Baltimore, MD (October 15, 2007) – Under Armour, Inc. (NYSE: UA) today announced it has signed a three-year agreement to become the title sponsor of the ESPNU High School All-American Game debuting Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008 at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla.
The newly titled Under Armour High School All-American Game, an annual all-star football competition spotlighting the nation’s top high school seniors, is a joint effort between ESPN and Intersport, a leading sports and entertainment media and marketing company. The game will be broadcast live to most of the nation on ABC at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT and noon MT), and will air tape delay to the west coast audience at noon PT.
Organized in conjunction with Intersport, a leading sports and entertainment media and marketing company with over 20 years of experience, The Under Armour High School All-American Game will showcase more than 80 of the country’s top prep football prospects. The players are selected by national recruiting analysts and talent evaluators from ESPN Scouts, Inc. The event will capstone ESPN’s regular-season coverage of high school football games across its networks, eventually culminating with ESPNU’s annual National Signing Day show in February.
In addition to the national broadcast of the Under Armour High School All-American Game, ESPN will provide extensive coverage of the week’s activities on its family of networks. On Friday, Jan. 4, ESPN2 will cover the players participating in a multi-faceted skills competition and ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network, will provide extensive coverage of practice sessions throughout the week.
“Under Armour was founded on the American football field and we believe supporting this next generation of athletes along with ESPN and Intersport provides a great opportunity to support the game that is at the core of our brand,” said Steve Battista, Vice President of Brand, Under Armour. “We’re proud to help recognize the top players in the country and provide our innovative apparel and footwear for all the on-field activities. We believe our partnership with ESPN helps ensure that this game will quickly become the pre-eminent event of its kind.”
“Under Armour has emerged as a quality brand amongst a wide array of sports fans as well as in the athletic community, and we are thrilled to have them title sponsor this exciting new venture,” James Brown, senior vice president, new program development, ESPN. “We look forward to working with Under Armour to build this event into a first-class experience for participants and fans.”
Seventy players have accepted invitations to participate in the 2008 Under Armour High School All-American Game. To view the current roster, please click here.
In addition to the Under Armour High School All-American Game, Under Armour sponsors the Under Armour All-America Lacrosse Classic which annually showcases the top 44 boys’ and girls’ lacrosse players in the country.
“Under Armour has stood for performance since our inception,” said Battista. “Our All-American games provide an opportunity to showcase the best in amateur athletic performance and our goal is for players across high school sports to aspire to be an Under Armour All-American.”
About Under Armour, Inc.
Under Armour® (NYSE: UA) is a leading developer, marketer, and distributor of branded performance apparel, footwear, and accessories. The brand’s moisture-wicking synthetic fabrications are engineered in many different designs and styles for wear in nearly every climate to provide a performance alternative to traditional natural fiber products. The Company’s products are sold worldwide and worn by athletes at all levels, from youth to professional, on playing fields around the globe. The Under Armour global headquarters is in Baltimore, Maryland, with European headquarters in Amsterdam’s Olympic Stadium, and additional offices in Denver, Hong Kong, Toronto, and Guangzhou, China. For further information, please visit the Company’s website at http://www.underarmour.com.
About Intersport
Intersport was formed in 1985 and is an Emmy Award-winning creator, producer and distributor of original sports and entertainment programming and an industry leader in event marketing and corporate hospitality. The Intersport Media Group is one of the largest independent producers of sports programming in the U.S. It distributes sports content across all media platforms. The Intersport Event Marketing Group designs and executes national event marketing initiatives. By helping brands build a strategic framework for their sports marketing strategy, Intersport enables companies to connect with consumers in emotional and impactful ways. Intersport creates, executes and manages major event corporate hospitality programs. Intersport is headquartered in Chicago with offices in New York City and Los Angeles and can be found on the Internet at http://www.intersportnet.com.