DICK'S Sporting Goods Becomes Title Sponsor of Perfect Game All-American Classic

• Multiyear agreement is extension of longstanding partnership and includes event logo integration, on-field/uniform logo recognition, event signage, live and taped broadcast elements, and more
• 2022 All-American Classic will feature 61 of the top high school-aged baseball players competing for East vs. West supremacy at Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ on Sunday, August 28
• 20^th Annual All-American Classic will air live on ESPNU at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Perfect Game, the world's largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced DICK'S Sporting Goods as title sponsor of its All-American Classic amateur baseball game, scheduled to be played at Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ on Sunday, August 28. Specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

This multiyear agreement provides DICK'S Sporting Goods, the Pittsburgh-based leading omnichannel retailer serving athletes and outdoor enthusiasts, official title position of the All-American Classic including brand integration and a complete array of branded assets such as event logo, jersey patch, stadium signage, and in-broadcast elements related to the All-American Classic game and its connected events and activities.

"We want to thank our partners at DICK'S Sporting Goods for their continued support and passion for youth baseball, in general, and the All-American Classic, in particular," said Perfect Game CEO, Rob Ponger. "Perfect Game has many shared characteristics with DICK'S Sporting Goods, including our love and commitment to youth sports and our desire to provide first-class experiences. I'm confident that through this partnership both Perfect Game and DICK'S Sporting Goods will enhance and grow their connection to the baseball community."

"DICK'S Sporting Goods is excited to be the title sponsor of Perfect Game's All-American Classic.  For 20 years, this game has served as one of the premier elite amateur sporting events on the calendar, and we're honored to take this shared commitment and love for the game to a new level," said Mark Rooks, VP, Category Marketing & Partnerships at DICK'S Sporting Goods

This agreement is an extension of an ongoing relationship between Perfect Game and DICK'S Sporting Goods that began in 2019. The entities are drawn together by their mutual love for the sports of baseball and softball, and a shared desire to grow the game by providing best-in-class services to the diamond sports community. Perfect Game and DICK'S Sporting Goods have significantly expanded their partnership to include official Perfect Game apparel being carried in DICK'S Sporting Goods stores across the country, and support of the Perfect Game Cares Foundation and its youth camps and Grow the Game fund.

The Perfect Game All-American Classic offers a glimpse at some of the most talented young athletes from around the world and provides the baseball community a sneak peek at several young players destined to make their mark at the collegiate and Major League levels of the sport. 250 past Perfect Game All-American Classic participants have gone on to play Major League Baseball, while 31 All-American Classic alums were selected on the first day of the 2022 MLB Amateur Draft held earlier this month.

In 2021, the East defeated the West, 9-1, as starting pitcher Dylan Lesko and nine teammates combined to throw the first no-hitter in All-American Classic history. Players from the West hold a 12-7 series lead over their counterparts from the East.

Over the past 19 years, All-American Classic fundraising activities have helped Perfect Game's charitable arm, the Perfect Game Cares Foundation, contribute more than $1.5 million to a variety of local causes. This year, Perfect Game Cares and DBacks Give Back will host a free kids camp at Chase Field on August 24 and a free coaches clinic at Chase Field on August 25. Proceeds from All-American Classic events will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation and PG Cares Grow the Game Fund.

Admission to Chase Field to watch the 20th annual All-American Classic will be free and fans can enter through the main gate on the day of the game. Additionally, the All-American Classic will be broadcast on Sunday, August 28 live on ESPNU at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT.

For more information, please visit perfectgame.org/allamerican.

Media Contacts: 

For Perfect Game – Greg Bouris, power x communications, [email protected]

For DICK'S Sporting Goods – [email protected]

Perfect Game is the world's largest elite youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, producing over 8,600+ events, 300,000+ games and showcases each year across the country. Perfect Game is dedicated to giving amateur players exposure to take their game to the next level, whether that be in college or in the professional ranks. At Perfect Game events, players are performing with top-level competition in front of college recruiters and professional scouts from all over the country. Because of this, these events prove to be invaluable to the college coaches as well as Major League Baseball, as they can scout a large population of talented ballplayers in one location. To date, more than 1,650 players that have played in a Perfect Game event have also played in Major League Baseball. Since 2003, 13,324 Perfect Game alumni have been selected in the MLB First-Year Amateur Player Draft. In the 2021 Draft, for example, more than 95 percent of all players selected had played in Perfect Game events, and every player selected on the Draft's first day had previously attended Perfect Game events. And in the 2021 College World Series, every player on the rosters of national champion Mississippi State and runner-up Vanderbilt had played in a Perfect Game event.

DICK'S Sporting Goods (NYSE: DKS) creates confidence and excitement by personally equipping all athletes to achieve their dreams. Founded in 1948 and headquartered in Pittsburgh, the leading omnichannel retailer serves athletes and outdoor enthusiasts in more than 850 DICK'S Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, Field & Stream, Public Lands, Going Going Gone! and Warehouse Sale stores, online, and through the DICK'S mobile app. DICK'S also owns and operates DICK'S House of Sport and Golf Galaxy Performance Center, as well as GameChanger, a youth sports mobile app for scheduling, communications, live scorekeeping and video streaming.

Driven by its belief that sports make people better, DICK'S has been a longtime champion for youth sports and, together with its Foundation, has donated millions of dollars to support under-resourced teams and athletes through the Sports Matter program and other community-based initiatives. Additional information about DICK'S business, corporate giving, sustainability efforts and employment opportunities can be found on dicks.com, investors.dicks.com, sportsmatter.org, dickssportinggoods.jobs and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

SOURCE Perfect Game USA