Crown Sports United

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Today, Crown Sports  announced an extended partnership between the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA), the national governing body of Olympic skiing and snowboarding, and Blue Diamond Almonds, the world’s leading almond brand. Crown Sports will serve as an agent for USSA’s major events, including the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, the Putnam Investments Freestyle Challenge and U.S. Alpine Championships. It currently serves as the global sales representative tasked with marketing property and intellectual rights within the USSA portfolio.

Sacramento Basketball Holdings, LLC (SBH) launched Crown Sports in 2014 as a full service consulting practice to assist with sponsorship development and brand building for a wide range of clients. With the full resources of the Sacramento Kings and extended partnerships, Crown Sports assists with partner prospecting, negotiations, activation and measurement. In addition to USSA, select clients include Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows and Visit Sacramento, which utilized Crown Sports services for the 2014 USA Outdoor Track &amp; Field Championships.

“We’re excited to help USSA athletes by creating a unique partnership with Blue Diamond,” said Sacramento Kings President and Crown Sports Executive Chris Granger.

Blue Diamond extends their Olympic endeavors with a four-year deal with USSA in the run up to 2018 Winter Games in South Korea. As part of the partnership, Blue Diamond will be deeply incorporated into the athlete’s preparation and training. Blue Diamond will work with the USSA’s Director of High Performance and High Performance Dietician to incorporate Blue Diamond Almonds into athlete snacks and meals at the USSA’s Center of Excellence (COE), the organization’s training facility in Park City, UT.

“Our work with USSA in the past was powerful,” said Blue Diamond CEO Mark Jansen, “and our future partnership is just as promising. We’re on track to build our relationship with the next generation of American athletes and to build our brand with the next generation of almond fans.”

“We continue to seek out sponsors that want to activate their brands and products with our athletes and events in unique and authentic ways,” said Michael Jaquet, USSA chief marketing officer. “Integrating Blue Diamond Almonds in to our High Performance program at the COE and then telling that story through digital, social, and television assets helps us on many fronts. We can now do this for the next four years which will be very impactful to our programs. We are very excited to welcome back our friends at Blue Diamond to the USSA corporate sponsorship program and roster.”

crown-sports-announces-partnership-between-u-s-ski-and-snowboard-association-and-blue-diamond-almonds

Crown Sports Announces Partnership Between U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association and Blue Diamond Almonds

Sacramento, Calif. – Today, Crown Sports United (Crown Sports) announced a partnership agreement with Dragon Alliance for U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) events. As part of the deal, Dragon Alliance will serve as an eyewear partner for the USSA and will have a strong activation presence at several USSA events, notably the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain and Park City Mountain Resort and the USANA International Cross Cup at Squaw Valley. The agreement includes integration of signage, on-site marketing space, in-event promotion, video content on broadcast and in-event, and promotion on USSA social media channels.

“We are pleased to partner with two market leaders and provide them exceptional and innovative sponsorship opportunities under Crown Sports,” said Sacramento Kings Chief Revenue Officer and Crown Sports Executive Jeff David. “We believe this relationship will create significant opportunities to expand the reach of both brands regionally and nationwide.”

Dragon Alliance, a subsidiary of Kings partner VSP Global®, develops diversified eyewear primarily in surfing and snow sports. As the industry leader in snow optics advancement, Dragon is rooted in innovation, technical design and producing a product that meets the supreme performance standards of world class athletes, while remaining connected to core retailers and consumers.

"With revolutionary technology like the first fully frameless snow goggle and our new Swiftlock Lens Change System, we constantly strive to enhance the experience of being in the mountains,” said Dragon Alliance Founder and Chief Executive Officer Will Howard. “We are excited to leverage this opportunity with Crown Sports to engage more fully with USSA supporters and the winter recreation community.”

Held at Squaw Valley from March 4-8, the USANA International Cross Cup will host an Audi FIS Skicross World Cup and FIS Snowboard World Cup. This will be the first time the International Ski Federation has brought a World Cup event to Squaw Valley since the FIS Alpine World Cup in 1969. The event will be broadcast nationally on NBC and NBCSN.

