IMG, Mike Tollin Enter Joint Sports Venture

NEW YORK, February 27: IMG
Media and Mike Tollin, the founder of television and feature film production
outfit Tollin Productions, have formed a new joint venture to develop and
expand the action sport Slamball.

The venture is intended to
bring the hybrid spectator sport to a global audience using IMG’s resources,
including IMG Academies, the multi-sport training and education division of
IMG. A two-month training camp in Bradenton, Florida, will identify, recruit
and train Slamball athletes and coaches. Approximately 120 players will be
invited to the camp, following a review of 50,000 players from regional
Slamball tryouts. From this pool, 64 players and 16 coaches will be selected to
participate in a single-venue season this June. Ultimately, the goal is for the
sport to return in 2009 with eight franchises playing in U.S. cities.

Entrepreneur Mason Gordon
created Slamball, which is a full-contact team competition played on a
combination of surfaces. It includes elements of American football, hockey, soccer
and gymnastics. Two teams playing four-on-four play 20-minute games on a
surface approximately the size of a regulation basketball court, with four
springboards built into the court around each basket. The remainder of the
court is fully shock absorbent and surrounded by 12-foot plexiglass walls that
keep the ball in play at all times.

The new company is
currently in discussions with broadcast partners to deliver the competition to
television audiences across the U.S. and internationally in 2008. Former
Philadelphia 76ers president and entrepreneur Pat Croce will serve as the
league’s commissioner.

“This project leverages
our expertise in entertainment with our capabilities in athletic training and
sports production and distribution to create a multi-platform Slamball league
with the potential to attract a worldwide audience,” said Chris Albrecht, the
head of global media at IMG.

George Pyne, the president
of sports and entertainment at IMG, added, “Slamball combines the best elements
of team and action sports and even live-action video games. Combining the
worldwide sports, marketing and production resources of IMG with this
innovative sporting concept will take Slamball to the next level.”

Tollin commented, “This is
a perfect partnership and an ideal scenario for Tollin Productions. To combine
our longstanding relationship with Chris with the reach of IMG will allow us to
raise the visibility of the sport around the world and maximize its
opportunities on a wide range of platforms.”

—By Ned Berke