ESPN Outdoors announced today that Columbia Sportswear has joined the ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Series as a supporting sponsor.
The agreement will provide Columbia, a Portland, Ore.,-based company and a global leader in the active outdoor apparel and footwear industries, significant exposure across ESPN Outdoors’ multimedia properties, including ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Magazine, which will publish in April 2010, the ESPNOutdoors website and coverage on ESPN2.
Columbia will also be integrated into the ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Gear-Up Giveaway. From a competition standpoint, ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Series competitors and guides who win EOSS tournaments and display the Columbia logo or wear Columbia apparel will receive a $500 bonus.
“Partnering with ESPN Outdoors provides a great platform for increasing the visibility of the Columbia brand among saltwater fishing and other outdoor enthusiasts,” said Mandy Rutkowski, senior manager, promotions and public relations, Columbia Sportswear. “As the official apparel sponsor of the 2010 ESPN Saltwater Series, Columbia has a unique opportunity to demonstrate the sun-protective and stain-repellant performance of our innovative OMNI-Shade and OMNI-Shield Blood & Guts collections of apparel on the more than 300 anglers who are competing in the series.”
The ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Series, created in July 2008, is in its second year of competition. The F.C.A. Montuak Redbone was played out last week and the fifth event of the season, the Rich’s Golden Isle Red Trout Classic, is set for Oct. 8-9. The ESPN2 television coverage will include six 30-minute episodes starting in March 2010. ESPN Outdoors personality Jose Wejebe, who has hosted ESPN2’s Spanish Fly for 14 years, will host the ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Series episodes.
“We are excited to align with a powerful brand like Columbia,” said Jamie Wilkinson, senior director, event operations and business development, ESPN Outdoors. “The Series continues to grow at an exponential rate and we feel an innovative company like Columbia, with a long history of anticipating the unique needs of fishing enthusiasts, is a perfect fit for the Series.”
The EOSS includes many events in The Redbone Celebrity Tournament Series, which was founded by Gary and Susan Ellis in 1988 with a mission “To catch the cure for cystic fibrosis.”
ESPN Outdoors Saltwater Series Sponsors: Columbia, OPTIMA Batteries, Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation and Spot
2009 ESPN OUTDOORS SALTWATER SERIES SCHEDULE
Date Location Event Species
April 4-5 Abaco, Bahamas Baker’s Bay Marsh Harbour Bonefish Classic Bonefish
April 24-26 Duck Key, Fla. Sunrise/Sunset Tarpon Tournament Tarpon
July 7-9 I slamorada, Fla. Florida Keys Outfitter’s IGFA Inshore Tournament of Champions Redfish, bonefish, tarpon, permit, snook
Sept. 24-25 Long Island, N.Y. F.C.A. Montauk Redbone Bluefish, striped bass, albacore
Oct. 9-10 St. Simons Island, Ga. Rich’s Golden Isle Red Trout Classic Redfish, trout
Nov. 6-7 Islamorada, Fla. Redbone Celebrity Tournament Redfish, bonefish
About Columbia
Founded in 1938 in Portland, Oregon, Columbia Sportswear Company is a global leader in the design, sourcing, marketing and distribution of active outdoor apparel and footwear. As one of the largest outerwear manufacturers in the world and a leading seller of skiwear in the United States, the company has developed an international reputation for innovation, quality, performance, functionality and value. The company manages a portfolio of outdoor brands including Columbia Sportswear, Montrail, Mountain Hardwear, Pacific Trail, and Sorel. To learn more about Columbia, please visit the company’s website.
About ESPN Outdoors
Since its inception in 1980, ESPN Outdoors has strived to inform and entertain anglers, hunters, campers and people of all ages who enjoy the outdoors. ESPN Outdoors is committed to increasing awareness of and participation in outdoor activities, a direction best exemplified by television programming on ESPN2.
Each year, ESPN Outdoors stages more than 30 marquee events, including the Bassmaster Classic. ESPN Outdoors is comprised of BASS, the worldwide authority on bass fishing, and a growing array of multimedia platforms, including the Bassmaster and ESPNOutdoors websites and programming on ESPN2, in addition to promotions and activities that deliver a clear message of conservation and ethical sportsmanship.
By: ESPN Outdoors
