Pittsburgh Steelers' William Gay Tops February List of Top Ten Rising Sports Stars

IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Pittsburgh Steelers' cornerback William Gay has earned the top spot on the list of Rising Sports Stars to watch in the month of February. In the AFC championship game on January 23, New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez made a critical mistake late in the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a fumble that Gay returned for a touchdown. The score gave the Steelers a 24-0 lead over the Jets. Gay's popularity has increased 99% over the past 30 days, and Gay, who acquired the nickname "Big Play'' as a playmaking rookie three years ago, looks to start at left cornerback against the Green Bay Packers for the Super Bowl.

This month's list features five Super Bowl XLV athletes—William Gay and Antonio Brown of the Steelers, and Sam Shields, Clay Matthews and James Starks of the Packers. The full list and additional details are available at: www.brandaffinity.net/RisingStars/february2011.

Rising Sports Stars is distributed by Brand Affinity Technologies (BAT), a company that calculates daily consumer affinity based on a proprietary combination of media exposure, performance, awards, popularity, engagement, and fan base, among other indicators, for more than 45,000 athletes and celebrities.  The list identifies sports stars with greatest leap in popularity over the prior 30 days. A meteoric rise may indicate a standout on-the-field performance, off-the-field achievement, or emergence from utility player to celebrity.  

Rising Sports Stars lists go live at the start of each month; subscribe to BAT's Twitter feed at @BATimpact to learn when new lists are posted. Sports fans can also download Fantapper for free from BAT at www.fantapper.com. Fantapper brings interactive apps and info to sports and celebrity content online, wherever it appears, giving fans instant access to everything they want to know about their favorite athletes and teams.

February Rising Sports Stars

(Details at: www.brandaffinity.net/RisingStars/february2011)

1. William Gay (Pittsburgh Steelers)
2. Sam Shields (Green Bay Packers)
3. Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers)
4. Bill Haas (PGA)
5. David Ferrer (ATP)
6. Clay Matthews (Green Bay Packers)
7. Martin Havlat (Minnesota Wild)
8. Ryan Anderson (Orlando Magic)
9. James Starks (Green Bay Packers)
10. Jeff Green (Oklahoma City Thunder)

About Brand Affinity Technologies, Inc.  (BAT)

Founded in 2007, BAT (http://brandaffinity.net) unlocks the marketing power of celebrity through research, endorsements, and interactive experiences. BAT's Endorsement Platform provides daily analysis of more than 45,000 celebrities and athletes, along with the ability to identify, license, and activate talent for cross-media advertising campaigns. BAT also leverages its research and technology engine to engage consumers directly through Fantapper (www.fantapper.com), which brings interactive apps to celebrity content across the web. Connect with BAT on Twitter:@BATimpact and Facebook: www.facebook.com/BrandAffinityTech.

SOURCE Brand Affinity Technologies

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED