Sports Media Report
The United States Polo Association (USPA), and its official apparel brand U.S. Polo Assn. today announced that CBS Sports will return as the broadcast partner for the 2018 U.S. Open Polo Championship® at the International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC) in Wellington, Florida. The game between Defending Champions Valiente, led by #1 rated player Adolfo Cambiaso and DRF, led by 10-goal player Hilario Ulloa will be the capstone game to watch for the 2018 polo season in the United States.
The world’s top players will be competing for the most prestigious polo trophy in the United States, the U.S Open. CBS will return as the television partner of the tournament for the second straight year, and will broadcast coverage of the championship on Sunday, April 29 at 2 p.m. EDT. Last year, the U.S. Open experienced its largest ever measured broadcast viewership for the tournament.
“Bringing the excitement of the most sought-after trophy in the United States to a national sports audience and our consumers is part of our strategic plan to increase interest in the sport and expand our branded content offering,” said J. Michael Prince, the CEO of USPA Global Licensing Inc. (USPAGL), which manages the U.S. Polo Assn. brand. “CBS’s expertise in presenting world class sporting events makes them the perfect partner for this initiative.”
“We’re thrilled that CBS Sports will be joining us again for a great broadcast that will carry this tournament to a larger audience,” said Robert Puetz, CEO of the USPA. “There is simply no polo tournament that is more important or historic in the U.S., and we are excited to be able to share the final leg of this year’s Triple Crown of Polo with sports fans everywhere.”
The U.S. Open Polo tournament, which spans 114 years of history, was first played in 1904 in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx in New York City, and was a highlight of the sporting season. Since 2004, the U.S. Open, which serves as the apex of the Florida high-goal polo season, has been played at its current home at IPC. Attracting fans and enthusiasts from all over the world, IPC is expecting that more than 15,000 spectators will attend the championship this year, making the U.S. Open one of the largest global polo events.
“The U.S. Open (#usopenpolo) is the most prominent event in the U.S. Triple Crown of Polo, and is the one tournament that every high goal team wants to win,” said David Cummings, Chairman of USPAGL. “Battling it out on the Championship Field at IPC is like playing for the Super Bowl or the World Series. Thanks to our strategic partnership with CBS Sports, more people than ever before can be part of the excitement.”
