UFC 125 Prelims Will Air Live on Network Television
The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced that three UFC 125 preliminary fights will air live on ION Television on Saturday, Jan. 1 starting at 8:55pm ET/5:55pm PT.
The announcement marks the first time UFC prelims will air live and free on network television. The action kicks off this Saturday with three explosive fights featuring Phil Baroni vs. Brad Tavares in a middleweight contest, Josh Grispi vs. Dustin Poirier in featherweight action and Marcus Davis vs. Jeremy Stephens in a highly-anticipated lightweight clash.
By airing live prelim fights on network television, Saturday’s UFC 125 prelims will reach almost 100 million U.S. households.
“I am excited for our fans because I’ve been looking for ways to broadcast UFC prelims free and to as many homes as possible,” UFC President Dana White said. “ION is the largest broadcast television station group in the U.S. and this deal will put the UFC prelims in almost 100 million homes.” Read more
General Tire Announces Sponsorship of Team USA’s Dakar Raptor at the Legendary Dakar Rally
General Tire announced it will sponsor Team USA’s Darren Skilton, Sue Mead and Tom Collins at the 2011 Dakar Rally, which stretches across more than 5,500 miles of grueling terrain from Argentina to Chile Jan. 1 st through 16th.
Darren Skilton will be unleashing the fury alongside co-drivers Mead, and Collins as they represent the USA in their Ford F-150 Raptor — fitted with General Grabber competition tires.
Celebrated as the toughest and most widely watched motorsports event in the world, the 2011 Dakar Rally will host more than 350 teams from around the globe.
“This is an exciting sponsorship for General Tire,” said Travis Roffler, director of marketing, General Tire. ”We’ve made a major come-back in motorsports in the past few years, and sponsoring Team USA at the Dakar Rally is just another step in the plan. With the reported 4.1 million spectators and 2.2 billion television viewers the event had last year, this is the ultimate off-road sponsorship opportunity for us.” Read more
IHG Will Become Official Partner of PGA Tour in 2011
Five-year deal includes extension of title sponsorship of Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and PGA TOUR today announced they have entered into a five-year integrated marketing partnership that, beginning in 2011, will make IHG an official partner of the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour in the hotel and resort category.
IHG owns a portfolio of well-recognized and respected hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®. IHG also manage the world’s largest hotel loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards with 52 million members worldwide.
Additionally, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts will extend its title sponsorship of the PGA TOUR’s Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial through 2015. Crowne Plaza has served as title sponsor of the historic event since 2007. Crowne Plaza is known to business travelers as “The Place to Meet” and golf courses have a storied history as informal meeting places, which Crowne Plaza will continue to leverage through its relationship with the PGA TOUR and Colonial Country Club across all IHG brands.
“We are extremely pleased to announce this new long-term relationship with the PGA TOUR, which includes extending our sponsorship of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial,” said Jim Abrahamson, President, The Americas, IHG. “This partnership provides a terrific opportunity for IHG to showcase all its eight brands and bring to life our award winning loyalty program for fans as well as the PGA TOUR’s membership base of players from around the world.” Read more
iPlayBook IceHockey Gives Coaches, Players and Fans a New Way to Draw Plays
Just days after its release, a new ice hockey coaching whiteboard app has reached number 11 on the list of the most popular sports apps for mobile devices. iPlayBook IceHockey (http://www.iplaybook.net), designed for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, is now available on iTunes. For a limited time, the app can be downloaded for only $0.99.
An indispensable tool for coaches and the perfect low-cost gift for ice hockey players and fans, iPlayBook IceHockey allows the user to draw plays, position players and create drills — all in the palm of the hand. Users can choose from three different ice formations and diagram face-offs, power plays and penalty kills, then share their plays with coaches, players and fans.
Working like a cross between a whiteboard and on-screen animation, iPlayBook IceHockey lets the user reposition players by touching and dragging them around the screen. Users can even draw passes with the touch of a finger. When a play or drill is just right, the user can save it to the photo library as an image or e-mail it to friends directly from within the iPlayBook IceHockey app.
iPlayBook IceHockey is a novel way for coaches to collaborate with one another and for players to visually review plays during the game, if needed, without tipping their hand to the other team. But it also gives fans the opportunity to get more involved in their favorite sport. Fans watching the game can create plays they think would work better or re-create successful plays while discussing the game with friends.
“iPlayBook IceHockey is an outstanding tool for coaches and players at all levels,” stated Jim Boyle, founder and president of iPlayBook Apps. “We are thrilled to bring our outstanding iPlayBook App technology to the popular sport of ice hockey.”
A Great Christmas Gift that Includes Top Gospel Artists, NFL Players Choir, NFL Players and Much More
Christmas is almost here and you’re still looking for that perfect gift for the person who has everything or the one who’s hard to buy for. Well, look no more.
The 12th Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration is coming to North Texas and tickets are now on sale. Be the talk of the holiday season and beyond when you give tickets to this event, which make its North Texas debut on Friday, February 4, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. at the Music Hall in Fair Park. You can purchase your tickets online at www.superbowlgospel.com or at North Texas Ticketmasters. Tickets are $38, $58, $78 and $98 (additional, non-refundable service fees apply; free venue parking included).
A National Football League (NFL) sanctioned event, SBGC has been a major part of Super Bowl Weekend since 1999. Named “One of the Best Super Bowl Events” by USA Today, the event features top gospel/contemporary Christian and mainstream artists, marquee players and special guests. The 2011 line-up to-date includes CeCe Winans as host, with performances by Marvin Sapp, Israel Houghton & New Breed, Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin, “Players Choice” James Fortune & FIYA, the NFL PLAYERS Choir and “The Best Church Choir in America” – Verizon’s How Sweet the Sound winning choir, the Voices of Destiny.
The NFL PLAYERS Choir made an appearance in September at the XLV Live Countdown From Cowboys Stadium. Approximately 25 former players participated including Drew Pearson (Cowboys), Darrell Green (Redskins) and other Pro-Bowlers, Super Bowl Champions, MVPs and All-Pros participated. Both active and former players will participate in the main event during Super Bowl Weekend.