Published: September 22, 2008
The 20th Anniversary of the Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic to Air Live on VERSUS, September 27 at 4 p.m. ET
ATLANTA, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The 20th anniversary of the Bank of
America Atlanta Football Classic will air live on VERSUS on September 27, at 4
p.m. ET, marking the first time that the game will be televised nationally.
VERSUS, a national cable sports network in more than 73 million homes,
will air the match-up between Historically Black Colleges and Universities
(HBCU) rivals Tennessee State University and Florida A&M University live from
the Georgia Dome. This year's game marks the 10th consecutive year in which
the two teams have taken to the field for the Classic.
"We are very excited for the opportunity to televise this year's 20th
anniversary game on a national platform available to more than 73 million U.S.
viewers," said Marc Fein, Executive Vice President of Programming, Production
and Business Operations for VERSUS. "We feel that given the tradition and
historic rivalries featured in the Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic,
it is truly an event of national significance."
The 100 Black Men ofAtlanta, organizers and hosts for the game,
commissionedAtlanta-based sports marketing agency Career Sports &
Entertainment to plan the games broadcast, media and marketing strategy. A
unique element -- traditionally characteristic of HBCU football games -- to be
showcased will be the McDonald's Halftime Show -- an immensely popular
Drumline-style battle of marching bands.
"This rivalry is absolutely drama-filled! With its highly electric
marching band battle, we have a very unique sports property here with the Bank
of America Atlanta Football Classic," said John T. Grant, CEO, 100 Black Men
ofAtlanta. "Our organization has been putting this game on for 20 years now
and has witnessed hundreds of thousands of patrons flock toAtlanta to enjoy
the annual festivities. We've noticed that the nature of sports programming
has evolved to engage fans even more than in the past. We're very excited
about adopting new elements to the production that will enhance the fan's
overall experience."
The Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic has generated more than $115
million for Georgia's economy, as well as more than $5.8 million has been
contributed to participating schools over the past six years. Proceeds from
the game serve to fund the 100 Black Men ofAtlanta's Project Success
initiative -- a youth development program that stresses academic achievement
and career guidance.
For more information on the Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic,
visit www.atlantafootballclassic.com.
About the Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic
First organized by the 100 Black Men ofAtlanta in 1989, the Back of
America Atlanta Football Classic has evolved into the second largest recurring
college sporting event inGeorgia. Culminating in a sold-out college football
game between rival programs, complete with a full marching band showdown, the
Classic's week-long agenda of events includes a town hall meeting on African-
American health issues; a collegiate symposium; health, job & college fairs;
the Georgia Power Parade of Excellence; and the Friday-night Battle of the
Bands.
Bringing 150,000 visitors into the city, the Bank of America Atlanta
Football Classic generates nearly $30M in Georgia's economy each year and now
has a permanent exhibit located in the Georgia Dome commemorating its success.
A blue-chip roster of sponsors, including: Abbott, Aetna, Allstate,
AstraZeneca, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta Life Financial Group, Bank
of America, Coors, Delta, Ford, Georgia Power, Jack Daniels, MARTA,
McDonald's, NASCAR, Russell Corp, Tyson, AT&T and UPS join title sponsor Bank
of America to make these events possible.
To date, the Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic has raised more than
$2.6M over the past four years to fund the organization's post-secondary
preparation and tuition assistance program for at-risk youth, Project Success,
and almost $7M in contributions for the participating universities.
About VERSUS
VERSUS celebrates real competition across all platforms (VERSUS.com,
VERSUS on Demand and VERSUS HD). Now in more than 73 million homes, the
network is the national cable home of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the
Stanley Cup Playoffs as well as best-in-class events such as The Tour de
France, Davis Cup Tennis, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), World Extreme
Cagefighting (WEC), the Indy Racing League and Professional Boxing. The
network also offers collegiate sports featuring nationally-ranked teams from
top conferences such as the Pac-10, Big 12, Mountain West and Ivy League.
VERSUS features the best field sports programming on television and is a
destination for sports fans, athletes and sportsmen to find exclusive,
competitive events that audiences can't find elsewhere. VERSUS, a wholly
owned company of Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK), is distributed
via cable systems and satellite operators throughoutthe United States.
About the 100 Black Men ofAtlanta, Inc.
100 Black Men ofAtlanta, Inc. (100) is a coalition of some ofAtlanta's
most influential men organized to empowerAtlanta's challenged communities.
Together they channel educational and economic resources toward these
communities' students and future leaders.
The majority of the organization's community work is performed through its
flagship program, Project Success. Through Project Success, the 100 provides
educational support, cultural enrichment and scholarships to carefully
selected students fromAtlanta Public Schools.
Contact:
Chris Gholston
Career Sports & Entertainment
(678) 901-2716 or cgholston@careersports.com
SOURCE Career Sports & Entertainment
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