Giant Food and Wizards District Gaming Announce Partnership

Agreement makes Giant an official sponsor of Wizards DG in popular esports gaming and the first grocery sponsor of an esports team

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Giant Food

Apr 27, 2018, 10:07 ET

WASHINGTON, April 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) and Giant Food, the leading greater Washington D.C. regional grocery chain, announced today that they have reached an agreement to make Giant Food a sponsor of Wizards District Gaming beginning with its inaugural 2018 season as a member of the NBA 2K League which is part of the explosively popular esports competitive video gaming genre.

"We are thrilled to announce this exciting partnership with Wizards District Gaming and Giant," Jim Van Stone, President of Business Operations and Chief Commercial Officer at Monumental Sports & Entertainment, said. "Giant is steadfast in its commitment to the customer and recognizes the value of a rapidly-growing demographic of esports players and fans. Giant opened the first supermarket in Washington, D.C. and has remained an important, innovative presence in the region for the past 82 years."

"We are extremely excited to be a part of the inaugural season of Wizards District Gaming and the NBA 2K League," said John MacDonald, Vice President Marketing at Giant Food. "We've partnered with Monumental Sports and Entertainment for years to support our local teams and we are so happy to be a part of this innovative and growing esports community."

Fueling the excitement with great food and snacks, Giant Food will be the official grocer and Peapod will be the official online grocery delivery service of Wizards District Gaming. Giant Food's logo will be featured on in-game on-court signage, around player accounts and at the Wizards District Gaming Practice Facility. Additionally, Giant will be highlighted as a sponsor in various in-game virtual assets. Giant Food will retain exclusive ownership of a number of streamed practice sessions and games throughout the season.

The NBA 2K League, a joint venture between the NBA and Take-Two Interactive, is a professional esports league featuring the best NBA 2K players in the world. The NBA 2K League's inaugural season, which will feature 17 teams, began with the league qualifier in January to determine player for tryouts in February, followed by a draft in March, and will officially tip-off on May 1^st.

Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), located in Washington, D.C., is one of the largest integrated sports and entertainment companies in the country with one of the most diverse partnership groups in all of sports. MSE owns and operates seven professional sports teams: the AFL's Baltimore Brigade and Washington Valor, NBA's Washington Wizards, NBA G League's Capital City Go-Go, NBA 2K League's Wizards District Gaming, NHL's Washington Capitals and the WNBA's Washington Mystics. The company is also co-owner of aXiomatic, which has controlling interest in global esports franchise Team Liquid, and owns and operates Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Monumental Sports & Entertainment also manages Kettler Capitals Iceplex, the state-of-the-art training facility for the Capitals and EagleBank Arena on George Mason University's campus. The District of Columbia and Events DC are building a new sports and entertainment facility in Southeast DC on the St. Elizabeth's East campus. The facility will feature a state-of-the art training facility for the Washington Wizards and Washington Mystics and will also include a 4,200-seat arena which will become the new home of the Mystics and Go-Go. The facility is scheduled to open in the fall of 2018. Monumental Sports & Entertainment also co-owns and operates Monumental Sports Network (MSN) with the NBC Sports Group. MSN is the mid-Atlantic region's top destination for exclusive fan experiences and original sports content across desktop, tablet, mobile and OTT streaming devices. Visit www.monumentalsports.com.

Wizards District Gaming
Wizards District Gaming is part of the NBA 2K League, a professional esports league co-founded by the NBA and Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO). Launching in 2018, the league will feature the best NBA 2K players in the world. Wizards DG will draft gamers to compete as unique characters in 5-on-5 play against 16 other teams in a mix of regular-season games, tournaments and playoffs. The league will host tryouts in early 2018, followed by a draft in March and the season tip-off in May. For more information about Wizards District Gaming, visit http://www.wizardsdg.com/.

About Giant Food, LLC
Giant Food of Landover, Md. is committed to helping its customers save time, save money and eat well. Headquartered in Landover, Md., Giant operates 166 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia, and employs approximately 20,000 associates. Included within the 166 stores are 156 full-service pharmacies. For more information on Giant, visit www.giantfood.com.

SOURCE Giant Food