“Crown Sports has placed us in a prime opportunity to grow our sponsorship and marketing assets,” said USSA Chief Marketing Officer Michael Jaquet. “Their support and development of our brand has increased our ability to showcase USSA events and enhance our efforts to bring the right properties to build locally and globally.”

Under an agreement with the USSA, Crown Sports serves as a sales agent for the USSA’s major U.S. Snowboarding and U.S. Freeskiing events. The deal includes global sponsorship sales representation to market and sell property and intellectual rights within the USSA portfolio. 

About Crown Sports United:Established in 2014, Crown Sports United (Crown Sports) is the sales and consulting branch of Sacramento Basketball Holdings, LLC that provides clients and partners with a full service approach to sponsorship development and brand building. The Sacramento Basketball Holdings, LLC portfolio includes the Sacramento Kings, Sleep Train Arena, the downtown Sacramento Entertainment and Sports Center (ESC), and Crown Sports. Sacramento Basketball Holdings, LLC focuses on upholding the implementation of the “NBA 3.0” philosophy by utilizing cutting-edge technology to enhance the fan experience, acting as a positive agent of change in the community and expanding the organization’s global brand. Media contact: Monica Sharma, msharma@kings.com. 

About U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA):Established in 1905, the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) is the national governing body of Olympic skiing and snowboarding. It is the parent organization of the U.S. Ski Team, U.S. Snowboarding and U.S. Freeskiing. Developed to facilitate participation in national and international competition, the Olympic sports organization provides structure for competitive skiing and snowboarding. From grassroots programs to governance of sport, management of rules, competitions and athletic rankings, the USSA oversees athletic pipelines for development in the sports. Media contact: Caitlin Furin, cfurin@ussa.org. 

About Dragon Alliance:Established in 1993, Dragon began as an idea in a garage. The idea: to build a performance product that worked for riders and embodied the spirit of our lifestyle. Twenty years later, we have stayed true to our mission by producing goggles with award winning innovation and supporting riders that know there is nothing more important than a great day in the mountains with good friends. Distributed in over 40 countries, Dragon Alliance is a subsidiary of VSP Global®, an industry-leading business that brings the highest quality eye care and eyewear products to help people see around the globe. Media contact: Kyle Martin, kyle.martin@dragonalliance.com. 

crown-sports-united-announces-partnership-with-dragon-alliance-for-u-s-ski-and-snowboard-association

Crown Sports United Announces Partnership with Dragon Alliance for U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association

Kings President Chris Granger discusses the Kings new business venture and more in an interview with Cory Johnson at the Bloomberg Sports Summit.

chris-granger-on-bloomberg-sports-summit-podcast

Chris Granger on Bloomberg Sports Summit Podcast

Sacramento, Calif. – Sacramento Basketball Holdings, LLC (SBH) today announced the launch of Crown Sports United, a consulting practice designed to provide marketing, sales, and activation support to progressive brands. Crown Sports United represents the continued commitment to expand SBH’s brand and sales portfolio.

Before a crowd of investors and sports executives at the Bloomberg Sports Summit in New York, N.Y.; Kings President Chris Granger will emphasize Crown Sports United’s unique position in the market and deep knowledge of the consumer base in Northern California.

“By aggregating elite national and global properties with beloved local opportunities, we believe that we can offer unique reach and dominance that would otherwise be difficult to access,” said Granger. “Whether a brand wants authentic local relevance, global exposure or a California Halo, Crown Sports United is in a position to offer impactful activation that moves the needle. In Sacramento specifically, Crown Sports United will also help the region attract global brands, events and talent to increase tourism and economic growth.”

Crown Sports United will work with clients and partners throughout all stages of the sales process, from prospecting to negotiations to activation and measurement, providing a full service approach to sponsorship development and brand building. A sample of current clients includes:

The majority of staff will operate out of Sacramento with several based in San Francisco and the Bay Area to further maximize Northern California sponsorship opportunities. Additional partnerships and details will be announced soon.

Crown Sports United

Crown Sports Announces Partnership Between U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association and Blue Diamond Almonds

Crown Sports United Announces Partnership with Dragon Alliance for U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association

Chris Granger on Bloomberg Sports Summit Podcast

Sacramento Basketball Holdings, LLC Launches Crown Sports United