The Basketball Tournament presented by Jack Link’s® Protein Snacks Announces Record $2 Million Prize and Sites

Charlotte, Chicago, Philadelphia and Los Angeles To Host Regionals; Super 16 in Philadelphia; Semifinals and Winner-Takes-All Championship in New York

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Boston, Massachusetts – February 23, 2016 – The Basketball Tournament (TBT) presented by Jack Link’s® Protein Snacks today announced that they have doubled the winner-take-all prize money to $2 Million for 2016, with the winning team’s fans sharing 10 percent of the prize: $200,000. The open-to-all, single-elimination, summer basketball event will be open to applicants starting April 1 and play its winner-takes-all, $2 million championship on ESPN August 2^nd.

“Doubling the prize to $2 million and allowing the winning team’s fans to share 10 percent of that is a massive step towards our goal of empowering sports fans,” said Jon Mugar, TBT founder and CEO. “The interest and support we’ve received from all areas of the basketball world has been overwhelming and we can’t wait to see what communities of teams form over the next several months.”

TBT’s social media driven application period launches on April 1 on TheTournament.com. The field will be made of 64 teams who will play in four regions of 16 apiece. The top 12 vote getters by fans in each region will receive "automatic" bids, while TBT will select four at-large teams per region to complete the field. Teams can qualify for TBT 2016 only by getting votes from fans who register on the site, with the top 100 fans of the winning team splitting $200k (10 percent of the ​total prize).

The 2016 Regional Cities will be: South (Charlotte) July 9, 10; West (Los Angeles) July 9, 10; Midwest (Chicago) July 16, 17; Northeast (Philadelphia) July 16, 17.  Super 16 & Quarterfinals (Philadelphia) July 21, 21, 23. Semifinals (New York) will be on Saturday July 30th with the Championship (also New York) on Tuesday August 2^nd.

The Super 16 will take place at Philadelphia University from July 21-23, and the semifinals and championship game will be at Fordham University in New York for the second consecutive year. ESPN will televise the three games from New York live.

TBT’s 2015 field, included hundreds of players who have competed at the highest levels all over the world. Overseas Elite, a team of veteran international professional players, won last year’s $1 million winner-take-all title at Fordham’s historic Rose Hill Gymnasium. Fans who voted for Overseas Elite shared in the winnings, taking home a combined $50,000 of the grand prize. The Notre Dame Fighting Alumni, a squad made up of some of the best players in University of Notre Dame history, won the inaugural title and $500,000 in 2014. Over 300 teams applied to join the tournament last year, which saw the winner-take-all prize double in value. 

Players must be 18 years of age or older and all games are played under college rules with two 18-minute halves. In addition to Overseas Elite, university-based alumni teams representing schools like Syracuse University, Notre Dame, Princeton, Villanova, Virginia and others have competed in TBT’s previous editions, with more likely to join them in this and future years.

ABOUT THE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT:

Conceived by CEO Jonathan Mugar as the ultimate opportunity for fans, athletes and social media mavens to live out their dreams and chase once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, TBT’s foundation as a high-stakes, professionally run and organized sporting event, now sees it entering its third year. In its first two seasons, The Basketball Tournament drew over 400 team entries from around the country, with participants ranging from professional players and recent college stars to pickup basketball players and people who have never played above high school.  Among the event’s advisors are Tony Ponturo of Ponturo Management Group, Andy Dolich of Dolich Consulting, and Len DeLuca of Len DeLuca & Associates, LLC. The partnership agreement was secured by TBT’s sponsorship agency of record, Equity Sports Partners, which is led by Cliff Kaplan. For more details visit http://www.thetournament.com.

Jack Link’s® Protein Snacks – Feed Your Wild Side™:

Jack Link’s is a global leader in protein snacks and the No. 1 meat snack manufacturer worldwide. Headquartered in Minong, Wis., Jack Link’s is a family-owned company that represents a heritage of quality and consumer trust, with the mission to Feed Your Wild Side. Jack Link’s offers more than 100 premium protein snacks in a variety of flavors, sizes and price points, appealing to nearly every consumer and occasion. Check out JackLinks.com for more information on the brand.

Media Contacts:         

Joe Favorito, Kirmser Ponturo Group, joefavorito2@gmail.com, 201-746-0005

Jesse Leeds, TBT, jesse@thetournament.com, 845-612-9323

Jim DeLorenzo (Philadelphia), jim@jhdenterprises.com, 215-266-5943