ESPN’s SportsCenter to visit TitleTown USA nominee Valdosta, Ga. on July 9

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Why Valdosta?

ESPN’s flagship show, SportsCenter, will embark upon Valdosta, Ga. on Wednesday, July 9 to feature the football community for its excellence on the gridiron.  The two dominant high schools, Valdosta and Lowndes, and Valdosta State University are the reason Valdosta is one of the top 20 cities in the running for ESPN’s TitleTown USA. 

The Valdosta High School Wildcats hold the record for the most wins in high school football with 838, have claimed 23 Georgia State Football Championships, and garner six National Championships.  Lowndes High School in Valdosta has claimed its share of titles by winning the Georgia State Football Championships three of the last four years.  Valdosta State University are the current Division II National Football Champions.  This is the second national championship for the Blazers in a four year period. 

Everyone is invited to tailgate around Bazemore-Hyder Stadium and Drexel Park starting at 3:30 p.m. on July 9.  We need the community to participate, and encourage everyone to be inside the stadium by 5:00 p.m. for the pep rally.  Sections C will be reserved for Viking fans, Section D will be reserved for Wildcat fans and E will be reserved for Blazer fans.  This is on a first come first served basis.  Once these sections are filled fans can sit anywhere they would like.  If fans would like to hang banners, please deliver them to the Valdosta Board of Education by 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 8 and they will take care of displaying them. 

The ESPN cameras and lights will start at 5:00 p.m. on July 9 from Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.  ESPN NFL reporter Wendi Nix will report on Valdosta and their nomination to TitleTown USA. NFL linebacker Randall Godfrey, a Lowndes High School alum and former University of Georgia football player, will also be onsite. Godfrey, currently a NFL free agent, has played with the Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans, Seattle Seahawks, San Diego Chargers, and Washington Redskins.

TitleTown USA is an interactive and multimedia effort to determine which city, town or municipality is America’s top championship location.  A panel of judges narrowed down fan-generated nominations to 20 finalists; ultimately, online voting by fans will determine the nation’s top sports town. Valdosta is competing against cities as big as New York and small as Massillon, Ohio, who has another rich football tradition like Valdosta.  

SportsCenter “TitleTown USA” Remaining Timeline, Guidelines and Criteria

Friday, July 4 – Wednesday, July 23

·        The SportsCenter “TitleTown USA” tour:  Daily segments with SportsCenter anchor or reporter will originate from a “TitleTown” finalist beginning in Green Bay Friday, July 4. These daily SportsCenter segments will showcase the athletic achievements and the teams and people who have contributed to that town’s success in sports.

Wednesday, July 23 – Saturday, July 26

·        At the conclusion of the tour, fans vote for which city, town or municipality should be declared “TitleTown USA.” Vote online at www.espn.com

Sunday, July 27

·        Live announcement of “TitleTown USA” on SportsCenter including presence from the winning town.

About ESPN:

ESPN, Inc., The Worldwide Leader in Sports, is the leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment company featuring the broadest portfolio of multimedia sports assets with over 50 business entities. Sports media assets include ESPN on ABC, six domestic cable television networks (ESPN, launched in 1979; ESPN2; ESPN Classic; ESPNEWS; ESPN Deportes; ESPNU), ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD and ESPNEWS HD (high-definition simulcast services of ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNEWS, respectively), ESPN Regional Television, ESPN International (34 international networks and syndication), ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Enterprises, ESPN PPV, ESPN Zones (sports-themed restaurants), and other growing new businesses including ESPN360.com (Broadband), ESPN Mobile Properties (wireless), ESPN On Demand and ESPN Interactive. Based in Bristol, Ct., ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc., which is an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The Hearst Corporation holds a 20 percent interest in ESPN.