DATE: Saturday, July 19, 1997               TAG: 9707190635

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Column 

SOURCE: Tom Robinson 

                                            LENGTH:   68 lines

FINALLY, FANS HAVE A WAY TO BE HEARD ABOVE THE DIN

There is a new organization in Charlotte, the National Association of Sportfans, that among other things wants to give ticket buyers a role in shaping the ethics and operation of the sports world.

I could say yeah, right. Like Mike Tyson's really not going to bite just because some fan-advocacy group out of Carolina says, ``Biting. Bad.''

But then I think, hey, what could hurt? Nobody's listening as it is, not when the regular Dave or Dora has to tap savings for a night at the game and the integrity of sports is spiraling due south in a handbasket.

So give it a shot, Hugh Johnston, founder of the NAS. Organize, recruit and, yes, let the country's sports fans speak with what they have never had. One voice.

``I don't think fans get any recognition at all,'' Johnston, 68, a lawyer and businessman, said from the NAS office he started in May. ``Any bill that's related to athletics, I don't care if it's for a TV commercial or a T-shirt, fans pay for it. And they get no recognition because no one's speaking for them.''

Johnston proposes constructive change, through non-confrontational methods, based in the belief that fans should help map the future of amateur and pro sports.

He sees NAS members being polled on various issues and the results announced through the media, the better to turn heads.

He sees the NAS, a non-profit organization, identifying role models and promoting youth sports programs that are heavy on participation and character building.

Johnston especially wants to see amateurs, from kiddie leagues on up, feted in an NAS museum and hall of honor that he says is being planned.

It's not just Johnston, either. Ex-quarterback Roman Gabriel is on the NAS board of directors; advisers include NASCAR's Cale Yarborough, Atlanta columnist Furman Bisher, and former Wake Forest basketball star Gil McGregor.

Amateur sports are being hurt by the pros running amok, Johnston said. ``I'm concerned . . . because athletics have always been a tremendous way to teach young people discipline and a code of ethics.

``In the professional business they say winning is everything, and if you have to kill the quarterback, kill him. That's not correct. Athletics should be enjoyable, and winning is not everything.''

Tell that to a sports conglomerate? NAS will, and the NFL or whatever will listen if the voice is authoritative enough, Johnston said. ``We'll be speaking for fans, and I think they ought to want to listen to the fans.''

To be among the counted, fire off 20 bucks - $10 if you're under 21 - to the NAS. ($100 will get your name and hometown on a plaque at the planned hall of honor.) You'll get a membership card, a T-shirt, a quarterly newsletter, and the future promise of NAS gatherings at various sports events and ticket discounts.

Of course, you'll also get a vote in whatever matters the NAS takes up.

``The people who made pro sports a success, who sat out in the cheap seats in rain and snow, they can no longer go to today's events,'' Johnston said. ``And if they continue raising prices, we're gonna end up with what I refer to as just a big cocktail party at athletic events. That's not what athletics are about.

``I think if the owners are informed about that, and if enough fans sound off about it, maybe the pendulum will start swinging back the other way.'' MEMO: To sign up, call 1-800-771-2151 or go through the NAS Website at

www.sportsfans.org. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

``I don't think fans get any recognition at all,'' says Hugh

Johnston, founder of the National Association of Sportfans.

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