year, the six NFL Europe League teams – the Amsterdam Admirals, Barcelona Dragons, World Bowl-champion Berlin Thunder, Frankfurt Galaxy, Rhein Fire and Scottish Claymores – are included in the game.  Fans can match their favorite team against the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens, or any other NFL team. They can even try to lead their club to an NFL Europe championship by playing a full season.  An exciting new feature on Madden NFL 2002 is the NFL Europe Almuni team. Now, with ex-Admiral KURT WARNER passing to former Fire receiver MARCUS ROBINSON, and ex-Dragon LA'ROI GLOVER anchoring the defense, fans can pit their European “dream team” against the best of the NFL.