Farmingdale Games to air

Internet-based station will present live coverage of Philadelphia ceremony

Sports Radio Network (WSRN), the official broadcast partner of the African American Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame's (AAESHOF) web-casts, will present live and exclusive coverage of the AAESHOF induction ceremony on Saturday, July 12, from the Marriott Hotel Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pa.

Live coverage of the ceremony, which can be accessed from Sports Radio Network’s official website, http://www.sportsradionet.com, and will honor seven new members, including former Grambling University head football coach Eddie Robinson and professional golfer Lee Elder, will commence at 7:30 p.m. EST.

Other members to be honored in the City of Brotherly Love include: Mal Whitfield (Track & Field), Theodore Ratcliffe (Negro League Baseball) and Marques Haynes (Harlem Globetrotters), and posthumously, Wilt Chamberlain (Basketball) and Sam Lacy (Wendell Smith Media Award).

Emanuel Steward (Boxing Manager/Trainer Award), Steve Powell (Inspirational Award), Milton Harrison (Outstanding Community Award), T. Demetrius Brown (Executive of the Year Award), John Register (Track & Field Award) and Kenneth Hudson (First Black NBA Referee) will also be acknowledged for their achievements.

The AAESHOF is a nonprofit organization, dedicated to the development of opportunities for America's youth, gaining exposure to positive aspects of life. It helps students from economically-challenged families to receive scholarships to Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

“Our vision is to enrich, enlighten and educate our young people while honoring our true heroes from the past,” said AAESHOF President & Founder Arif Khatib, whose Hall is also in the process of launching a program, by which professional athletes would sponsor a deserving student and send them to a historical black university.

“And we are extremely pleased to be able to take advantage of the continued growth of the internet as it relates to sports programming. Based on their reputation and their emergence in this medium, we feel this continued partnership with Sports Radio Network will prove to be an integral part of our effort to reach the growing demographic of internet-users.”
Sports Radio Network, which is a full service broadcasting outlet for amateur and professional sports, has already gained recognition as a leader in web-based sports programming.

WSRN burst onto the scene in the spring of 2001, providing live and exclusive coverage of the United States Basketball League’s (USBL) Long Island Surf franchise. Since then, WSRN has web-casted two USBL Post-Season Festivals (from Bethlehem, Pa. in 2001, and Enid, Okla. in 2002), two National Women’s Basketball League (NWBL) Pro-Cup Tournaments (from Uncasville, Conn. in 2002, and Springfield, Mass. in 2003), and reached an agreement with the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC), web-casting 15 women’s and men’s regular season basketball games, an opening round playoff game from West Haven, Conn., and the 2002-03 NYCAC Tournament from the Pratt Recreation Center in Brookville, N.Y.

“I feel that there is a legitimate niche that we can fill,” said the company’s CEO and play-by-play announcer Rob Goldenberg said. “There is a crowded radio and television schedule already, but that doesn't diminish the interest in some of the teams that don't get as much publicity as the big boys do.”

Over the past two years the Hall of Fame has inducted a total of thirty members, including those enshrined in the Caribbean Sports Hall of Fame. Among the new inductees were legendary boxing promoter Don King and baseball great Roberto Clemente, whose life and career was tragically cut short after he perished in a plane crash.

“Our coverage will recognize the contributions of this year’s inductees by the hall and will also allow them to take their rightful place in history,” said Goldenberg. “Listeners from across the nation and the world will be able to listen to our coverage and honor these trailblazers.”

The Mission of the African American Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame is to broaden the public's understanding of African American/Ethnic History and the role of diversity and cultural tolerance in the growth of professional sports. The Hall of Fame gives the world the opportunity to better understand the impact African American and other ethnic groups throughout the world have had on American sports and society.

“It is important to give back to the community and I am proud of our efforts thus far, but we are just beginning to scratch the surface, Khatib said.”

Robert Goldenberg
917-747-0617
Sports Radio Network
sportsradionet@aol.com
www.sportsradionet.com

Date of Press Release - 6/15/03