SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION
TYR Sport signed 5-time Olympic Gold Medalist and 14-time World Champion Katie Ledecky, one of the sport’s most marketable and accomplished athletes, to its roster of sponsored swimmers. One of the most iconic names in swimming, Ledecky, 21, has been named “World Swimmer of the Year” four times and has broken 14 world records. She has earned a total of six Olympic medals, including five golds for her swims in the 200m, 400m, 800m, and 4x200m freestyle. And currently holds 26 medals in major international competitions, including 24 first-place finishes. Caleb Dressel, the winner of a record-tying seven gold medals at the 2017 World Championships, and Simone Manuel, who in 2016 became the first black woman of any nationality to win Olympic gold in, both remain unsigned.
UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s Modern Wing as a member of the class of 2018 on Thursday, July 5, at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Rousey will be the first woman inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
“There would be no women in UFC without Ronda Rousey,” UFC President Dana White said. “Ronda is an absolute pioneer who helped me personally, and a lot of other people, look at women in combat sports differently. She accomplished everything she set out to do with UFC and became a global icon and role model in the process.”
Rousey will join Forrest Griffin (2013), BJ Penn (2015) and Urijah Faber (2017) as the only members of the Hall of Fame’s Modern Wing and joins Faber as only the second athlete to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame from the bantamweight division.
“This is an immense honor, to not only take part in bringing women to the forefront of this sport, but now the UFC Hall of Fame,” Rousey said. “May I be the first of many.”
The Harlem Globetrotters and the Beijing Aspiring Integrated Marketing Company announced a five-year partnership that will bring the Globetrotters back to China. Beginning on July 6 in Baotou, the Globetrotters will begin a two-week tour of China. As part of the new marketing agreement, the Globetrotters will play eight-to-12 shows in China annually over each of the next five years.
DIGITAL & STREAMING
Nitro Circus will ramp up its partnership with Facebook in 2018, delivering 28 exclusive live broadcasts on Facebook starting this summer. The partnership will include broadcasts of 14 Nitro World Games events and 14 live look-ins from Nitro Circus’s live tour. Live coverage kicks off August 10 and will run through Nitro Circus’s arena tour in December. It will be available in the U.S. on Facebook Watch and globally via the Nitro Circus Facebook Page.
Overtime - a next-generation sports network for digital-native sports fans - is launching Hype School, a new weekly show produced exclusively for Snapchat. Hype School presents the week’s top high school sports highlights - and epic fails - in a fast-paced way that speaks to how the Snapchat generation thinks about sports. The first episode will premiere for Snapchatters worldwide on Friday, June 8 at 6am ET on Snapchat’s Discover page. New episodes will air every Friday and previously released episodes will be available using Snapchat’s Search feature. “Hype School will feel like the young, energetic cousin of the traditional sports wrap-up show,” said Dan Porter, Overtime’s CEO and co-founder. “We want to bring Snapchatters a show where their peers are the stars and tap into the fun and energy that these athletes bring to the game.” Overtime, which targets the 13-24-year-old demographic. creates and distributes digital-only programming across Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat.
Social media app 15 Seconds of Fame (15SOF), which delivers fans’ video appearances at live events directly to their phones, signed a multiyear agreement with the NBA. 15SOF uses unique facial recognition software to capture fans videoboard and broadcast appearances at live events. NBA fans attending games in all 29 NBA arenas can download the 15SOF app to receive their in-game moments to share across social media channels.
ESPORTS
Esports Arena, GameSpot and Jack in the Box hamburger chain, have teamed up for a first-of-its-kind experience at the Electronic Entertainment Expo featuring the event’s debut of Esports Arena DRIVE, North America’s first mobile esports touring arena, June 12-14 from 4-9 p.m. at Microsoft Square at LA Live.
The GameSpot Battle Rig Fueled by Jack in the Box - an 80-foot, 18-wheel, 35-ton semi-trailer - will showcase three days of Battle Royale solo, duo and squad competitions on the Esports Arena DRIVE stage with participants competing for prizes and giveaways. Various celebrity meet-and-greets and autograph sessions will also take place at the truck each day.
THE MAIN EVENT
Florida/Auburn - Game 3 of College World Series Super Regional on ESPN at 8:30p.
