FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 11, 2000 CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119 PROFESSIONAL SPORTS CONSULTANT TO SPEAK AT DRAKE Drake University alumnus and professional sports consultant Robert Starkey will give a lecture at Drake University on Thursday, Oct. 19, titled "Can Major League Sports Survive in Middle America." The annual Financial Executives Institute - Drake Lecture, which is free and open to the public, will start at 7:15 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main, 26th Street and University Avenue. Starkey and his firm, Starkey Sports Consulting LLC, provide financial, economic and strategic consulting services to Major League Baseball and other professional sports franchises. A 1975 Drake graduate and CPA, Starkey has gained a reputation as one of the preeminent consults to the professional sports industry. He has advised sports franchises on a wide range of matters, including market feasibility studies, new ballpark initiatives, franchise sales and acquisitions, franchise valuation services, revenue sharing plans and labor arrangements. Prior to starting his own firm in Minneapolis, Starkey worked for 24 years for Arthur Andersen, where he was the partner-in-charge of the Andersen Professional Sports Industry Group from 1991 to 1999. During this time, Arthur Andersen became the dominant provider of services to the sports industry, representing approximately 25 percent of all professional sports teams. The FEI-Drake Lecture is an annual event co-hosted and sponsored by the Iowa chapter of the Financial Executives Institute and Drake University's College of Business and Public Administration. FEI is a professional association of more than 14,000 senior financial executives from 91 chapters and some 8,000 major companies throughout the United States and Canada.