COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Mountain West Conference and Learfield Sports today announced that Sports Authority, one of the largest full-line sporting goods retailers in the United States and Puerto Rico, will serve as title sponsor for the 2014 Sports Authority Mountain West Football Championship on Saturday, Dec. 6. This marks the first time a title sponsor has been named for the championship game.

“We couldn’t be more excited to have Sports Authority on board as title sponsor–a premier, national brand that shares our love of sports,” said Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson. “We value the support of Sports Authority and look forward to the football championship.”

MWC FB Champ-v1 red“We are thrilled to sponsor the Mountain West Football Championship and continue to engage recreational athletes and families with the Sports Authority brand,” said Michael E. Foss, Chief Executive Officer of Sports Authority. “Sports Authority believes in bringing together communities through the power of play and we encourage everyone to discover the good in sports.”

Learfield Sports, multimedia rights and sponsorship sales partner for the Conference, secured Englewood, Colo. based Sports Authority for the championship. In addition to representing the Mountain West, Learfield is aligned with the league through individual rights agreements with nine of its 12 member institutions–Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, San José State University, Utah State and Wyoming.

“As one of the nation’s leading sporting goods retailers, Sports Authority is a name that fans easily recognize and associate with,” said Roy Seinfeld, Learfield Sports’ executive vice president, national sales. “It’s a great connection for Sports Authority to own entitlement of this game, given the nature of their business, and regional and national brand affinity. We’re pleased to have their corporate commitment in a sport that consistently drives a loyal and passionate fan base.”

To leverage its association with the championship game, Sports Authority will receive significant exposure through MW television and radio inventory, in-game signage, Conference-wide promotional spots, digital and social media opportunities.

About Learfield
In its 40 years, Learfield has developed trusted, long-term relationships with some of the most revered institutions and associations in the world of collegiate athletics. Its rights encompass all athletic department media and sponsorships components, including stadium signage and numerous content distribution platforms. Those platforms deliver the passion of college athletics over radio, television and digital networks to fans globally. Learfield Sports also offers its partners with licensing and trademark consulting, web solutions, concessions and hospitality services, and professional ticket sales. For more, visit www.learfieldsports.com.

About the Mountain West
From its inception in 1999, the Mountain West has been committed to excellence in intercollegiate athletics, while promoting the academic missions of its member institutions. Progressive in its approach, the Mountain West continues to cultivate opportunities for student-athletes to compete at the highest level, while fostering academic achievement and sportsmanship. Now in its 16th year, the MW has been assertive in its involvement with the NCAA governance structure and has taken a leadership role in the overall administration of intercollegiate athletics. The Mountain West membership is comprised of 11 all-sport members: the United States Air Force Academy, Boise State University, Colorado State University, Fresno State, University of Nevada, University of New Mexico, San Diego State University, San José State University, UNLV, Utah State University and University of Wyoming. In addition, the University of Hawai‘i and Colorado College participate in the Mountain West as single-sport members in football and women’s soccer, respectively.

About Sports Authority
Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., Sports Authority is one of the largest full-line sporting goods retailers, with 474 locations across 43 states and Puerto Rico. Sports Authority offers a broad range of sporting goods from leading brands and is the active family’s destination for footwear, apparel, fitness, team sports and outdoor recreation. The League by Sports Authority, a free and easy rewards program, offers members 5% back after they earn 100 points or more during a quarterly period. For a list of store locations and information, or to shop online, visit www.sportsauthority.com. Sports Authority also owns and operates nine S.A. Elite by Sports Authority locations that offer a premiere assortment of high-end performance apparel, footwear and accessories. Visit www.saelite.com for more information. Follow Sports Authority on Facebook at https://facebook.com/SportsAuthority and Twitter at https://twitter.com/SportsAuthority.