SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION
Bridgestone Americas, a Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner, announced its support for a group of seven Team USA Olympians and Paralympians on the road to the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. The lineup includes: Scout Bassett (Para track and field), Jordan Burroughs (wrestling), Allyson Felix (track and field), Missy Franklin (swimming), Will Groulx (Para-cycling), Jessica Long (Para swimming), and Ryan Murphy (swimming). They will serve as athlete ambassadors for next year’s upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games, and join a global Team Bridgestone roster that includes more than 50 ambassadors across 14 different countries.
International Speedway Corporation announced its Proud Partner status with the Veteran Tickets Foundation, an organization providing event tickets through its Tickets for Troops program to all branches of currently serving military and veterans. ISC’s Proud Partner designation spans across its 12 motorsports entertainment facilities throughout the U.S. that host NASCAR events.
DIGITAL, DATA & STREAMING
The Maple Leaf’s Auston Matthews will be the cover athlete for EA Sports NHL ’20. The announcement was made at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas. Matthews became the third American-born player to appear on the cover, and the first since Patrick Kane was featured in NHL '10. The game will be releases on Sept. 13. NHL 20 will feature celebratory commentary, ranging from Snoop Dogg to Will Ferrell (as Ron Burgundy) in addition to including a new battle royale mode for player.
ESPORTS
Riot Games announced that Berlin, Madrid and Paris will all play host in the leadup to this year’s League of Legends World Championship. The Play-In Stage will open n on Oct. 2 at LEC Studio in Berlin, with Group Stage Action beginning on Oct. 12 out of Verti Music Hall in the city. Starting Oct 26, Quarterfinal and Semifinal play will be held at Palacio Vistalegre in Madrid while the World Championship Finals take place at ccorHotels Arena in Paris on Nov. 10. The event will see 24 teams from 13 regional leagues compete for the Summoner’s Cup.
PUBG Corporation unveiled plans for the PUBG Nations Cup, described as a global event taking place in Seoul at the Jangchung Arena from August 9-11 where top PUBG pro players will be selected to represent their respective countries for a $500,000 prize pool. Overall, a total of 16 teams spanning five continents (North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Oceania) will be represented in Seoul with participants from each country selected by their peers or through other country-specific methods. The selection process will produce four all-stars that will be part of a 16-team tournament across three days of competition, with each team playing a total of five matches a day.
Electronic Arts and FIFA announced that the EA SPORTS FIFA 19 Global Series this year generated more than 680 million viewership minutes, for a markup of 60% over last year with 61 million total views, a 25% rise. Viewership growth was anchored by 17 official league partners, up over eight a year ago, the first-ever eChampions League and the introduction of the FIFA eNations Cup. FIFA 19 Global Series Playoffs starts first with the Xbox ladder on July 5-7 in Hamburg, Germany with the PlayStation 4®bracket occurring July 12-14 in Berlin, Germany. The top 120 EA SPORTS FIFA 19 players in the world will advance from the playoffs to the pinnacle – the FIFA eWorld Cup 2019.
Dignitas announced the grand opening of a new content and media production facility in Newark that will be dedicated to producing original content dedicated to the “cross-section of gaming, entertainment, music and lifestyle media.” The 3,000 square-foot facility is adjacent to Prudential Center, the HBSE owned 19,000 seat multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena, and will feature a 500-square foot Content Studio presented by Caffeine TV, equipped with four 4K cameras capable of 4K-quality live broadcast workflow, two soundproof live-streaming and recording pods and fully-stocked café. The new East Coast training home for Dignitas’ seven teams, including League of Legends, World Champion Rocket League and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams, includes a professional gaming space, outfitted with high-end gaming computers, console systems and Dignitas-branded Raynor Gaming chairs.
ESPN is bringing esports back to the X Games, announcing plans for the EXP Invitational – Apex Legends at X Games Minneapolis. Online qualifiers begin on June 29 for teams in North America, Europe, and Australia/New Zealand. Two winners from North America, two winners from Europe, and one winner from Australia/New Zealand will be selected to compete in Minneapolis. Along with the five teams earning their spot via online qualification, ESPN will invite 15 of the best teams in the world to compete at the EXP Invitational – Apex Legends at X Games Minneapolis, from August 2-3 at U.S. Bank Stadium.
INDUSTRY/ROSTER MOVES
MLB’s Rays have received permission from Major League Baseball's executive council to explore a plan that would see the team play home games in both the Tampa Bay area as well as in Montreal, according to ESPN. The club is now looking to a two-city solution as the “most feasible” option to save baseball in the Tampa Bay area, playing early-season home games in the Tampa Bay area and the remainder of the year in Montreal, although multiple hurdles remain.
NASCAR racing out of Sonoma this weekend will also see the launch of the first ever NASCAR Innovation Summit, hosted by Comcast Business and offering “thought leadership discussions from industry recognized executives and influencers, sharing insights on a rapidly changing world with limitless technology change” on Saturday. Panels include Creating New Pathways; Embracing the Opportunity of Sustainability and Impact of an Increasingly Connected World.
THE MAIN EVENT
NHL Draft on NBCSN at 8p.
ON THIS DAY in 1970: Brazil and star Pele become the first to win the World Cup three times.
In the Know: Who was the last goaltender to be selected with the very first pick of the NHL Draft? (Email cpursell@cynopsis.com with your answer and be sure to include your company and city).
Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question: Who is the only #1 pick of the NBA draft to come out of Ohio State? Answer: Greg Oden. Kudos: Keith Marder-Halstead Real Estate/NY; Paul Crevier-BBC America/NY; Jason Whitney-Tubular Labs/NY; Katie Cifarelli-Disney ad sales/NY; Tim Overmyer-20th TV/Atlanta; Matt Laramee-Southern New Hampshire University/Manchester; Andrew J. Masterson-First Tee/St. Augustine; Max Long-ESPN/Bristol; JT Ward-Spark Foundry/Chicago; John Tingue-hulu/Chicago; Travis Wacker-Good Karma Brands/Milwaukee; Greg Moloznik-GLM Media/Scottsdale; Rich Wolfe-Lone Wolfe Press/Scottsdale; David Hauptman/Denver; Dan Weiner- Condé Nast/LA; Jaymz Wooden-Bottelsen American Dart Lines/Santa Maria; Jim Himmel-TCB Media/San Clemente; Mike Adams-National Sports Forum/San Diego
Later -- Chris
