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2016 MAAC WATER POLO
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MAACSPORTS.COM
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The MAAC will support 25 sports and championships during
the 2014-15 academic year, which almost all have NCAA
Championship Access through automatic bids or regional
qualifying systems. Highlighting the MAAC’s commitment to
providing a first rate experience for its fans and student-athletes
are those championships held at the Walt Disney World Resort
ESPN Wide World of Sports.
The 2014-15 academic year represents the MAAC’s 16th year
of hosting championships at the complex where the league
hosts 3 events each year, which include one fall championship
with all 11 member schools participating. The sports that rotate
include men’s soccer, men’s & women’s cross country, women’s
soccer, and volleyball. In the fall of 2014, volleyball returned to
the complex for its championship, with Siena College coming out
on top. The championship operation at Disney allows the MAAC
to provide its participating student-athletes and their families and
fans a world-class sports championship experience. The access
to the playing facilities, on-site hotels, theme parks, including
an after-hours awards banquet, are designed to provide lasting
memories as the students graduate and become alumni of the
league and its member schools.
The MAAC recently approved a new events agreement with
Disney for 2015-18, which includes ESPN broadcasting elements
for all the championships. ESPN’s state-of-the-art studios
broadcast highlights of MAAC on-site tournaments throughout
all Disney World Resort hotel properties as well as on ESPN3
and MAAC.TV. All MAAC contests for Volleyball, Men’s and
Women’s Soccer, Men’s and Women’s Cross Country, and Men’s
and Women’s Golf are broadcast by ESPN’s on-site studios.
This year’s volleyball championship had its final championship
game, semi-finals and two of the quarterfinal games broadcast on
ESPN3 to a national audience available for viewing in 86 million
homes on high speed internet networks.
The MAAC has also co-hosted with ESPN since 2006 the Orlando
Classic at the ESPNWWS complex. This 8-team tournament is
held over Thanksgiving weekend continues to draw elite men’s
basketball teams to compete. One MAAC school is included
in the field each year and this Thanksgiving Siena College will
compete in this premier event.
The MAAC also hosts its Men’s & Women’s Golf Championships
at the Disney complex. The men’s and women’s golf teams
compete at PGA-caliber courses during the spring and rotate
between Palm and Magnolia (2015) at the Arnold Palmer
managed courses. The golf hosting agreement at Disney was
recently extended through 2018 championships.
As noted before, ESPN studios in Orlando is an important element
of MAAC broadcasting efforts. It also serves as the production site
for the annual MAAC Pre-Season Coaches Show and develops
in-season features, commercials and promotional elements for
the MAAC ESPN broadcasts and for MAAC.TV.
During the 2012-13 season, both the Cross Country and Golf
Championships saw live coverage on ESPN3 for the first time in
MAAC history because of the valuable partnership between the
MAAC and the Walt Disney World Resort. Also shot on site is the
annual MAAC SAAC Forum where student-athlete leaders from
all MAAC schools participate on a live issues forum on ESPN3
form the sports complex.
The partnership will again grow in 2014 when the MAAC and
Disney added a dedicated academic element to the mix of the
valuable assets from this relationship. The Disney Internship
Program is world-renowned for providing valuable training to
entry level sports administrators. As part of the extended MAAC/
Disney hosting agreement, the MAAC office will be able to select
three recent graduate level students in sports management or
related fields to work on the Disney Sports Team.
The Disney Sports Internship program provides graduate
students the perfect opportunity to gain experience in a variety of
disciplines while learning from the best of the best. Disney Sports
Attractions will immerse students in major brands such as run
Disney and ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney
World® Resort.
THE MAAC AND THE WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT ESPN WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS PARTNERSHIP