Unique Sponsorship Agreement Brokered by Impression Sports & Entertainment
TUCSON, ARIZONA (July 27, 2021) – The Arizona Bowl, which annually brings together teams from the Mountain West Conference and Mid-American Conference, today announced that Barstool Sports has signed a multi-year deal to serve as its title sponsor beginning with the game played on December 31, 2021. Barstool Sports will also have the exclusive broadcast rights, airing the game on the Barstool Sports website and social media channels. Impression Sports and Entertainment, a Playfly Sports company, secured the agreement.
“We are thrilled to form a new and multi-year relationship with Barstool Sports beginning with the 7th annual Arizona Bowl,” said Kym Adair, Executive Director of the Arizona Bowl. “Our team worked tirelessly with our partners at Impression to identify a sponsor who shared our passion and excitement for this game, but also offered the ability to create significant brand visibility and a commitment to charitable engagement.”
Barstool Sports will, for the first time, bring their unique voice and vision to a college football broadcast, merging traditional broadcast elements with their people and personalities. The game will be available for broadcast exclusively on the Barstool Sports blog, app, OTT channels, as well as Barstool’s social accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
“We can’t wait to partner with the Arizona Bowl to bring live football to Barstool Sports and to deliver a one-of-a-kind experience for our fans,” added Erika Nardini, CEO of Barstool Sports. “We welcome this unique opportunity to be both the title sponsor of a college football game and the broadcasting partner. The chance to air a Mountain West Conference and Mid-American Conference game on New Year’s Eve live from Tucson is a first for us and we plan to nail it.”
In March 2021, the Arizona Bowl formed its partnership with Impression Sports and Entertainment, the international sports marketing agency that specializes in full-service sponsorship sales representation and sponsorship consulting. Impression brought Barstool Sports to the table and finalized the deal between the two organizations. Impression has secured four additional major college football bowl game titles over the past 12 months.
“Our team at Impression really focuses on bringing together unique and mutually beneficial sponsorship opportunities,” said Mike Schreiber, Founder and CEO of Playfly Sports, which operates Impression Sports and Entertainment. “The Arizona Bowl was already a great property and having Barstool Sports onboard will elevate the national spotlight on this game even further.”
The Arizona Bowl partnership will further the success of one of college football’s most unique games, which donates 100% of net proceeds to charity and provides prominent national television exposure, offers one of the largest “Hero” recognition programs in the nation, and profitable brand activation opportunities to potential sponsors.
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About the Arizona Bowl
Owned and operated by TD4Tucson, a Tucson-based non-profit organization, the Arizona Bowl provides world-class experiences for college student-athletes, fans, and the local community, culminating in a nationally-recognized college football competition. The game features teams from the Mountain West and Mid-American Conferences. www.thearizonabowl.com
About Barstool Sports:
Founded in 2003 by David Portnoy, Barstool Sports is a leading digital sports, entertainment and media platform that delivers original content across blogs, podcasts, radio, video and social media, supported by nearly 100 dedicated personalities. It benefits from its base of approximately 55 million monthly unique visitors, reaching an estimated 36% of males and 30% of females in the Millennial and Generation Z generations across the United States. In 2020, Barstool Sports grew by approximately 57%, delivering nearly $150 million in revenue from digital and audio advertising, ecommerce, events and licensing. Barstool Sports is a strategic partner of casino operator Penn National Gaming and home to The Barstool Fund for small business relief due to the impacts of COVID-19. www.barstoolsports.com
About Impression Sports and Entertainment
Impression Sports & Entertainment, a division of Playfly Sports, is an international sports marketing agency that provides clients with full-service sponsorship sales representation, sponsorship consulting and venue naming rights services. Founded in 2011 and based in Denver, Impression Sports partners with top organizations in the sports world including USC, Florida Citrus Sports, The Independence Bowl Foundation, San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Pelicans, Auburn University, the Fiesta Bowl Organization, USA Swimming, Sun Bowl Association and ESPN Events among others. Follow Impression Sports and Entertainment on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook: @ImpressionISE. www.impressionsports.com
About Playfly Sports
Playfly Sports is the full-service, leading sports marketing and media company that enables brands to engage with sports fans on a local, regional, and national level through scaled linear, digital, and experiential assets. Playfly Sports drives outcome-based solutions into 90-million households via more than 7,800 live U.S. broadcasts of MLB, NBA, and NHL games; and influences sports fans of all ages through the management of high school and college multimedia rights, uniform branding, and high-profile sports sponsorship platforms. The company introduces high school and college students to career development opportunities in esports through CSL Esports, operators of North America’s largest college esports league. Playfly Sports has the unique ability to partner, innovate, and advance the aspirations of athletes, brands, academic institutions, and sports fans across the U.S. Playfly Sports is Powered by Partnership. Visit Playfly Sports online at playfly.com and follow Playfly Sports on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook: @PlayflySports. www.playfly.com
