The University of Memphis and its exclusive, athletics multimedia rights holder, Tiger Sports Properties, announced today a brand-new partnership with Memphis’ own City Gear, LLC.
The multi-year agreement between the Memphis Tigers and City Gear marks a first for the well-known, urban retailer, which has 86 locations throughout 12 states and has never before been a collegiate sports sponsor. Beginning with the 2012-`13 football season, City Gear will be an official corporate partner of the Memphis Tigers, involved across multiple sports and receiving signage in the FedEx Forum and the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Throughout the partnership term, City Gear also will have a presence on the Tiger Radio Network and the University’s official athletic website, www.gotigersgo.com.
Additionally, the retailer will unveil its “City Gear Spirit Scholarship” this fall, awarding one male and one female student a $1,500 scholarship if they attend the most Tiger athletic events and select campus functions per semester. The scholarships will be awarded each semester according to the following point system in terms of attendance and points earned per student: Men’s Basketball – 1 point; Football, Women’s Basketball – 2 points; and Baseball, Softball, Volleyball, Women’s and Men’s Soccer, and certain on-campus events – 3 points.
“We are excited to kick off our new partnership with the University of Memphis and having a more strategic affiliation with our hometown college,” said Mike Longo, President of Memphis-based City Gear. “This provides a unique opportunity for us to give back to our own community, while at the same time, explore new possibilities and increased visibility in the collegiate space.”
“We couldn’t be more pleased about the City Gear Spirit Scholarships to be given out every semester and about our City Gear partnership as a whole,” said Memphis Tigers’ Athletic Director Tom Bowen. “It’s wonderful to see local companies like City Gear embrace our campus community and know our entire student body will respond to what is an innovative, engaging program designed to support our own teams and campus events. It will be a tremendous success.”
City Gear is a Memphis based streetwear and footwear retailer, operating 86 stores throughout the Southeast. The company is over 32 years old with a rich history of customer service throughout the region. The City Gear brand was launched in 2000 as a reaction to the changing market place, and has flourished over the last 12 years. City Gear strives to be not only the destination store in regional malls, but the customers’ neighborhood store. This familiarity helps establish a deep loyalty at an early age and has been key to our continued success. For more information, visit citygear.com.