SPALDING NEVER FLAT PREVAILS IN "JOURNEY INSIDE A BASKETBALL"
Advertising Campaign Fast Breaks for NBA All-Star Weekend

Springfield, MA, February 15, 2006
Spalding's NEVER FLAT^® basketball, the only inflated sports product on the market to maintain "perfect" air pressure and stay inflated 10 times longer than traditional basketballs, is taking consumers on a journey "Inside a Basketball." NEVER FLAT, the number one selling basketball in the sporting goods channel since hitting store shelves last November, will break its new television spot during the NBA's All-Star 2006 weekend celebration, February 17-19.

NEVER FLAT's ground breaking technology and innovation is supported by long-time Spalding endorser, NBA All-Star Paul Pierce. Establishing clear differentiation in product performance, the 30-second spot introduces the viewer to a vast wasteland of deflated basketballs, the result of typical products' inferiority. This visual sets the stage for NEVER FLAT's arrival on the scene with meteoric force and a space odyssey-like journey.

"Our creative approach was to deliver a "wow" factor to our technology-savvy, 12 to 24 year old target audience," stated Dan Touhey, vice president of marketing, Spalding. "We also wanted to remind consumers of Spalding's authenticity, innovation and leadership in basketball while showcasing what's truly unique about NEVER FLAT."

The spot's "wow" factor delivers by diving inside the ball, to explore the truest differentiator of this product. Special effects are as much descriptive as they are scientific, with NEVER FLAT's seepage-fighting NitroFlate molecules forming a protective barrier against the inner wall of the ball. The larger NitroFlate molecules block the smaller air molecules from escaping, enabling the ball to maintain air pressure 10X longer than traditional balls. The piece concludes with Pierce dribbling the perfectly inflated NEVER FLAT through and around the wasteland of competitors' deflated basketballs.

"There is No Escaping Pressure," is the newest print ad for NEVER FLAT, featuring Paul Pierce with the simple yet forceful message, "New Spalding Never Flat stays inflated 10X longer - guaranteed." Additionally, an interactive media campaign which will go live during the NBA All-Star game and run throughout the NBA season includes a home page takeover.

The television spot will air on ABC, TNT, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, NBATV and CSTV, while the print ads will run in such publications as Sports Illustrated, Sports Illustrated for Kids, SLAM, Inside Stuff, and School Sports. All creative was developed by Winstanley Associates out of Lenox, Massachusetts. The Spalding NEVER FLAT basketball has a suggested retail price of $39.99.

ABOUT SPALDING

As a Division of Russell Corporation, the Spalding Group consists of three business units: Spalding in Springfield, MA; American Athletic, Inc. (AAI) in Jefferson, IA; and Huffy Sports, in Sussex, WI. The three companies, collectively combined, are now the largest basketball equipment supplier in the world. Spalding is the official basketball supplier of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), the official backboard of the NBA and NCAA, the official volleyball of the King of the Beach Volleyball Tour, the official soccer ball of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) and the official football of the Arena Football League (AFL) and Pop Warner. For more information, visit www.spalding.com.