GIRL UP AND WWE® CREATE SPORTS FOR A PURPOSE PROGRAM TO SUPPORT GIRLS’ LEADERSHIP
NEW YORK and STAMFORD Conn. Friday October 26 2018 – Girl Up and WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced a multi-year partnership to support the creation of Sports For a Purpose which will launch in the fall of 2019 and create a culture of sports participation for girls around the world. The program will equip Girl Up’s girl leaders with tools and resources so that they can help tackle the gender-based barriers girls face to playing sports including access to safe play spaces and sporting equipment.
“We are excited to launch Sports for a Purpose with WWE and help break down the gender barriers that girls and women face in sports while fostering an encouraging environment for girls’ leadership ” said Anna Blue Co-Executive Director Girl Up.
“WWE is proud to partner with Girl Up to create Sports For a Purpose a new program designed to help our youth achieve gender equality in sports ” said Stephanie McMahon WWE Chief Brand Officer. “Playing sports has a positive impact on girls’ leadership skills confidence and self-esteem and we are excited to work with Girl Up to create this meaningful program.”
“When girls develop their leadership on the field or on the court they take those skills with them to their schools and communities. We hope this program encourages a new generation of girls to pave the way for better gender equity in sports ” said Melissa Kilby Co-Executive Director Girl Up.
Team sports are a proven way to develop leadership skills confidence and positive body image but compared to boys girls are twice as likely to drop out of sports by age 14. Girls who play sports are more likely to have positive mental health higher academic achievement and more likely to earn a college degree.
Girl Up an organization and global leadership development initiative positions girls to be leaders in the movement for gender equality. Through leadership development training Girl Up gives girls the resources and platform to start a movement for social change wherever they are. Girl Up was founded in 2010 and continues to work across a global community of partners to achieve gender equality worldwide.
This new partnership was announced in advance of Evolution WWE’s first-ever all-women’s pay-per-view event another milestone for WWE’s female performers.
Why address girls and sports?
- 61 percent of girls participated in sports compared with 75 percent of boys
- 29 percent of girls participated in two or more sports compared to 47 percent of boys
- Male college athletes receive 36% more scholarship dollars than female college athletes at NCAA institutions
- Men get 30% more prize money in sport.
- Just 5% of sports media coverage features women.
- Women’s sport receives only 0.5% of the sports world's total sponsorship income (men get 62.1%).
- And yet the benefits are undisputable…Teens girls who play sports not only do better in school but also are more likely to have stronger leadership skills high self-esteem stronger relationships and improved physical health
- 23 percent more likely to get seven hours of sleep
- 21 percent more likely to be successful in school
- 13 percent more likely to graduate from a four-year college
About WWE
WWE a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE) is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The Company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming pay-per-view digital media and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG family-friendly programming can be seen in more than 800 million homes worldwide in 24 languages. WWE Network the first-ever 24/7 over-the-top premium network that includes all live pay-per-views scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library is currently available in more than 180 countries. The Company is headquartered in Stamford Conn. with offices in New York Los Angeles London Mexico City Mumbai Shanghai Singapore Dubai Munich and Tokyo.
Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/
About Girl Up
Girl Up is a global leadership development initiative positioning girls to be leaders in the movement for gender equality. With resources in five languages and 2 500 Girl Up Clubs in more than 100 countries we’ve trained 40 000 girls of all backgrounds to create tangible change for girls everywhere. Girl Up provides leadership training and gives girls tools to become gender equality advocates and activists. Through our programs girls broaden their social impact skill set benefit from a platform to tell their stories and apply STEM for social good. Our girl leaders create real policy change at local and national levels help raise millions of dollars to support United Nations programs that reach tens of thousands of girls around the world and build community-based movements. Girl Up was founded by the United Nations Foundation in 2010 and continues to work across a global community of partners to achieve gender equality worldwide. Learn more at www.GirlUp.org
Media Contact:
Joe Villa
WWE
203-359-5175
Joe.Villa@wwecorp.com
Beth Nervig
Girl Up
202-448-2670
bnervig@girlup.org
Investor Contact:
Michael Guido CFA
203-352-8779
Michael.Guido@wwecorp.com
Trademarks: All WWE programming talent names images likenesses slogans wrestling moves trademarks logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.
Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include without limitation risks relating to: entering maintaining and renewing major distribution agreements; WWE Network (including the risk that we are unable to attract retain and renew subscribers); our need to continue to develop creative and entertaining programs and events; the possibility of a decline in the popularity of our brand of sports entertainment; the continued importance of key performers and the services of Vincent K. McMahon; possible adverse changes in the regulatory atmosphere and related private sector initiatives; the highly competitive rapidly changing and increasingly fragmented nature of the markets in which we operate and greater financial resources or marketplace presence of many of our competitors; uncertainties associated with international markets; our difficulty or inability to promote and conduct our live events and/or other businesses if we do not comply with applicable regulations; our dependence on our intellectual property rights our need to protect those rights and the risks of our infringement of others’ intellectual property rights; the complexity of our rights agreements across distribution mechanisms and geographical areas; potential substantial liability in the event of accidents or injuries occurring during our physically demanding events including without limitation claims relating to CTE; large public events as well as travel to and from such events; our feature film business; our expansion into new or complementary businesses and/or strategic investments; our computer systems and online operations; privacy norms and regulations; a possible decline in general economic conditions and disruption in financial markets; our accounts receivable; our indebtedness; litigation; our potential failure to meet market expectations for our financial performance which could adversely affect our stock; Vincent K. McMahon exercises control over our affairs and his interests may conflict with the holders of our Class A common stock; a substantial number of shares are eligible for sale by the McMahons and the sale or the perception of possible sales of those shares could lower our stock price; and the relatively small public “float” of our Class A common stock. In addition our dividend is dependent on a number of factors including among other things our liquidity and historical and projected cash flow strategic plan (including alternative uses of capital) our financial results and condition contractual and legal restrictions on the payment of dividends (including under our revolving credit facility) general economic and competitive conditions and such other factors as our Board of Directors may consider relevant. Forward-looking statements made by the Company speak only as of the date made and are subject to change without any obligation on the part of the Company to update or revise them. Undue reliance should not be placed on these statements. For more information about risks and uncertainties associated with the Company’s business please refer to the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Risk Factors” sections of the Company’s SEC filings including but not limited to our annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.