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Wasserman Media Group Forms Landmark Marketing and Programming Partnerships with USA Gymnastics, USA Swimming, and USA Track & Field
April 9, 2007 From USATF press release.
Los Angeles, CA/Colorado Springs, CO/Indianapolis,
IN (April 9, 2007) Wasserman Media Group (WMG)
has entered into long-term exclusive partnerships with USA
Gymnastics, USA Swimming and USA Track & Field to
represent the trio in the marketplace for sponsorship,
events and marketing opportunities, and develop digital
platforms to broaden distribution and original programming.
Through this first-ever partnership with WMG, these national
governing bodies (NGBs) are joining forces to promote their
sports, attract commercial partners, and better serve their
athletes, coaches and fans with the support of one of the
world's leading sports marketing and media companies. In partnership with the NGBs, WMG will build and manage
individual online community portals for each sport within the
company's new online sports network, Sportnet
(www.sportnet.com). These individual
NGB portals will
be separately programmed with a combination of unique
editorial content, live event and on-demand coverage, and
will support ecommerce and user-generated content. "It is a privilege to be in business with three of the leading
NGBs in the United States. Through an evolving and
fragmented marketplace, this group has joined together
with the vision and leadership necessary to take their
organizations to this next level," said Casey Wasserman,
Chairman and CEO, WMG. "There is also no better way to
establish Sportnet than with the partnership of these NGBs,
and WMG looks forward to serving each of their
communities." WMG plans to leverage its world-class sponsorship sales
and marketing platform to strategically offer marketers
individual or packaged opportunities with the NGBs,
including television broadcasts, online, event signage and
hospitality, and promotions. Each national governing body
will continue to maintain the relationships with current
partners, who will also benefit from the expanded resources
being provided. USA Gymnastics, USA Swimming, and USA Track and Field
produced nearly 60% of the medals won by the United
States at the 2004 Olympic Games, have more than 6,000
retail outlets spread across the country in the form of
member clubs, and conduct, sanction, or are affiliated with
more than 15,000 events annually. Via WMG, marketers now
have an opportunity to connect more substantively with
these NGBs and their powerful audiences. "This approach is a response to the ever changing
marketplace of sports today. WMG's technology, market
savvy, and capital investment will help us build something
new and provide a comprehensive platform to members,
fans, and corporate partners. This combined effort will allow
us to create resources that promote our brands, programs,
athletes, and events, and serve the passions of those who
care about these sports on a daily basis," said Steve Penny,
President, USA Gymnastics. "We are membership-focused organizations, so we need to
ensure that we are providing the community tools that our
athletes, coaches, and fans need and expect. This will
better provide an environment for fans and athletes to
participate in and manage every aspect of their relationship
to our sport," said Chuck Wielgus, Executive Director, USA
Swimming. "With WMG we are creating opportunities for
viewers to access a much broader array of our events and
programs than are available on television." "As we evaluated potential partners for this initiative, we
recognized that there were many companies that had the
resources and ability to meet our needs, but among those
companies, WMG stood out. We were impressed with
WMG's entrepreneurial spirit, scope and expertise," said
Craig Masback, CEO, USA Track & Field. The NGBs' year-long evaluation of new partnership
strategies was facilitated by Jack Swarbrick of the law firm
Baker & Daniels, an Indianapolis-based consultant to the
collegiate and Olympic sports industries.
About USA Track & Field
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body
for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in
the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest
organized sports, some of the most-watched events of
Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high
school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult
runners in the United States. For more information on
USATF, visit www.usatf.org About Wasserman Media Group
Wasserman Media Group (WMG) is a worldwide leader in
sports management, marketing and content. WMG is also
the holding company for the Los Angeles Avengers of the
Arena Football League. More information about WMG and its
businesses is available at www.wmgllc.com.
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