As part of the St. Louis Rams and the National Football League’s commitment to enhance sports safety, during the 2015 high school football season, the Rams partnered with Shadowman Sports ─ a global company that creates smarter sports environments with products developed through preventive design. Each week of the regular season, one local high school football game was selected as the St. Louis Rams’ High School Game of the Week, sponsored by Shadowman Sports. The winning team’s school then received a $1,000 grant from the Rams and the NFL Foundation, as well as a Shadowman Sports Mobile Tackling System. During the season, the partnership resulted in $20,000 in equipment and grants provided to local schools.
The 2015 Rams High School Game of the Week program featured the weekly selection of four area high school games by a local media panel. Local fans then had the opportunity to vote for their choice of the Rams Game of the Week at www.stlouisrams.com. The 10-week program saw a record-breaking 2.3 million online votes. In addition to the presenting sponsorship of the High School Game of the Week, Shadowman Sports is also the presenting sponsor of the Rams Coach of the Week and Coach of the Year, which will be announced during a banquet at Rams Park following the season.
The Rams and Shadowman Sports also introduced the #TopTackler program, which recognized the top tackler from each of the High School Game of the Week’s participating teams. Every #TopTackler received an award package including an official Shadowman Sports #TopTackler certificate, a T-shirt and a congratulatory letter from Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher.
“As our community’s professional football team, we take pride in being a leading advocate for the game of football at all levels and helping to further develop the game,” said Kyle Eversgerd, director of external football affairs, St. Louis Rams. “In Shadowman Sports, we saw an exciting opportunity to partner with an industry leader to deliver innovative training products to schools and high school athletes who could benefit from their technology.”
Throughout the 2015 season, the Rams & Shadowman Sports also evaluated the skills, overall academic performance, sportsmanship, strengths and perseverance of high school football teams in the St. Louis Metro Area. At the end of the season, a team from both Illinois & Missouri will be selected as the Rams/Shadowman Sports High School Team of the Year. Additionally, Shadowman has worked with the Rams to donate Shadowman Sports Pro and Junior products to football programs throughout the region.
“Shadowman Sports is thrilled to partner with the St. Louis Rams, which has led to the Shadowman Pro & Shadowman Junior products being implemented across the Rams football programs at the youth, high school and professional levels,” said JP Hartigan, CEO, Shadowman Sports. “It is a privilege to partner with one of the most recognized and admired sports brands in the world and it is a huge credit to the work and dedication of the entire Shadowman Sports team.”
“We were delighted to make the Rams our first NFL Partner,” said Ronan O’Brien, CBDO, Shadowman Sports. “Being involved with the Rams High School Game of the Week and beyond allows us to support the Rams as they continue to promote the development of football in St. Louis. The Rams have repeatedly proven themselves to be one of the most forward thinking sports franchises in the world. Our partnership with the Rams will bring Shadowman to a whole new level and we couldn’t be more excited.”
About the St. Louis Rams:
The St. Louis Rams stand as one of the oldest franchises in the National Football League and since its founding in 1937, have garnered three World Championships and sent 27 of its members to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Upon moving to St. Louis in 1995, the Rams delivered a Super Bowl XXXIV victory and two NFC Championships to the Gateway City. As a professional sports team, the organization is committed to being a valuable civic partner and serving the bi-state region 365 days a year. For more information visit www.stlouisrams.com and follow the Rams on Facebook and Twitter, @STLouisRams.
About Shadowman Sports:
With operations in Limerick, Ireland, Chicago and San Francisco the company was founded in 2010. Teams and athletes across the USA and internationally choose Shadowman Sports products because they allow players to train smarter, play longer and perform better. Shadowman creates smarter sports environments with products developed through preventive design. Shadowman Pro and Shadowman Junior tackling systems help athletes build better tackling fundamentals by removing player to player contact and increasing reps. Shadowman Sports currently has 50 NCAA D1 Football programs as customers and 900 customers worldwide. For more information visit www.shadowmansports.com and follow Shadowman Sports on Twitter, @Shadowmansports.
