LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, the College Basketball Crown announced a strategic partnership with GHOST®, a lifestyle brand spanning energy and hydration drinks, merch and more. Brokered by AEG Global Partnerships, GHOST® becomes the tournament’s first Founding Partner as well as the Official Energy Drink and Hydration Partner and will play a pivotal role in elevating hydration support to athletes throughout the competition while energizing the fan experience to take it to the next level.
Launched by FOX Sports and AEG, the College Basketball Crown is a premiere postseason college basketball tournament taking place from March 31 to April 6, 2025, in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena, and airing on FOX and FS1. The tournament will feature 16 elite teams from conferences including the Big Ten, Big 12, and BIG EAST, along with additional at-large participants.
As the Official Hydration Partner, GHOST® will exclusively provide GHOST® HYDRATION to players and staff during the games, supporting them during each critical moment of the tournament. GHOST®’s iconic branding will be featured on team bench seat covers and water coolers, creating a unique opportunity for product integration and exposure with the student athletes through high-visibility placement and direct interaction during games.
“We’re incredibly excited to be a founding partner of the College Basketball Crown,” said Dan Lourenco, Co-Founder and CEO of GHOST®. “Having the opportunity to partner on bringing a completely new and exciting college basketball tournament to our home city of Las Vegas and the world is a truly special thing. We’re thrilled to be a part of the energy and hydration that drives this tournament as well as the athletes competing in it.”
This new partnership builds on GHOSTS®’s existing relationship with T-Mobile Arena, where it already has a strong brand presence as the venue’s Official Energy Drink Partner. Born and bred in Las Vegas, GHOST® is deeply connected to the city’s vibrant sports culture, making this collaboration even more meaningful. Through this partnership, GHOST® continues to elevate its position as an industry leader in energy and hydration, further aligning its products with high-profile sports events in the Las Vegas market. Moreover, as the tournament’s first Founding Partner, a premium and category exclusive designation, GHOST® will be prominently featured throughout the College Basketball Crown with in-game branded assets including courtside rotational signage, logo placement on the court, and arena LEDs.
“We are so appreciative of Dan and the entire GHOST® team for believing in the vision of the College Basketball Crown from the very first discussion,” said Nick Baker, COO of AEG Global Partnerships. "GHOST®’s commitment to performance, paired with its unique best-in-class products, make it the perfect complement to the exciting and high-stakes nature of the College Basketball Crown."
To add to the momentum, GHOST® will receive national media exposure through a commercial media spot on FOX Sports channels televising the tournament. The feature will highlight GHOST®’s role as a driving force behind the fan and athlete experience during the landmark event.
“We’re thrilled to have GHOST® on board for the College Basketball Crown,” said Jordan Bazant, Executive Vice President, FOX Sports, and board member of the College Basketball Crown. “This tournament is an innovative next step for elite postseason college basketball and we could not be more excited to see all the action tip off next year.”
Fans can look forward to experiencing GHOST®’s products throughout the tournament including in VIP lounges, through key on-site activations and more. The partnership will also be promoted through digital content features, social media campaigns, and email marketing.
For more information about the College Basketball Crown and GHOST®’s involvement, visit drinkghost.com and follow along on social @ghostenergy and @ghosthydration.
ABOUT GHOST®
GHOST® is a lifestyle brand of sports nutrition products, energy drinks, dietary supplements, and apparel. GHOST® is disrupting the sports nutrition industry by creating a lifestyle movement that includes transparent innovative products, global distribution, immersive content, key influencer partnerships, and authentic collaborations with many of the world’s leading flavor brands, including OREO®, Chips Ahoy!®, Sour Patch Kids®, Sonic® Drive-In, Warheads®, Swedish Fish® and Welch's®. GHOST® also entered the food space in 2024 with its launch of high-protein cereals. GHOST® products can be found at GNC, ghostlifestyle.com, and select global retailers in over 40 countries. For more information, visit ghostlifestyle.com or connect with the brand on Instagram, X, TikTok, or Twitch.
ABOUT AEG
Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, AEG is the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company. The company operates in the following business segments:
- Music through AEG Presents, which is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performances, including the production and promotion of global and regional concert tours, an extensive portfolio of clubs, theaters and other music venues, concerts and special events and world-renowned festivals such as the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival;
- Venues and Real Estate, which develops, owns and operates world-class venues, as well as major sports and entertainment districts like Crypto.com Arena and L.A. LIVE, Uber Platz in Berlin and The O2 in London;
- Sports, as the world’s largest operator of high-profile sporting events and sports franchises including the LA Kings, LA Galaxy and Eisbären Berlin;
- Global Partnerships, which oversees worldwide sales and servicing of sponsorships including naming rights, premium seating, and other strategic partnerships;
- And Ticketing, which provides more than 400 clients worldwide with ticketing services that cover the gamut of entertainments, including sporting events, arena tours, music clubs festival, rodeos and family events.
Through its worldwide network of venues, portfolio of powerful sports and music brands and its integrated entertainment districts, AEG entertains more than 90 million guests annually. More information about AEG can be found at www.aegworldwide.com.
