USA Rock Paper Scissors League Launches With Bud Light and A&E

USA Rock Paper Scissors League Launches With Bud Light and A&E

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bud Light, the world's best-selling light beer, announced today that it would host a nationwide tournament with the USARPS League to find the best Rock Paper Scissors player in the country. Beginning this month in bars across the U.S., competitors 21 and older will have the opportunity to play the sport in a classic tournament ladder structure. In April, 250 finalists and their guests will be flown to Las Vegas to compete for a grand prize of $50,000 at The House of Blues in the Mandalay Bay Hotel.

This announcement came at the same time co-commissioners Matti Leshem and Andrew Golder announced the formation of The USA Rock Paper Scissors League ( http://www.usarps.com/ ). Although the game has existed since before recorded history, and has been played by such greats as General Rochambeau (for who the game is named in certain circles), it is only now that an American League has been formed to bring rules and structure to the previous chaos that dominated the sport in the U.S.

"We're very excited to host the first USARPS tournament and name the first champion at a fun event in Las Vegas, where adults from across the country who have won tournaments in their hometowns can compete to determine the ultimate champion," said Dan Sprague, product manager, Bud Light, Anheuser-Busch, Inc.

"We are extremely lucky to have Bud Light as a partner," said Leshem. "For too long, adults who gather in clubs looking for competition have had only pool or darts to challenge them. Finally, there's a true sport where talent can be showcased."

A&E Network has signed on to be the official media partner of the USARPS League. The network announced that they would cover the finals in a one-hour special to air after the live event.

"We are proud to be the network of choice for this historic sporting event," said Nancy Dubuc, senior vice president of non-fiction & alternative programming at A&E Network. "It's a quirky, humorous way to bring to television a sport everyone can play -- where strength and agility take a backseat to strategy and skill."

Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch (NYSE:BUD) is the leading American brewer holding 50 percent of the U.S. beer market. The company brews the world's largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch also holds a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico's leading brewer, and a 27 percent share in Tsingtao, the No. 1 brewer in China. The company is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and is America's top recycler of aluminum cans. For more information, visit http://www.anheuser-busch.com/ .

USA Rock Paper Scissor League ( http://www.usarps.com/ ) is the governing body of the sport in the U.S. The league was founded in 2005 by Matti Leshem and Andrew Golder, and has hundreds of members and affiliate Rock Paper Scissors cells.

Now reaching more than 88 million homes, A&E Network brings viewers a diverse mix of programming ranging from critically acclaimed original series and movies, to innovative documentaries, to the Emmy Award-winning Biography(R) series, to dramatic specials, feature film presentations, and contemporary performances. In 2005, A&E Network holds the distinct record for the most Primetime Emmy nominations (10) for a basic cable network. Great drama remains the heart of the A&E Network brand with upcoming original programming such as the film Flight 93 and the espionage series MI-5. Returning real-life series include Dog the Bounty Hunter, Intervention, Criss Angel Mindfreak, Inked, Airline, and The First 48.

The A&E Network website is located at http://www.aetv.com/ and the Biography(R) website is located at http://www.biography.com/ . For more information and photography please visit us on the web at http://www.aetvpress.com/ .

Source: Anheuser-Busch

CONTACT: Gayla Daugherty, +1-314-577-7530, or
gayla.daugherty@anheuser-busch.com , or Fiona Peel, +1-314-577-7222, or
fiona.peel@anheuser-busch.com , both of Anheuser-Busch

Web site: http://www.anheuser-busch.com/
http://www.usarps.com/
http://www.aetv.com/
http://www.biography.com/
http://www.aetvpress.com/

-------
Profile: intent