$1 Million to be Awarded to First-Ever FLW Fantasy Fishing Champion

• Bass Fishing Boat Convoy to circle Centennial Olympic Park

• 1,000 rods and reels, 1,000 t-shirts to be given away to local residents

WHAT: Fantasy Fishing? Yes, it’s America’s hottest new fantasy sport. It’s just like fantasy football, only with fish. But unlike any other fantasy game, it offers the highest payout of any fantasy sport ever — $7.3 million in cash and prizes. It’s fun, it’s easy to play and it’s free to play, for anyone 18 years or older, anywhere in the world.

An FLW Fantasy Fishing player will receive a cool $1 million for coming in first place in FLW Fantasy Fishing’s first season, launched in February 2008. FLW Fantasy Fishing mirrors the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, bass fishing’s premier professional tournament series. FLW Fantasy Fishing players pick 10 anglers before each Wal-Mart FLW Tour tournament and earn points based on the real- life performance of their bass pros. The person who accumulates the most points over seven tournaments wins $1 million.

WHO: The $1 Million FLW Fantasy Fishing champion will be announced in a suspense-filled unveiling ceremony. The winner of the Forrest Wood Cup, the Crown Jewel of pro bass fishing, will unveil the winner. The million-dollar moment will feature pyrotechnics and other fanfare for an exceptional video/photo opportunity.

• The top 15 FLW Fantasy Fishing finalists will be flown in from all parts of the United States. Each finalist will walk away with a prize, ranging from a new Ranger bass boat or a Chevy Silverado truck to a $25,000 Wal-Mart gift card or a $20,000 BP gas card.

WHEN: Thursday, August 21. The event will start at 11:25 a.m. and go through 12:10 p.m. The $1 Million FLW Fantasy Fishing winner will be unveiled at about 12 noon.

WHERE: Centennial Olympic Park, Southern Company Amphitheater, near the intersection of Marietta Street and Centennial Olympic Park Drive, 265 Park Avenue West, N.W., downtown Atlanta, Georgia.

INTERVIEWS: Interviews with the $1 Million FLW Fantasy Fishing winner, the Forrest Wood Cup champion, and Irwin Jacobs will be available immediately following the $1 million unveiling.

PRE-EVENT INTERVIEWS WITH THE $1 MILLION FORREST WOOD CUP PRO BASS CHAMP OR IRWIN JACOBS, THE CREATOR OF FLW FANTASY FISHING AND THE WAL-MART FLW TOUR BASS TOURNAMENT, ARE AVAILABLE ON SITE BEFORE THE EVENT, FROM 6:30 A.M. - 8:30 A.M.

Other Visuals:

• A convoy of 15 bass boats decorated with sponsor logos will carry each of the finalists to the event and will circle Centennial Park. This will occur begin about 11 a.m.

• 1,000 Berkley bass fishing rod/reel combos and 1,000 t-shirts will be handed out to those attending the event.

• B-roll footage of FLW Tour bass pros catching bass and close-ups of the fantasyfishing.com Web site are available in beta format at the event or prior to the event upon request.

• B-roll footage of the announcement of the crowning of 2008 Forrest Wood Cup champion, which occurs on Aug. 17, is available in hard copy beta format and via satellite.

INTERESTING HOOKS (no pun intended):

• FLW Fantasy Fishing offers the highest payout of any fantasy sports game in the world. $7.3 million in cash and prizes were offered during its first season. More than 4,000 players, from all over the world, won prizes this season, including the first million dollar prize in fantasy sports history.

• Major companies such as Wal-Mart, BP, Kellogg’s, Chevy Trucks, Folgers and others sponsor FLW Fantasy Fishing and the Wal-Mart FLW Tour.

• FLW Outdoors will be filming the event for broadcast in September. FLW Outdoors is broadcast both in the United States and internationally to more than 500 million households.

Source: FLW Outdoors