Charleston RiverDogs Featured in New ESPN Brand Campaign

Bristol, Conn - On July 12, during the 2010 State Farm Home Run Derby, ESPN will launch a new brand campaign which will feature the Charleston RiverDogs.   "It's Not Crazy, It's Sports,"   ESPN's first brand campaign since 2005, demonstrates ESPN's shared passion for sports and celebrates the idiosyncrasies and unique stories that are the social currency of passionate sports fans.   

Spots for the campaign will roll out over the next several months, the first of which was filmed at the RiverDog's home field, Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park.  The 30-second spot is entitled "Sign Language" and takes an intimate look at the complexity, art and intensity of signing in baseball.  The RiverDogs were joined by members of the Hickory Crawdads, a Texas Rangers affiliate, during their four-game series at "The Joe" from June 1-4.

"We wanted to capture the distinct energy of minor league baseball, and the RiverDogs have a reputation as an especially engaging and entertaining team," said Chris Brush, vice president, ESPN Marketing.  "With the strong support they have in Charleston, teams like the RiverDogs help perpetuate the kind of fandom that we're highlighting in this campaign.  Both teams were also extremely accommodating and hospitable during a very long day of shooting."

Added RiverDogs General Manager Dave Echols, "The Charleston RiverDogs were thrilled to have been selected for this unique exposure and we're eager to see the final product.  It was a lot of fun to participate in this commercial and we hope that all who see it enjoy it as much as we will."

ESPN will debut a second spot called "Miles and Miles" that looks back at the Apollo 14 mission where astronauts Edgar Mitchell and Alan Shepard took a few golf swings on the surface of the moon.  Future spots for the campaign will roll out in the coming months.  W+K New York served as the creative agency.

As the flagship member of The Goldklang Group, the Charleston RiverDogs have become nationally known for their ballpark fare, dazzling nightly atmosphere and unique between-inning promotions. In the past, the RiverDogs have been featured on the Food Network, CBS Evening News, Rick Reilly's Life of Reilly column in ESPN the Magazine and ESPN.com, ESPN's weekly primetime magazine program E:60, and the Travel Channel's Man vs. Food.