It’s not March Madness just yet, but the country is celebrating the pageantry, history and fandom of college basketball this week.
“I Love College Hoops,” which was developed by the Collegiate Licensing Company, will launch “Student Section Appreciation Week” during the week of Feb. 5-12, which will serve as a celebration of college basketball fans everywhere, emphasizing student sections.
To celebrate the week, West Virginia University’s Trademark Licensing will be giving the first 1,100 students who attend Saturday’s men’s basketball game vs. Louisville a gold and blue foam finger to cheer with during the contest. There will also be a celebration and giveaway at the Feb. 27 women’s basketball game vs. Pittsburgh.
“It’s a time for us to celebrate college hoops, get excited and show our love for our school,” said Nikki Goodenow, WVU Trademark Licensing coordinator.
In addition to “I Love College Hoops” week, the CLC is also holding a vote for the nation’s best student section. The Naismith Student Section of the Year Award is dedicated to celebrating fans that love college hoops and provide support to their college basketball team with devotion and passion.
Nearly 80 schools representing 21 conferences are vying for the title – including WVU’s Mountaineer Maniacs.
The Student Section of the Year Award will be determined through two rounds of public votes – the first round ends Feb. 12 and the top 16 will go into a second round of voting. This will be combined with a scoring of finalists by the Naismith Awards Board of Selectors, which will review criteria such as the student section’s name and attendance, as well as photos, video, and a write-up submitted by the nominating school.
The winning student section gets bragging rights, while the winning school will receive $5,000 for its athletic association. To vote for the Maniacs, check out http://facebook.com/ilovecollegehoops.
Officially licensed WVU gear can be found in retailers across the area and state like the WVU Bookstore, the Book Exchange, Mountaineer World, SportMart and at major retailers like Goody’s, Lids, Walmart and Dick’s Sporting Goods among others. Check out the officially licensed merchandise at http://shopWVU.com – the official online store of WVU athletics.
The CLC, a division of global sports and entertainment company IMG, represents 161 colleges and universities. It was founded in 1981, and is the oldest and largest collegiate trademark licensing agency in the U.S.
For more on trademark and licensing at WVU visit http://tls.wvu.edu/ or the Trademark Licensing Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/wvutrademarklicensing.
-WVU-
td/02/08/12
CONTACT: Nikki Goodenow, WVU Trademark Licensing
304-293-4756, Nikki.Goodenow@mail.wvu.edu
Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.