BASKETBALL IS FUNDAMENTAL IN CLASSROOM LEARNING
Spalding Provides "Science of Basketball" Curriculum to more than 1.1 million students

SPRINGFIELD, MA (May 21, 2007) — Spalding, the world's leader in basketball equipment, is spreading the word on the scientific principles of its highly popular NEVER FLAT basketball in classrooms across the country. "The Science of Basketball" curriculum provides more than 11,000 science teachers across the country with handouts and posters (reaching approximately 1.1 million students).

"The Science of Basketball" posters which feature NBA All-Star and Boston Celtics Paul Pierce will be displayed in classrooms. In addition four lesson plans will be taught throughout the spring. The plans and curriculum handouts include 1) Meet a Basketball Scientist, 2) The Way the Ball Bounces (shown below), 3) The Energy of the Game, and 4) The Science of the Shot

In the Commonwealth alone (Massachusetts, the birthplace of basketball and Spalding's corporate base), 244 middles schools grades 5th-8th were introduced to "The Science of Basketball" curriculum providing an approximate reach of 24,400 students, 732 teachers and 24,400 parents.

Spalding is also encouraging students to get creative and will implement a "Design a Basketball" contest. Students submit their own personal design of a basketball. The winner will have 50 specially marked basketballs with the winning, personal design delivered to their school by an NBA player in late May.

"The vast majority of our target consumers are students, so the classroom is a logical place for the Spalding brand to interact with them in a unique and unexpected way," stated Christy Hedgpeth, director of branding and licensing. "More importantly, we are proud that the program gets kids excited about science by using product innovations like NEVER FLAT as a subject matter."

Spalding's program is in partnership with Weekly Reader Corporation Custom Publishing.

What Teachers are saying about Science of Basketball Curriculum:

• "This is an excellent, relevant approach to complex concepts for our student population. It's been presented in palatable portions," — a high school teacher from Detroit, MI.
• "Anything that connects curriculum to things the student's value is valuable!" — an eighth Grade Teacher from Springfield, MA.
• "This is perfect for studying Newton's Laws," — an eight grade teacher from Hopewell, VA
• "We had a very great learning experience and a chance to get out of the classroom. Outside we got in to teams and passed the ball to each other and we bounced it straight up and down to ourselves. We learned about Newton's Laws earlier, so it was nice to have it come alive to them! Also, the students heard about NEVER FLAT basketballs but they didn't know about Nitroflate molecules either!" — a high school teacher from Philadelphia, PA
• "Anything that can get students interested is a plus. This got lots of attention!" — a middle school teacher from West Union, IA
• "It's great to be able to relate what we are studying to a high interest activity like basketball" — a seventh grade teacher from St. George, UT

About Spalding
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 Spalding Backboards in Sussex, WI. The three companies, collectively combined, are the largest basketball equipment supplier in the world. Spalding is the official basketball 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 and the official football of the Arena Football League (AFL) and Pop Warner. In addition to being the leading producer and marketer of basketballs, footballs, volleyballs and soccer balls, Springfield, MA-based Spalding produces softballs under the Dudley brand. For more information, visit www.spalding.com.

Media Inquiries: Contact Lynn Luczkowski, 413-478-1569 or lluczkowski@spalding.com