LIDS Team Sports Sponsors East-West Shrine Game

INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- LIDS Team Sports, the team apparel division of Indianapolis-based LIDS Sports Group, has agreed to become the official uniform sponsor of the 2012 East-West Shrine Game®. The 87th annual college football all-star game will take place Saturday, January 21, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

"We are pleased to have the opportunity to be a part of this grand spectacle of college football," said Matt Geske, LIDS Team Sports executive vice president.  "The East-West Shrine Game has proven to be a great outlet to showcase star athletes from across the nation, many who have moved on to the NFL, and we are pleased to not only help support the game, but a great cause as well."

LIDS Team Sports supplied uniforms, practice and travel gear to outfit some of the country's best college football talent set to participate on the two teams, divided by East and West.  The annual game will again benefit the 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children® in the United States, Canada and Mexico which provide state-of-the-art medical care to children in need regardless of their ability to pay. 

"The decision to reach an agreement with LIDS Team Sports, the industry leading athletic apparel team dealer and a company that is deeply rooted in creating lasting philanthropic relationships, was an easy one," said Harold Richardson, executive director of the East-West Shrine Game.  "The partnership is an excellent addition to this year's event."

The East-West Shrine Game, airing this year on the NFL Network at 4 p.m. EST, is the longest-running all-star football game in the country.  Visit www.shrinegame.com for more information.

ABOUT LIDS TEAM SPORTS
LIDS Team Sports is a full service team dealer, custom screen printer, embroidery and sporting goods operator based in Indianapolis, Indiana, and a division of Hat World, Inc. Hat World is a niche mall-based retailer of baseball caps and team fan shops operating primarily under the LIDS retail brand.

LIDS Team Sports was founded in 2009 and is made up primarily of regional team dealers Anaconda Sports (Lake Katrine, New York), the former Brand Athletics (Tigard, Oregon), and the former Impact Sports (Madison, Wisconsin). What began as a modest 10-state sales territory in 2009 spans 50 states today. The company provides all-inclusive institutional sporting goods to a broad range of customers throughout the United States, including colleges and universities, high schools, corporations, and youth organizations. The business offers a diverse selection of products – jerseys, warm-ups, fleeces, polo shirts, jackets, t-shirts, shorts, shoes and other team uniform sportswear and a complete line of sporting equipment – and services such as team fundraising support. The company also operates the Internet sites www.lidsteamsports.com and www.anacondasports.com, in addition to a LIDS Team Golf division and a catalog business. For more information, one can visit lidsteamsports.com or call (800) 644-4481.

ABOUT LIDS SPORTS GROUP
LIDS Sports Group, operating within Hat World, Inc., is comprised of the LIDS retail headwear stores, the LIDS Locker Room specialty fan retail chain, the LIDS Clubhouse retail stores, the LIDS Team Sports wholesale team sports business, and the Internet businesses www.lids.com, www.lidslockerroom.com, www.lidsclubhouse.com, www.lidsteamsports.com and www.lids.ca. Operating out of Indianapolis, Indiana, the retail businesses make up more than 1,000 mall-based, airport, street level and factory outlet locations nationwide, and in Canada and Puerto Rico. LIDS retail stores offer officially licensed and branded collegiate teams, major professional sports teams, as well as other specialty fashion categories in the latest styles and colors. LIDS Locker Room is a mall-based retailer of sports headwear, apparel, accessories, and novelties which also operates under the Sports Fan-Attic and Sports Avenue retail concepts. Most LIDS and LIDS Locker Room stores also offer custom embroidery capability. LIDS Clubhouse operates team-specific professional sports and university athletics retail stores and e-commerce websites. LIDS Team Sports is a full-service team uniform and apparel dealer, custom screen printer, embroidery and sporting goods distributor. Hat World, Inc. is a subsidiary of Genesco Inc.

SOURCE LIDS Sports Group