989 Sports Sponsors NFL Players Party

Tuesday, November 9, 1999

By: Cassandra

989 Sports, the maker of the top-selling PlayStation sports videogame NFL GameDay 2000, announces its third year as title sponsor of the most anticipated event during Super Bowl week -- the 989 Sports NFL Players Party. The 989 Sports NFL Players Party, which will take place in Atlanta, January 28-30, provides activities for football fans, highlighted by the attendance of hundreds of NFL players who mingle with the crowd and play NFL GameDay 2000. "989 Sports is comprised of sports fanatics who understand what football fans want in a PlayStation videogame," said Jeffrey Fox, vice president, marketing, 989 Studios. "This year, 989 Sports will not only have the best football videogames on the market, but will provide football fans with the finest and most interactive Super Bowl party ever." Among the myriad of activities at the 989 Sports NFL Players Party, will be the return of two events featuring NFL players competing on NFL GameDay 2000. First will be the 5th Annual "Game Before the Game" -- an NFL GameDay 2000 preview of the Super Bowl featuring a videogame match up with two marquee players from each competing Super Bowl team. The second event is "The Locker Room Challenge" -- the culmination of the season-long NFL GameDay 2000 videogame tournament that has taken place in each NFL locker room. In front of thousands of fans at the 989 Sports NFL Players Party, the "Locker Room Challenge" champion from each NFL team will vie for the title "NFL GameDay 2000 Videogame Champion." "PLAYERS INC again welcomes 989 Sports as our title sponsor for this year's party," said Pat Allen, Executive Vice President and COO of PLAYERS INC. "Nowhere in Atlanta will there be more NFL Players than at this event - it's the most fun any football fan can have during Super Bowl week." The 989 Sports NFL Players Party is the second largest sanctioned event during Super Bowl week. It is the only "official" event of the NFL players and attracts from 400 to 500 active and retired players each year. The party is produced each year by PLAYERS INC, the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association. PLAYERS INC has been creating and developing marketing opportunities for current and former NFL players since the organization was founded in 1994 by the NFLPA. Representing over 1,800 active and 3,000 retired NFL players, PLAYERS INC "takes the helmets off" the players, giving fans the opportunity to see the players' talents and personalities off the field. PLAYERS INC is involved in licensed merchandise programs, corporate sponsorships and promotions, special events, music and video recordings, as well as television, radio and publishing projects. 989 Sports is the sports software brand of 989 Studios. Known for its top-selling sports franchise titles such as NFL GameDay, NFL Xtreme, NCAA GameBreaker, NCAA Final Four, MLB, NBA ShootOut and NHL FaceOff, 989 Sports is committed to developing authentic and innovative sports games to appeal to both the professional athlete and sports videogame fan. 989 Studios, a Sony Computer Entertainment Group Company, is a wholly-owned division of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. and is the third-largest PlayStation software publisher in North America. Headquartered in Foster City, California, with additional development studios in San Diego and Santa Monica, 989 Studios develops software for the PlayStation game console and online markets. 989 Studios is a recognized leader in the videogame industry, with top franchise titles such as NFL GameDay, Twisted Metal, Jet Moto, Syphon Filter and Cool Boarders. Visit us on the Web at www.989sports.com