MLL and ESPN2 Announce 2006 Television Schedule

[Sonny]

MLL and ESPN2 Announce 2006 Television Schedule

Boston, MA (March 16, 2006) – Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league, announced today, in conjunction with ESPN2, its 2006 television schedule according to MLL Commissioner David Gross. ESPN2, which has televised MLL games for the previous three years, will televise 12 MLL games this season, airing primarily Tuesdays throughout the summer at 3:00 p.m. ET. ESPN2 will televise two special MLL events. The 2006 MLL All-Star Game – MLL All-Stars vs. U.S. National Team will air Sunday July 9 at 1:00 p.m. ET. The All-Star game includes the Bud Light Skills Competition which airs at halftime. The 2006 New Balance Championship Game will be televised Sunday August 27 at 5:00 p.m. ET.

"ESPN has put together another excellent television schedule featuring the world's best lacrosse players," said MLL Founder Jake Steinfeld, CEO of Body by Jake Global. "With the addition of our four exciting expansion markets, this will be our most compelling TV package to date. Fans around the world will be treated to action-packed MLL match-ups each week leading up to our 2006 New Balance Championship Game. Tuesdays on ‘The Deuce' is the place to be for lacrosse fans all summer long!"

All 10 MLL teams will have at least one home game televised on ESPN2 in 2006. The Los Angeles Riptide will be the first expansion team to host an ESPN2 game on Saturday June 17. ESPN2's next telecasts will be from Denver on July 1, Chicago on July 29 and San Francisco on August 12. The MLL's television schedule opens with a rematch of the 2005 New Balance Championship Game. Long Island hosts Baltimore on Saturday May 20, with the game airing on Tuesday May 23.

In 2003, ESPN and Major League Lacrosse agreed to a national television contract that delivered the MLL's high scoring, fast moving, hard-hitting action to ESPN2's more than 89 million households. ESPN International gave Major League Lacrosse an international flavor in 2004, airing the MLL "Game of the Week" contests on ESPN Latin America, ESPN Pacific Rim (Asia), and ESPN Atlantic (Africa and the Middle East).

ESPN2 has televised a host of MLL special events over the last three seasons. ESPN2 televised the 2003 and 2005 MLL All-Star Games, the 2004 and 2005 Bud Light MLL Skills Competitions, and the 2003, 2004 and 2005 New Balance Major League Lacrosse Championship Games. The 2004 title game was the first live national telecast of a Major League Lacrosse game. The 2005 New Balance Championship Game was also aired live. The 2005 MLL All-Star Game at INVESCO Field at Mile High Stadium in Denver, CO drew an MLL record 12,674 fans. Additionally, ESPN2 aired the MLL's Wild West Tour games from Seattle and Denver in 2004, the first two Major League Lacrosse regular season games played outside of MLL markets.
Day Date Time Home Team Visiting Team Air Day/Date Air TimeSat 5/20 7:00 pm Long Island Baltimore Tue 5/23 3:00-5:00 pmSat 6/03 7:00 pm Philadelphia New Jersey Tue 6/06 3:00-5:00 pmSat 6/10 7:30 pm Rochester Long Island Thu 6/15 2:55-5:00 pmSat 6/17 TBD Los Angeles Chicago Tue 6/20 12:55-2:55 pmSat 7/01 7:30 pm Denver Los Angeles Thu 7/06 4:00-6:00 pmThu 7/06 7:00 pm MLL Stars Team USA Sun 7/09 1:00-3:00 pmSat 7/08 7:00 pm Baltimore Boston Tue 7/11 3:30-5:30 pmSat 7/22 7:00 pm Boston Rochester Tue 7/25 3:30-5:30 pmSat 7/29 7:00 pm Chicago Los Angeles Tue 8/01 3:30-5:30 pmSat 8/05 7:30 pm New Jersey Long Island Tue 8/08 3:30-5:50 pmSat 8/12 1:00 pm San Francisco Chicago Fri 8/18 4:00-6:00 pmSun 8/27 5:00 pm MLL Championship (Los Angeles) Sun 8/27 5:00-7:00 pm