Little League World Series Named Top Event by SportsTravel Magazine

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Dec. 10, 2007) – The Little League Baseball World Series is named as the “Best Amateur Sports Event, Series or Circuit” in the annual SportsTravel magazine Readers’ Choice Awards. The award is nominated and voted on by SportsTravel readers. The Readers’ Choice Awards recognize excellence in sports event management and production.

Criteria for nomination and voting included:
• superior organization of and attendance at the event
• the event provided a superior experience for competitors and/or spectators
• the event's host city or venue served to enhance the event

The events covered by the awards occurred between July 1, 2006, and June 30, 2007, so it was the 2006 Little League Baseball World Series that was cited. The Little League Baseball World Series is played at two stadiums (Howard J. Lamade Stadium and Little League Volunteer Stadium) each year in Williamsport, Pa. The 2008 series, scheduled for Aug. 15-24, will be the 62nd since the annual event was first played in 1947.

Accepting the award in Louisville, Ky., on behalf of Little League International was Stephen D. Keener, President and Chief Executive Officer of Little League Baseball and Softball
“The Williamsport area, Lamade Stadium, and Volunteer Stadium are special places to be in late August each year,” Mr. Keener said. “We’re delighted that Sports/Travel magazine’s readers recognize it as well – for the second time.” The Little League Baseball World Series won the same honor for the 2003 Little League Baseball World Series.

“We are pleased to recognize these superior sporting events. Each of the winners is a prime example of achieving excellence in organization and management for both competitors and spectators,” Timothy Schneider, Publisher of SportsTravel magazine, which organizes the annual TEAMS Conference and Expo. “The SportsTravel Awards program is an opportunity for our readers to honor their peers for a job well done. SportsTravel readers are the leaders of the sports-event industry, and they really know what it takes to execute high-quality athletic events. These awards reflect their expert evaluation of what makes events superior."
Other winners of the SportsTravel Readers’ Choice Awards were:

Sports Event of the Year
2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane, Washington

Best New Sports Event
2006 Special Olympics USA National Games in Ames, Iowa

Best Professional Sports Event Series or Circuit
2006 Major League Baseball World Series in St. Louis, Missouri, and Detroit, Michigan

Best Professional Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event
2007 ESPN Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado

Best Professional Single-Sport Event
2006 Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii

Best Collegiate Sports Event Series or Circuit
NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship in Cleveland, Ohio

Best Collegiate Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event
NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Sacramento, California

Best Collegiate Single-Sport Event
2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona

Best Amateur Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event
2007 Summer National Senior Games in Louisville, Kentucky

Best Amateur Single-Sport Event
2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane, Washington