U.S. National Soccer Team's Lauren Cheney Named August's Top Rising Sports Star

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Captivating fans across the country with a brilliant performance in the FIFA Women's World Cup Championship, Lauren Cheney has been named the top Rising Sports Star to watch in the month of August.  Making an early and bold statement by scoring the U.S. team's first goal in their opening game against North Korea, Cheney was a strong contributor in leading the U.S.A. to the FIFA Women's World Cup finals against Japan.  She posted 2 goals and 3 assists throughout the tournament including a goal and game-winning assist in the semifinal win over France.  Her performance dramatically increased her fan following as she returns to the Boston Breakers to continue her season; in the past month, her popularity has risen a stunning 318 percent.

Golfer Darren Clarke lands the second spot on the Rising Sports Star list after clinching the Open Championship at Royal St. George's with a three-shot victory.  This was Clarke's 20th attempt at the Open and first major Championship win after going pro in the early 90's.

Hope Solo and Abby Wambach secured the third and fourth spots after their outstanding performances helped the U.S. team advance to the finals in the FIFA Women's World Cup Championship.  Wambach finished the tournament with 4 goals and 1 assist, making her the highest scoring player overall. The full list of Rising Sports Stars and additional details are available at: www.brandaffinity.net/RisingStars/August2011.

Rising Sports Stars is distributed by Brand Affinity Technologies (BAT), a company that calculates daily consumer affinity based on a proprietary combination of media exposure, performance, awards, popularity, engagement, and fan base, among other indicators, for more than 45,000 athletes and celebrities.  The list identifies sports stars with the greatest leap in popularity over the prior 30 days. A meteoric rise may indicate a standout on-the-field performance, off-the-field achievement, or emergence from utility player to celebrity.  

August Rising Sports Stars

(Details at: www.brandaffinity.net/RisingStars/August2011)

Rising Sports Stars lists go live at the start of each month; subscribe to BAT's Twitter feed at @BAT to learn when new lists are posted.

About Brand Affinity Technologies, Inc.  (BAT)

Founded in 2007, BAT (http://brandaffinity.net) unlocks the marketing power of celebrity through research, endorsements, and interactive experiences. Advertisers such as AT&T, Comcast, IHG, Intuit, Ford, Samsung and Sony use BAT's Endorsement Platform, which provides daily analysis of more than 45,000 celebrities and athletes, along with the ability to identify, license, and activate talent for cross-media advertising campaigns.  BAT has exclusive representation agreements with more than 4,000 athletes and celebrities. BAT also leverages its research and technology engine to engage consumers directly through Fantapper (www.fantapper.com), which brings interactive apps to celebrity content across the web. Connect with BAT on Twitter:@BAT and Facebook: www.facebook.com/BrandAffinityTech.

SOURCE Brand Affinity Technologies