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The great Julius "Dr. J" Erving Re-Signs
The Anthem Media Group Inc. announced they have signed Julius "Dr. J." Erving.
No, the good Doctor is not returning to play. Instead, the NBA Hall of Famer signed on to join the fledgling media company as a shareholder and brand ambassador for its FNTSY Network.
Erving’s Dr. J Enterprises and his team will work with all of Anthem’s assets, including FNTSY Sports Network and RotoExperts.com, to provide strategic and operational support to increase distribution and awareness, while building strategic partnerships with leagues, advertisers, marketing partners and publishers.
“As we continue to grow, we’re proud to welcome such a renowned and respected member of the sports and business world to our team,” said Leonard Asper, CEO of Anthem Media Group Inc. “Julius’ work as a player and goodwill ambassador for basketball are well documented, but his work helping identify and grow emerging businesses is just as impressive, and we think his level of expertise on both fronts will be invaluable.”
“I am looking forward to helping Anthem grow its media brands,” said Mr. Erving. “Fantasy sports has become so mainstream and such a regular part of the daily conversation that I believe we can have tremendous success expanding the network. In addition, the growing interest in combat sports from boxing to mixed martial arts augurs well for the success of Fight Network.”
“We are thrilled to be working with Mr. Erving and his team on building out the FNTSY Sports Network and all of the Anthem properties,” said Louis Maione, Chief Strategy Officer for FNTSY Sports Network. “This will allow us to build meaningful partnerships across a wide spectrum of the media and sports industries.”
Barry Bookhard, COO of Dr. J Enterprises, also said: “For over 40 years, we have built a vast array of relationships with sports leagues, major brands and traditional and new media companies all of which we are excited to leverage to help make this partnership a great success.”
Widely regarded as one of the most spectacular basketball players ever, Erving won three championships, four MVP awards and three scoring titles. He’s also well-known for slam dunking from the free throw line in Slam Dunk contests. He was named to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time team and inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. His ability on the court was matched with his skills as a spokesman and negotiator when he helped legitimize the now-defunct American Basketball Association (ABA) and its subsequent merger with the National Basketball Association (NBA) after the 1976 season.
FNTSY Sports Network launched in March 2014 and is the world’s first-ever television network specifically targeted 24/7 towards the more than 40 million people who play fantasy sports annually and on a daily basis. It includes live studio programming, call-in shows, panels, celebrity and expert drafts, reality programming and on-site commentary from sports venues, as well as short-form programming from the experts around the country.
