European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 30, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Politics Money and drugs sometimes overshadowed athletics today and tomorrow stars and stripes daily mag Azine recaps the decade in sports. By Fred Lief Dpi assistant sports editor sports in the 1980s began in the Dearie stay possible with politicians Jimmy Carter was making his state of the Union address railing at the soviet Union Over its invasion of Afghanistan and warning of cuts in fishing permits and High technology. Then almost As an aside he said the United states would not go to the Moscow olympics. And the dominoes began falling. The United states and its allies snubbed the 1980 games. Four years later the soviets led a Boycott of the los Angeles olympics. I think the superpowers both teamed lessons out of the Boycotts that Boycotts Only Hurt athletes says Peter Ueberroth chief organizer of the los Angeles olympics. They did t achieve any of the stated goals. The Carter Boycott did t Stop the fighting in Afghanistan the fighting went on for seven additional years. The soviets decision to retaliate to decrease Reagan s popularity had an opposite  East and West managed to join hands at the 1988 Seoul games but Goodwill was fast overtaken by a drug disqualification that would prove the biggest scandal in olympic history. If sports in the 80s began with blasts of cold War rhetoric it ends with hockey players named Fetisow Makarov and Larionov in the nil and basketball players named Marciulionis and Volkov in the Aba. Even baseball that great american icon now finds its Way to crude diamonds across the soviet Union. Ueberroth was a major player in two of the biggest Arenas in sports in the 80s the olympics and baseball. He began the decade As Point Man Tor the los Angeles games an olympics marked by an outpouring of red while and Blue in the stands and Rivers of Black Ink in the Ledger. Soon alter the olympic flame was extinguished he took Over As baseball commissioner a tenure that recalls drug trials fabulous television contracts labor discord skyrocketing salaries and record attendance. Ueberroth has been out of baseball since april when the commissioner s Torch was passed to a. Bartlett Giamatti and then Fay Vincent or in a melancholy succession of events in the gloomiest of All baseball seasons. But if baseball leaves the decade s last inning shaken by Giamatti s death Pete Rose s gambling habits and an earthquake delayed world series it can also look Back on better times the Arm of Nolan Ryan the Bat of Mike Schmidt and the limping Home run Trot of Kirk Gibson. Elegance came from All directions Joe Montana in football Wayne Gretzky in hockey and Steffi Graf in Tennis. The Aba came Back from the dead with Larry Bird and magic Johnson. The olympics gave us the bouncing smile of Mary Lou Retton and sullen visage of Ben Johnson being hustled out of Seoul. Hockey soared on its Miracle on ice at Lake Placid. Nil players tossed eggs at strike Breakers. On Campus the air around big time College sports grew increasingly toxic. Labor negotiators stole headlines from players collusion and urinalysis entered the sports vocabulary gossip became As vital As Box scores Wade Boggs sexual inclinations Mike Tyson s matrimonial woes and Steve Garvey s paternity entanglements sport changed in the 80s," Ueberroth says. He is talking from his car phone now driving North on the san Diego freeway. Ueberroth led an investor group that withdrew an offer to buy Eastern airlines. He is working on a business project that goes by the name of the contrarian group. A contrarian in the language of investment is someone who goes against the crowd Ueberroth says it is inappropriate to talk about that now. Ueberroth this Day has left his office Down the coast in Newport Beach calif., and is headed to the san Fernando Valley to give a Friend business advice. Every time Ueberroth s Chevy Blazer goes under an overpass the phone connection fades into the California smog. Instead of just covering the performances the Media switched to covering the economics the labor the social problems and everything else Ueberroth says of the decade in sports. The dating habits marital statuses just about every possible involvement. In response to fan interest i must say that changed pretty dramatically in the 80s." but. Of course there were constants the Pursuit of Money and drugs ventures that made sports pages a Cross Between the Wall Street journal and a police blotter baseball on Ueberroth s watch signed a television contract for More than $1 billion the nil and Mcaa basketball tournament also reached the $1 billion plateau. The Aba More than tripled its television contract which May raise the league s average player salary to $1 million a year. Basketball has thrived under its salary Cap in which 53 percent of the league s income goes to the players. Thus  Atlanta Hawks signs for live years at $13.2 million despite averaging 47 Points a game. A generation ago baseball s magic salary was $100.000. Decade in review sports mayor Torie of the 80a Mary Lou Retton 1984 olympic Triumph Ana ban Johnson 1988 olympic tilt inca. By the end of the 80s, Rickey Henderson. Kirby Puckett Mark Langston. Joe Carter and Mark Davis were knocking Down the $3 million a year Barrier it s hard to identify with somebody making $3 million no matter How much they might deserve it Ueberroth says i think it s interesting the Media does t focus Mother entertainment Lorms where the salaries Are ust As High or higher or in almost any other walk of life sponsorships helped teed the monster and by decade s end sponsors had left a colossal imprint on sports two thirds of the tournaments on the pea tour in 1989 carried a sponsor s name five of the seven new year s Day College bowls sold their storied names to an insurance company an express mail outfit an Oil conglomerate and a pair of Citrus growers this corporate involvement in sports was one of the lasting signatures on the los Angeleo olympics which yielded a profit of $230 million and where everything from Candy bars to copying machines were designated official sponsors of the games. All the clamor Over big Money and at salaries was echoed by alarm Bells on another front drugs dug into sports in the 80s. The players were Young and Rich and the drug merchants All too ready to please baseball s drug trials in 1985 found the likes of Keith Hernandez Dave Parker and Jeffrey Leonard making a slow sad Parade to the witness stand. Not a bad Middle of the order under other circumstances Len Bias died of a cocaine overdose a Day after being drafted by the Boston celtics. A few weeks later Don Rogers of the Cleveland Browns followed drugs touched everywhere hockey s Bob Probert boxing s Michael Dokes horse racing s Pat Day Lamarr Hoyt once a by Young award Winner was caught smuggling drugs in his underwear at the mexican Border. All the while the nil made believe steroids did t exist. It took the Aba to come up with a Tough workable drug policy for All its troubles and Ueberroth says he was most troubled by the soccer riots and stadium disasters in Europe and the turmoil in Detroit s streets following the tigers Victory in the 1984 world series sports snowed every sign of sustained growth in the 80s, its hold on the Public imagination As magnetic As Ever baseball started a Graybeard league for seniors and two teams Are to join the National league. The Aba is hot property worldwide. Even hockey talks expansion the u s football league and North american soccer league went under but those left standing could count their Money attendance everywhere is up. Arenas and domes sprout All Over the country. Sports Memorabilia is a burgeoning Industry Ueberroth Calls it a decade of  so it is that the country elected a president in 1980 who never tired of recounting his Days As a sportscaster and now finds the Oval office occupied by a Light hitting first baseman from Yale. Sex jocks Bill Bradley and Jack Kemp loom As presidential candidates. Ueberroth is eyed for political office although he denies such plans. And far South of the Border soccer great Pele is said to be interested in running for president of Brazil in 1992. I Don t think sports makes politicians at  Ueberroth says. But for some superstar athletes it gives the name identification a boost if the individual has the Bent toward Public service. That s All it  saturday december 30. 1989 the stars and stripes Page 13