The NCAA Tournament Comes Early: ESPN College Basketball Guru Dick Vitale Hosts Live Online Auction on Outbid on Feb. 26 to Raise Money to Fight Cancer

OAKLAND, Calif. and SARASOTA, Fla., Feb. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Outbid (www.outbid.com), which combines the theater and transparency of live online auctions with social and gaming features, is starting the Big Dance early, Baby! Colorful college hoops analyst Dick Vitale will get the bidding bash started by hosting the Dick Vitale Charity Auction for the V Foundation for Cancer Research – offering up tickets to 2013 Final Four, the chance to dine with Dickie V, and the coolest in basketball collectibles – at 12 p.m. noon ET Tuesday, Feb. 26 at http://www.outbid.com/auctions/8507.

Vitale, who recently published "Getting a W in the Game of Life," a spirited "playbook for life," will field questions from auction participants, chat about the upcoming tournament from the Broken Egg restaurant in Sarasota, Fla., and dive into the thrilling, live online auction action that is an Outbid event. Available to anyone on the web or via their iPhone or iPad, the auction will feature such sports collectibles as a 2012 University of Kentucky NCAA Championship basketball signed by Vitale; a jersey and autographed baseball from Tampa Bay Rays All-Star Evan Longoria; the chance for you and a friend to dine with Vitale at the Broken Egg; a birthday phone call from the basketball pundit; or tickets to the 2013 Final Four at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on April 6-8.

"I can't say enough about how much fun an Outbid auction is, which is the Dipsy-doo Dunk-a-roo of online auctions, with its live, infectious, in-your-face bidding battles," said Vitale. "Just in time for us to fully give into the NCAA Tournament, Outbid is also a great way to raise money for sports teams, schools, churches – or a cause as near and dear to me, like the V Foundation for Cancer Research."

Vitale is the latest in a series of sports figures helping to make Outbid the digital alternative to in-store or on-location appearances: Previous Outbid auctions have been hosted by Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy; Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Ferguson Jenkins and the Greensboro Grasshoppers minor league baseball team are among those who will be involved in future Outbid auctions. Outbid aims to put auction participants even closer to such stars as Vitale, enabling bidders to more fully engage with hosts while bidding on their favorite memorabilia.

The V Foundation for Cancer Research was started in 1993 to honor Vitale's close friend and former North Carolina State basketball coach Jim Valvano. Dedicated to finding a cure for cancer, the V Foundation has since raised millions of dollars through such events as Jimmy V Week on ESPN and the annual Dick Vitale Gala Benefitting the V Foundation, which is at the Sarasota Ritz-Carlton on May 17, 2013.

"Outbid Sports keeps rising to new levels as we bring such legends as Dick Vitale to the auction-hosting fold," said Outbid CEO Dan Granger. "Now, fans are getting a fantastic chance to acquire coveted collectibles and hobnob with icons like Dickie V – all while making a difference by helping such a worthwhile fundraiser."

Outbid auctions are free to join or create, with bidding frays lasting an average of three minutes per item. Sign up at www.outbid.com, check out the schedule of upcoming sport auctions – or hold your own and invite your friends to join in.

To download the Outbid app for iPhone and iPad: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/outbid/id524180055?ls=1&mt=8

To access the Outbid press kit with press releases, screenshots, and additional background information, go to: http://consortpartners.com/clients/Outbid.php

About Outbid
Outbid is reinventing the online auction. By bringing the auction room online and adding unique and exciting social features, Outbid is enabling real auction action online and on mobile devices. Founded in Oakland in October 2011, Outbid is a privately held company with 21 full-time employees. Outbid was founded by NASDAQ-quoted Copart, Inc. (www.copart.com).

More information about Outbid is available at www.outbid.com and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/outbid.

Media Contact
Mark de la Vina
Consort Partners
[email protected]
Tel: +1 415 282 4795

SOURCE Outbid