
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, July 3, 1995                   TAG: 9507030157
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Short

FANS: BASEBALL IS STRIKING OUT

Baseball has lost about one-third of its fans since last year, according to a Harris Poll released Sunday.

In May 1994, a Harris Poll found 49 percent of adults said they followed major-league baseball. In a survey conducted from June 8-11, 33 percent said they followed the sport.

Among those who said they follow baseball, 71 percent said they were less interested than before the 232-day strike. Twelve percent said they were more interested and 16 percent said their level of interest had not changed.

Bud Selig, baseball's acting commissioner, said he wasn't alarmed by the survey.

``I think it's impossible to react to something like that,'' he said Sunday from his office in Milwaukee. ``I'm at least encouraged by our attendance today. We had good numbers all over. We'll see how the trends develop. There's work to be done and we'll do it.''

Attendance, on a per-game basis, is down about 20 percent this season.

The latest survey was conducted among 1,004 adults. There is a 95 percent certainty the error margin is within 3 percent.

by CNB