Vancouver Canucks’ Kevin Bieksa Tops June Ranking of Rising Sports Stars
IRVINE, Calif., June 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — As hockey fans prepare for the first game of the Stanley Cup finals, Vancouver Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa has been named the top Rising Sports Star to watch in the month of June. Bieksa scored a surprise goal in double-overtime against the San Jose Sharks to take his team to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1994. Rival David Krejci of the Boston Bruins came in at number 4 on the list.
PGA star David Toms is second on the list. Toms has experienced a major resurgence in popularity, winning May’s Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial after finishing second at The Players Championship. Taj Gibson of the Chicago Bulls earned the third spot after an NBA playoff performance that included a highlight-reel dunk against Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat. The full list of Rising Sports Stars and additional details are available at: www.brandaffinity.net/RisingStars/June2011.
Rising Sports Stars is distributed by Brand Affinity Technologies (BAT), a company that calculates daily consumer affinity based on a proprietary combination of media exposure, performance, awards, popularity, engagement, and fan base, among other indicators, for more than 45,000 athletes and celebrities. The list identifies sports stars with the greatest leap in popularity over the prior 30 days. A meteoric rise may indicate a standout on-the-field performance, off-the-field achievement, or emergence from utility player to celebrity.
June Rising Sports Stars
(Details at: www.brandaffinity.net/RisingStars/June2011)
- Kevin Bieksa (Vancouver Canucks)
- David Toms (PGA)
- Taj Gibson (Chicago Bulls)
- David Krejci (Boston Bruins)
- Nick Collison (Oklahoma City Thunder)
- Matt Joyce (Tampa Bay Rays)
- Dwayne Roloson (Tampa Bay Lightning)
- Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks)
- James Harden (Oklahoma City Thunder)
- Chris Bosh (Miami Heat)
Rising Sports Stars lists go live at the start of each month; subscribe to BAT’s Twitter feed at @BATimpact to learn when new lists are posted.
About Brand Affinity Technologies, Inc. (BAT)
Founded in 2007, BAT (http://brandaffinity.net) unlocks the marketing power of celebrity through research, endorsements, and interactive experiences. BAT’s Endorsement Platform provides daily analysis of more than 45,000 celebrities and athletes, along with the ability to identify, license, and activate talent for cross-media advertising campaigns. BAT also leverages its research and technology engine to engage consumers directly through Fantapper (www.fantapper.com), which brings interactive apps to celebrity content across the web. Connect with BAT on Twitter: @BATimpact and Facebook: www.facebook.com/BrandAffinityTech.
SOURCE Brand Affinity Technologies, Inc.