NBC Publishing & NBC Sports Team Up With Rodale Inc. On Innovative Olympic Publishing Project

RING FORCE BRINGS OLYMPIC SPIRIT OF POSSIBILITY TO KIDS

News provided by

Jul 18, 2012, 09:02 ET

NEW YORK, July 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- NBC Publishing and NBC Sports team up with Rodale Books to release the children's illustrated chapter book RING FORCE [July 17, 2012; $6.99; ISBN 978-1-60961-568-0 Trade Paperback, Rodale Books; ISBN 978-1-938069-30-7 eBook, NBC Publishing]. This adventure story about a team of exceptional young athletes fighting a mysterious evil force will be released in both paperback and eBook editions to coincide with the 2012 Olympic Games, opening in London July 27.

Cheryl Gould, SVP of NBC News:
"Extending interest in the Olympics and the pursuit of Olympic values to younger generations--showing kids they too can achieve their dreams through hard work and dedication--has long been a mission of NBC. We are thrilled to be able to present that message in an incredibly engaging way, through the power of storytelling."

RING FORCE is a story that embodies the Olympic dream of striving for excellence. Children from around the world are brought together by the gods of Olympus with a single mission of hope: to keep the Olympic spirit alive in the hearts of humanity. When a dark power threatens to extinguish the Olympic flame, Booker, a boy from Brooklyn, is summoned to Mount Olympus where he and four other aspiring athletes discover their destiny: to become an elite force fighting to save the world. An inspiring tale of diverse strengths and backgrounds uniting for the power of good, RING FORCE is at once a compelling adventure and an educational and motivational story.

David Zinczenko, EVP and General Manager of Rodale Books:
"Rodale is thrilled to be partnering with NBC on this important initiative. Publishing a book that will inspire young people to reach for, and achieve, their goals is a natural extension of Rodale's longtime mission to enable people to improve their lives and the world around them. RING FORCE offers us a unique opportunity to solidify our commitment to that ethos by imparting it to the next generation."

The spirit of the book is informed by the spirit of Olympism and the idealism of Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, who understood the vital role sports could play in the lives of youth around the world. De Coubertin envisioned how a global sporting event could promote tolerance and understanding. He designed the iconic Olympic symbol, the five interlacing rings that represent the coming together of five continents. True to de Coubertin's vision, the five members of the Ring Force team hail from Africa, Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Australia.

Rowdy Gaines, NBC Sports and Olympics commentator & three-time Olympic gold medal swimmer, U.S. Olympic Hall of Famer:
"The RING FORCE characters learn important lessons not only about themselves, but the world at large. As a team they embody the Olympic values of striving for excellence, demonstrating respect and celebrating friendship," he said.

Written by 12-time Emmy winner Brian Brown, Story Editor and Senior Producer at NBC Sports and Olympics, RING FORCE was born from Brown's own Olympic journeys and decades spent traveling the globe to cover a dozen Summer and Winter Olympic Games.

With an innovative graphic style inspired by Japanese anime, the book is brought to life by more than 50 full-color illustrations from world-class design and animation studio Nathan Love (www.nathanlove.com).

RING FORCE is available now for pre-order in paperback and eBook editions. For more information, visit www.ringforcebook.com.

About NBC Publishing
Launched in January 2012, NBC Publishing is a division of NBCUniversal Media, LLC that focuses on developing digital publishing projects from content created within the NBCUniversal and Comcast family of properties, as well as publishing original works with outside authors and publishing partners.

About NBC Sports
The NBC Sports Group, a melding of the broad reach and storied history of NBC Sports and Comcast's 24/7 ability to super-serve fans, consists of an array of broadcast television, cable television and digital sports assets, including NBC Sports & Olympics, NBC Sports Network, Golf Channel, NBC Sports Radio Network, 11 Comcast SportNets (regional sports networks), and their respective digital properties. Together, the assets of the NBC Sports Group possess an unparalleled collection of television rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee and United States Olympic Committee, the NFL, NHL, PGA TOUR, PGA of America, USGA, Churchill Downs, MLS, Tour de France, French Open, IndyCar, and many more.

About Rodale Books
Rodale Books publishes award-winning, bestselling titles that provide authoritative content in the subjects of health, wellness, fitness, gardening, food & cooking, and the environment. These include game-changing books such as Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz's Onward, former FDA commissioner Dr. David Kessler's The End of Overeating, Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet, HRH Prince Charles's On the Future of Food, and Maria Rodale's Organic Manifesto. Among Rodale's highly successful branded series are Eat This Not That!, The Biggest Loser, Flat Belly Diet!, and The South Beach Diet. Rodale Books offers engaging and reliable books of all kinds-service, narrative, illustrated, and lifestyle-that reflect our commitment to helping readers improve their lives and the world around them. For the latest news on our books and authors, please visit www.rodalebooks.com. Rodale Books are also available for download as eBooks.