INFINITI today announced that a total of $500,000 has been raised as part of its sponsorship of the “Round by Round Coaches vs. Cancer” bracket game and CBSSports.com’s “Bracket Challenge” during the recent 2011 NCAA® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. The charity-based effort was part of INFINITI’s comprehensive corporate partnership with the NCAA, CBS Sports and Turner Sports.
Fan participation was a key element of INFINITI’s donation to Coaches vs. Cancer, a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Fans, who registered at cbssports.com/INFINITI, made picks for each of the 67 match-ups throughout the championship tournament, including the First Four™ and the Men’s Final Four®. Participants were encouraged to return to the bracket and select their picks throughout the six competition rounds and were eligible to win weekly prizes, including computer tablets and a grand prize of a trip for two to next year’s 2012 NCAA Men’s Final Four in New Orleans.
“INFINITI thanks all those who participated in the ‘Round by Round Coaches vs. Cancer’ brackets this year and helped push our donation to nearly a half million dollars – money that will help further the American Cancer Society’s great work,” said Ben Poore, vice president, INFINITI Business Unit. “We also want to thank all the coaches and people associated with Coaches vs. Cancer for their continuing efforts in raising awareness in the ongoing fight against cancer.”
"The great thing about this promotion and the thing that makes it so special is that it allowed your average basketball fan the chance to make a difference in the fight against cancer,” added Howard Goodrow, senior director, National Business Development, American Cancer Society. “The folks at INFINITI recognize that it will take a collective effort on all our parts to conquer this disease and through this program they were able to bring more people to the fight."
About INFINITI
INFINITI offers a full-line of luxury performance automobiles, including the G Coupe, Sedan and Convertible, M sedan, EX and FX crossovers, and the QX full-size SUV. More information about INFINITI and its Total Ownership Experience® can be found at www.INFINITIUSA.com.
About NCAA
The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.ncaa.org and www.ncaa.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes. [NCAA, First Four and Final Four are trademarks of or licensed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.]
About CBS Sports
CBS Sports, a year-round leader in television sports, broadcasts a portfolio of events on the CBS Television Network, including the NFL’s American Football Conference; THE NFL TODAY; college basketball, including the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship; golf, including The Masters® and PGA Championship; college football, including the SEC ON CBS; the U.S. Open Tennis Championships; CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR, including track & field, auto racing and gymnastics. In addition, the division directs the CBS College Sports Network, a 24-hour national cable network; produces Inside the NFL for Showtime; and partners with CBS Sports.com in creating a recognized leader among sports Internet destinations.
About Turner Sports
Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is an industry leader in televised and online sports programming, airing championship level sporting events on TBS, TNT and truTV, and managing some of the most popular sports sites on the Internet. Turner Sports’ television line-up includes the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, NASCAR and professional golf. The company’s digital portfolio includes SI.com, NASCAR.COM, NCAA.com, PGATOUR.COM, GOLF.com and PGA.com, as well as an accompanying collection of mobile websites and connected device apps. Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA Mobile, the NBA Game Time App, NBADLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com.
About Coaches vs. Cancer
Coaches vs. Cancer has raised more than $60 million since 1993 to support the Society’s mission of saving lives by helping people stay well, helping people get well, by finding cures and fighting back against the disease. More information is available at: http://www.cancer.org/Involved/Participate/CoachesvsCancer/index.
About the National Association of Basketball Coaches
Located in Kansas City, Missouri, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Forrest “Phog” Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently has nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men’s basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today’s student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education. Additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, can be found at www.nabc.com.
Contact:
Ray Daniels, INFINITI Product Communications, 615-725-1449, ray.daniels@infiniti.com
Jen Sabatelle, CBS Sports, 212-975-4120, jsabatelle@cbs.com
Jenn Toner, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., 212-275-6642, jennifer.toner@turner.com
Gail Dent, NCAA, 317-917-6117, gdent@ncaa.org
