Leading Specialty Retailer to Serve as Presenting Sponsor of Both
Men's and Women's Tournaments
PITTSBURGH & NEW YORK, Aug 05, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE: AEO) and The BIG EAST today
announced that American Eagle Outfitters will be the Presenting Sponsor
of The BIG EAST Men's and Women's Basketball Championships for the next
three years.
"Sponsorship of The BIG EAST championships is an ideal way for the AE
brand to connect with college students," said Jim O'Donnell, chief
executive officer, American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. "Aligning with a
collegiate sports franchise with the prestige and magnitude of The BIG
EAST puts our brand at the center of our customers' lives in a highly
positive, visible way."
As the presenting sponsor of both tournaments, American Eagle Outfitters
will be designated as the Official Apparel Company of The BIG EAST and
will receive prominent exposure inside and outside of the host arenas.
The company will have an extensive print, radio and online presence in
conjunction with both events, as well as a media package on ESPN
telecasts of both men's and women's regular season league and tournament
games. In addition, AEO will be heavily involved with The BIG EAST
Olympic Sports Championships, which feature Olympic sports competitions
with college athletes, at various venues throughout the year. The BIG
EAST tournament information and student athletes will be featured in AE
stores, on its Web site, www.ae.com,
and on its 25-story LED screens outside the Times Square flagship.
To reinforce its commitment to education and community support, American
Eagle Outfitters will award 37 scholarships to student-athletes for
graduate or professional school studies. The scholarship program will
include a male and female Scholar Athlete of the Year, a male and female
Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year, a Football Scholar Athlete of
the Year, and a BIG EAST Athlete of the Week, among others. The
partnership also aligns with American Eagle Outfitters' Campus Marketing
initiative which creates brand awareness for college students on their
campuses in various ways such as fashion shows, intramural sports, and
special offerings.
"While we are certainly thrilled that American Eagle Outfitters will be
the presenting sponsor of our men's and women's basketball
championships, we are even more pleased to start what we expect to be a
much more expansive and mutually beneficial relationship," said
Commissioner John Marinatto. "Not only are we marrying a premier brand
to two of the most premier events in all of college athletics, but this
relationship will also positively affect each and every one of our more
than 5,000 student-athletes competing in 24 BIG EAST Conference
sponsored sports."
The 2011 BIG EAST Men's Basketball Championship Presented by American
Eagle will be held March 8-12 at Madison Square Garden. The 2011 BIG
EAST Women's Basketball Championship Presented by American Eagle will be
held March 4-8 in Hartford, CT, at the XL Center.
The agreement between AEO and The BIG EAST will be managed by ISP
Sports, the exclusive multimedia rights holder for the conference.
AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS, INC.
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., through its subsidiaries, ("AEO, Inc.")offers high-quality, on-trend clothing, accessories and personal
care products at affordable prices. The American Eagle Outfitters(R)
brand targets 15 to 25 year old girls and guys, with 934 stores in the
U.S. and Canada and online at www.ae.com.
aerie(R) by american eagle offers Dormwear(R) and
intimates collections for the AE(R) girl, with 143 standalone
stores in the U.S. and Canada and online at www.aerie.com.
The latest brand, 77kids(TM) by american eagle(TM), is available online at www.77kids.com
as well as at five stores across the nation. 77kids offers "kid cool,"
durable clothing and accessories for kids ages two to 10. AE.COM(R),
the online home of the brands of AEO, Inc. ships to 76 countries
worldwide.
THE BIG EAST CONFERENCE
The BIG EAST is the nation's largest Division I-A conference with 16
members. Those institutions reside in nine of the nation's top 34 media
markets, including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, DC,
Tampa, Pittsburgh, Hartford, Milwaukee and Cincinnati. BIG EAST markets
contain almost one fourth of all television households in the U.S. Since
its founding in 1979, the league has won 26 national championships in
six different sports, including five men's basketball titles and seven
women's basketball crowns. In 2009, BIG EAST schools comprised four of
the eight teams in the men's and women's Final Four events, a feat that
has happened only once before in NCAA Championship history.
ISP - AMERICA'S HOME FOR COLLEGE SPORTS
ISP is the country's largest and fastest growing collegiate multimedia
rights holder, with partnerships involving more than 60 NCAA member
institutions, conferences, bowl games and venues. The ISP family of
leading universities and conferences reaches into 34 states from the
Northeast through the mid-Atlantic and Southeast, while extending across
the Southwest and most of the West coast as well. The company, which is
based in Winston-Salem, NC, produces a variety of sponsorship
opportunities and services for its partner schools and corporate
clients, including publications, radio/TV networks, internet sites, game
event promotions and stadium/arena signage.
SOURCE: American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.
ISP Sports
John Justus, 336-831-0767
jjustus@ispsports.com
or
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.
Stephanie Oschwald, 412-432-4548
oschwalds@ae.com