World’s First Basketball Shoe Designed to Prevent Ankle Sprains, Ektio, Finally Available at Retail
Ektio, the world’s first physician-designed basketball shoe designed to prevent sprained ankles and endorsed by former NY Knick John Starks, becomes available for the first time at top athletic shoe retailers including Eastbay.com and Finishline.com this December, and Amazon.com in January. $199.99 a pair in men’s U.S. sizes 8 – 14.
This clinically-tested athletic shoe finally put to rest the decades long debate about the height of a shoe being a factor in ankle sprains. Dr. Sorin Seigler, Drexel University and Dr. Howard Hillstrom, Hospital for Special Surgery, showed the ankle sprain problem to be the separation of the sole of any shoe, at any height, to be the culprit. Ektio shoes marry the foot to the shoe with double straps built into the wall of the shoe and anti-rollover bumpers on the lateral sole. The studies showed that the shoes prevent ankle rollover without inhibiting mobility.
“According to NBA statistician Harvey Pollack’s NBA Statistical Yearbook,” said Ektio inventor, Dr. Barry Katz, “ankle sprains have for 46 years been the #1 or #2 injury. 3 million ankle sprains cause 1 million ER visits annually. Only 2 months into this year’s NBA season, 45 injuries have put players on the bench, 23 of which are ankle sprains. Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors sprained his right ankle 3 times and will be out for up to 4 weeks.” Read more
Sprint Delivers Live Stream of ESPN Game Telecasts for 30 College Football Bowl Games
All Five Bowl Championship Series Games Streamed Live on ESPN Mobile TV for First Time
If you’re stuck at the mall doing some last-minute shopping or need a break from the annual office party this holiday season, Sprint can help by delivering your college football fix. Sprint will carry the live stream of 30 college football bowl games broadcast by ESPN, highlighted by the entire Bowl Championship Series, which will be available for the first time to Sprint customers on ESPN Mobile TV.
The live game telecasts will be accessible on Sprint handsets through the ESPN Mobile TV channel on Sprint TV, or through the Sprint Football Live app in the “College Football” section. With Sprint 4G and using one of Sprint’s award-winning 4G phones – the HTC EVO 4G or the Samsung Epic 4G – fans can experience the excitement of live game viewing wherever they may be this holiday season. Read more
Euroleague Basketball Renews Contract with Ticket2Final to Reserve Final Four Tickets
Fans Can Reserve Now and Pay Later for Official Final Four Tickets
Ticket2Final and Euroleague Basketball announced they have extended their contract for an additional three years. The agreement, worth €850,000, re-affirms Ticket2Final’s official Euroleague partner status.
Fans wishing to guarantee themselves an official ticket at face price for the Euroleague Final Four – May 6-8, 2011 in Barcelona – can purchase ticket reservations beginning December 15th, for each team in the Euroleague and decide later whether to purchase the ticket. This can be done through Ticket2Final’s website: https://www.ticket2final.com. Reservations are registered under the fan’s name alongside other reservations supporting their team and converted to the ticket’s face value only when the fan’s team makes it to the Final Four. The sooner a fan makes a reservation, the less expensive the reservation fee.
“Following the success of the last two seasons, we are pleased to reaffirm our partnership with Ticket2Final for an additional three years,” remarked Alex Ferrer Kristjansson, Global Brand Senior Manager, Euroleague Basketball. “This unique service ensures that fans receive the official price for tickets to their favorite team’s event by pre-purchasing a reservation.” Read more
Win A Trip to the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final in London
Sports Endeavors Inc. — better known as Eurosport/SOCCER.COM — is sponsoring a sweepstakes giving one lucky soccer fan the chance to win a trip to London, England for the 2011 UEFA Champions League final at Wembley Stadium. This prize experience is provided courtesy of MasterCard Worldwide.
“As a fan there’s nothing better than winning a trip to see the Champions League Final and it’s wonderful to pass this opportunity on to our loyal fans and customers,” said Vicente Navarro, Eurosport’s Director of Hispanic Marketing. “In addition, we are also looking forward to working with our esteemed partner, MasterCard, in increasing transactions through our e-commerce platforms.”
The winner will receive roundtrip airfare for two, as well as five-star hotel accommodations for a five-day, four-night trip to London, England. The winner will also receive two tickets to the 2011 Champions League Final to be held in Wembley Stadium and will have the opportunity to meet and greet one of the world’s most respected and revered referees, Pierluigi Collina. Visit www.soccer.com/mastercard for more details.
“MasterCard is excited to partner with Eurosport to help make available to one lucky cardholder a unique — and priceless — experience that they won’t be able to find anywhere else,” said Michael Robichaud, Vice-President of Global Sponsorships at MasterCard Worldwide.
By using your MasterCard on SOCCER.COM, fans are not only able to buy their favorite team’s gear in time for their holiday shopping, but also have a chance to be at the heart of soccer’s premier club competition: the UEFA Champions League Final. Read more
Big Ten Conference Reveals New Logo and Honors Football History With Division Names and Trophies
Division names and trophies to highlight legends and leaders throughout Big Ten history
The Big Ten Conference made several announcements that complete a series of decisions prompted by the upcoming addition of the University of Nebraska – Lincoln as the conference’s 12th member school. The conference revealed a new logo to be used for all sports beginning with the 2011-12 academic year and also unveiled names for its two football divisions and a list of names for 18 trophies to honor coaches, teams and student-athletes starting with the 2011 football season.
“When we announced football division alignments in September, other associated decisions had not yet been made. We wanted to take some time to listen, carefully consider, and make choices that would best honor our history and traditions, reflect our core values and characteristics, and tell our story,” said Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany. “We involved many thoughtful, dedicated professionals and we listened to many ideas from our member schools, alumni and fans.”
The new Big Ten logo was developed by Michael Bierut and Michael Gericke of the international design firm Pentagram. Read more