Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Xango Soccor

You might be wondering why there's a guy on a jersey in one of the photos from last year's Anniversary Convention. If you haven't heard about it yet (which is quite unusual, unless you haven't heard of the World Cup), then it's time for you to know.

On the 17th of November, 2006, XanGo unveiled an unprecedented development in U.S. professional sports and Major League Soccer by announcing their landmark jersey-front title sponsorship with Real Salt Lake -- the first team to have a jersey-front sponsor, and XanGo is the first brand to land that spot. The first. Again.

A little trivia on soccer's record-breaking history... FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) puts on the premier event in all of soccer - that's the World Cup. It is established as the largest event of all time and all space, happening since 1930. Did you know that by the 1992 FIFA World Cup, soccer had saturated the world completely enough to prove itself as "The People's Game" by drawing twice the viewing audience of the Summer Olympics? Cool, huh? I have to admit, I didn't know that - not until now.

Anyways, XanGo CEO (and President, then*) Aaron Garrity, Real Salt Lake Owner David W. Checketts, and eight RSL players wearing the new XanGo-branded jerseys gathered onstage at the Salt Palace Convention Center, last year, during the XanGo Revolution (XanGo's 4th Anniversary Convention at Salt Lake City, Utah, USA) to make the historic announcement. Nearly 10,000 attendees applauded and cheered.

The multi-year deal with Real Salt Lake include signage and promotional opportunities at the team's current venue, Rice-Eccles Stadium, as well as the team's sports and entertainment venue in Sandy, slated to open summer 2008. Select adidas/RSL training and off-field gear will also promote the XanGo/RSL partnership.

Each year, Real Salt Lake's international exhibition calendar will feature the XanGo Cup, which debuted on August 12, 2006, between RSL and Real Madrid, drawing more than 45,000 fans and 250,000 television viewers domestically. People came from all over the United States and more than 25 different countries to Salt Lake City to see this match. And yes, David Beckham was there.

XanGo even built it's very own Soccer Field right besides the XanGo Headquarters for the RSL team practices. Some XanGo employees even got the chance to play with Kyle Beckerman after the RSL training last October 3. And I guess they're free to use the field during day-offs for a friendly game, if it's available. (This is just another justification as to why XanGo's been named as the "Best Company to Work for" by the Utah Valley BusinessQ Magazine last February.)

By the way, have you heard of Eddie Pope's sendoff to peaceful retirement? If you missed it, click here to read about it.

I'm not a genius when it comes to sports, but from the looks of it, I guess RSL won't be able to make it to the MLS playoffs this year. But there's still hope for next year. If you want to see them play, they have a game tomorrow - October 20, 7 p.m. (MT), @ Colorado Rapids, and will be aired over DK, MLSLIVE.tv. Click here for Game Schedules.

The bottom line is:
XanGo. Multi-year deal. Real Salt Lake team. Thousands of Fans. Brand Promotion. Worldwide Attention. Great Exposure. Impressive Company.



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