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U.S. Open Champion Rory McIlroy Named July's Top Rising Sports Star

IRVINE, Calif., July 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With a U.S. Open championship trophy in hand, golfer Rory McIlroy has been named the top Rising Sports Star to watch in the month of July. McIlroy recently became the youngest U.S. Open champion in 88 years, topping the second place finisher by eight shots and shattering records put in place by Tiger Woods in 2000. All eyes are on McIlroy as he heads into the Open Championship in mid-July.

Second on the Rising Sports Star list, Johnny Cueto of the Cincinnati Reds has pitched at an elite level all season, and his five-win record in June has helped him to capture a loyal fan following. Tony Gwynn Jr. of the Los Angeles Dodgers secured the third spot after several outstanding games including a game-saving catch against the Rockies in early June. The full list of Rising Sports Stars and additional details are available at: www.brandaffinity.net/RisingStars/July2011.

Rising Sports Stars is distributed by Brand Affinity Technologies (BAT), a company that calculates daily consumer affinity based on a proprietary combination of media exposure, performance, awards, popularity, engagement, and fan base, among other indicators, for more than 45,000 athletes and celebrities. The list identifies sports stars with the greatest leap in popularity over the prior 30 days. A meteoric rise may indicate a standout on-the-field performance, off-the-field achievement, or emergence from utility player to celebrity.

July Rising Sports Stars

(Details at: www.brandaffinity.net/RisingStars/July2011)

    1.   Rory McIlroy         (PGA)
    2.   Johnny Cueto         (Cincinnati Reds)
    3.   Tony Gwynn Jr.       (Los Angeles Dodgers)
                               (US National Soccer
    4.   Freddy Adu            Team)
    5.   Justin Upton         (Arizona Diamondbacks)
    6.   Corey Perry          (Anaheim Ducks)
    7.   Elliott Sadler       (NASCAR)
                               (US National Soccer
    8.   Clint Dempsey         Team)
    9.   Justin Verlander     (Detroit Tigers)
    10.  Maya Moore           (Minnesota Lynx)

Rising Sports Stars lists go live at the start of each month; subscribe to BAT's Twitter feed at @BAT to learn when new lists are posted.

About Brand Affinity Technologies, Inc. (BAT)

Founded in 2007, BAT (http://brandaffinity.net) unlocks the marketing power of celebrity through research, endorsements, and interactive experiences. Advertisers such as AT&T, Comcast, IHG, Intuit, Ford, Samsung and Sony use BAT's Endorsement Platform, which provides daily analysis of more than 45,000 celebrities and athletes, along with the ability to identify, license, and activate talent for cross-media advertising campaigns. BAT has exclusive representation agreements with more than 4,000 athletes and celebrities. BAT also leverages its research and technology engine to engage consumers directly through Fantapper (www.fantapper.com), which brings interactive apps to celebrity content across the web. Connect with BAT on Twitter: @BAT and Facebook: www.facebook.com/BrandAffinityTech.

SOURCE Brand Affinity Technologies, Inc.