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For Immediate Release
| Contact: | Kendra Calvert Blue Equity, LLC Tel: 502.588.7159 kcalvert@blueequity.com |
USA Basketball and Ariel Mutual Funds Sign on to Commemorate 20th Anniversary of 2008 Hoop It Up Tour
National Governing Body for Basketball and Investment Firm Partake in 20 Years of Success for World's Largest 3-on-3 Basketball Event
LOUISVILLE, KY, February 22, 2008 - Blue Equity, LLC (www.blueequity.com) announced today that USA Basketball (www.usabasketball.com), the national governing body for men's and women's basketball, will serve as a supporting partner of Hoop It Up's 2008 tour and Chicago-based Ariel Mutual Funds (www.arielmutualfunds.com) will serve as an official sponsor. This year will mark the 20th anniversary of the world's largest 3-on-3 basketball event. The tour will kick off March 29-30, 2008 in Houston, Phoenix and Miami, and will make stops in 40 of the country's top markets including Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and Philadelphia over the next six months.
Organized by Team Championships International (TCI), a subsidiary of Blue Equity, the 2008 Hoop It Up nationwide tour is expected to attract an estimated 400,000 participants and spectators. Hoop It Up participants will be given the unique opportunity to become a "USA Basketball Insider" and gain inside access to USA Basketball by receiving regular email updates about the Olympic teams and other USA Basketball upcoming activities and events.
This year's event marks the 20th anniversary of the world's largest 3-on-3 basketball tour and one of the flagship programs of the fast growing participatory sports sector. Over the last twenty years, more than 1.5 million amateur athletes have participated in Hoop It Up events across the country giving brands such as Gatorade, Footlocker, and the NBA unique brand building access to consumers.
"USA Basketball's relationship with Hoop It Up is a natural fit, as both organizations are strongly committed to widespread participation in the game of basketball at the grassroots level," said Jim Tooley, USA Basketball Executive Director. "We congratulate Hoop It Up on their 20th anniversary and we look forward to joining forces with them to promote the continued growth of our sport."
Ariel has a long-standing connection with the Hoop It Up tours as John W. Rogers, Jr., its founder and CEO, has been an active participant in Hoop It Up tournaments for more than 10 years and is a 3 time world champion winner.
"Some view basketball as simply a sport, but actually it has taught me valuable lessons about business and life. As captain of Princeton's basketball team, I learned that a player's personality shows up at each and every game on the court," said Rogers. "How you play is very telling about who you are — are you a true team player or not? It's not just a game but a mirror of life."
TCI is also launching a new website at the beginning of the 2008 tour to provide even more features for their audiences including social networking capabilities and easier online registration. The new site will have a variety of bonus features to enhance users' experience.
"Over the past 20 years, the tour has seen success through the exponential growth in numbers of participants and influence in communities nationwide," said Dan Cramer, CEO of Team Championships International. "We are thrilled by the recognition and support of USA Basketball and Ariel Mutual Funds as they look to promote the growth of basketball through the participatory sports and grassroots sector."
The tour is one of TCI's flagship events, in addition to their Kick It (3v3 soccer) and Let It Fly (4on4 flag football), participatory sports tours. Currently producing over 120 events, TCI's tours are collectively the largest in the world of their kind. Since their inception, they have attracted approximately 2 million participants and 12 million spectators.
For more information on the 2008 Hoop It Up tour, please visit www.hoopitup.com. For information on Blue Equity's other participatory tours, please visit Kick It www.kickit3v3.com , and Let It Fly www.4on4football.com.
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About Blue Equity
Blue Equity's holdings in sports are comprised of SFX Worldwide, Worldwide Football, Blackwave Sports, Team Championships International (TCI), Humarks and Game Seven Sports Marketing. Current clients include Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush, NFL Pro Bowlers DeAngelo Hall, Will Smith and Michael Vick, NBA All-Star Rasheed Wallace, 2007 NBA Lottery picks Joakim Noah and Corey Brewer, Australian, French and US Open Champion Justine Henin, US Open Champion Andy Roddick, No. 1 doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan, Minnesota basketball coach Tubby Smith, Arizona State basketball coach Herb Sendek, Louisville football coach Steve Kragthorpe, Ole Miss basketball coach Andy Kennedy, Arkansas basketball coach John Pelphrey and Massachusetts basketball coach Travis Ford. Media & Event properties include the US Open Tennis Championship, the French Open Tennis Championship, the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, numerous US-based ATP tournaments, Rock 'n Racquets, Hoop It Up, Let It Fly, Kick It, the Boston Marathon, EliteXC Mixed Martial Arts, the Superstars Competition, the AVP Beach Volleyball tour, Ice Wars, the World Cup of Softball, Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge, the Men's and Womens' Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships and the Men's Ford Tennis Championship.
www.sfxworldwide.com | www.blackwavesports.com | www.teamchampionships.com | www.game-seven.com | www.humarks.com
Blue Equity, LLC is an independent, private equity firm based in Louisville, Kentucky. It is committed to actively investing growth capital and business expertise in enterprises with solid development potential. Blue Equity forms strategic partnerships with existing management teams and leverages its expertise and relationships to stabilize, strengthen and grow lasting value. Investment efforts and managerial expertise are focused on the operation of a global and diversified portfolio of business enterprises, including opportunities in media, publishing, sports and entertainment, financial services, real estate and international trade. Blue Equity is dedicated to helping businesses grow by accelerating opportunity and driving innovation to the marketplace. www.blueequity.com
About USA Basketball
Based in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Basketball is a nonprofit organization and the national governing body for men's and women's basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the United States by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection, training and fielding of USA teams that compete in FIBA sponsored international basketball competitions, as well as for some national competitions.
About Ariel Capital Management, LLC/Ariel Mutual Funds
Since its inception in 1983, Ariel Capital Management, LLC has grown from 2 to over 100 employees with over $13 billion in assets under management. Ariel Capital Management serves as the investment adviser to the no-load Ariel Mutual Funds, which include the firm's flagship Ariel Fund — a small/mid-cap value fund which celebrated its 20-year anniversary last November; the Ariel Appreciation Fund, a mid-cap value fund established in 1989 and Ariel Focus Fund, a non-diversified, mid/large-cap portfolio established in 2005. Additionally, Ariel manages separate accounts for corporate, public, union and non-profit organizations. For more information about our firm, please visit, arielmutualfunds.com.