FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 12, 2014
Contact:   Craig Fata, Vice President
(844) THE-MPBA / craig.fata@theMPBA.com

ST. LOUIS – Fans of the Midwest Professional Basketball Association will be able to enjoy every game of the league’s inaugural season live and in high definition for free, thanks to a unique partnership with its Minneapolis-based technology provider Sport Ngin, and Coaches Aid/ASBN, a media, leadership-development and broadcast services organization based in suburban Denver, the league announced today.

                    “We’ve been building this partnership for quite some time,” said C. Edward “Ed” Schumer, Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the MPBA.  “These companies share our vision that when you create relationships, you can create something special.  And we’ve been able to accomplish that here,” Schumer said.

                    The partnership means Coaches Aid will provide multi-camera, high-definition productions of each MPBA game, live streamed to each team’s page on the MPBA website, which is created and hosted by Sport Ngin.  Usually, Coaches Aid productions are carried on its own hosted website.

                    “We believe the MPBA is going to be a major national player in professional basketball within the next few years,” said Justin Kaufenberg, Chief Executive Officer of Sport Ngin.  “We believe in what they want to provide for players and fans, and so putting this joint venture into play benefits all of us,” Kaufenberg said.

                    The partnership also allows Coaches Aid to archive all of the games online for on-demand viewing.  Ordinarily, when Sport Ngin provides a live stream on one of its sites, the content is then archived and made available by Sport Ngin.

                    “The on-demand video archive service that we provide will be huge for fans,” said Brad Fehn, Chief Executive Officer for Coaches Aid. “But even more importantly, coaches will be able to scout opponents’ games, and players will be able to send the links to to agents and scouts for easy viewing,” Fehn said.

                    “This relationship that we’ve been building with Coaches Aid and Sport Ngin since before we even launched the league has been directly leading toward this unique concept,” said Craig Fata, Vice President and Director of Communications & Compliance for the MPBA.  “Part of our mission is to provide players with credible statistics and good video so they can advance their careers, and thanks to this partnership, we will be able to accomplish both of those things straight out of the gate,” Fata said.

                    “This partnership is a testament to the vision and the model of the MPBA,” said Fehn.  “We’re proud to be in on the ground floor with them,” he said.

                    “We said when we launched the league that our goal is to redefine what can be accomplished in minor league professional basketball,” Schumer added.  “With this partnership, we’ve already gone a long way in doing that.”

                    The inaugural MPBA season tips off on Fri., Jan. 2 at 7:00 p.m. when the Gateway Steam host the St. Louis RiverSharks at Family Arena in suburban St. Louis.

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The mission of the MPBA is to attract the top minor league basketball players, coaches, owners and staff members from across the United States, and to provide that talent with the opportunity to develop their skills in a professional environment; the MPBA will also provide its fans and supporters with a fun, value-based entertainment experience, as well as incorporate community outreach programs into its members’ operations.