Sports fans all around the United States will flock to St. Louis tonight for the fifth annual Sports Trivia Championship at the Scottrade Center, hosted by Budweiser.
Beginning with a tailgate party and silent auction at 5 p.m., the event is to benefit a local charity organization, the St. Patrick Center, which is the leading provider of assistance to the homeless community in all of Missouri.
“The concept came to me to develop a creative fundraising event that could capture the St. Louis community in a new and unique way,” said Dan Buck, CEO of the St. Patrick Center. “We also wanted to grow the circle of friends for St. Patrick Center, so we’re hosting the biggest and best sports trivia in the best sports city in the country.”
The Sports Trivia Championship is billed as the “largest sports trivia contest” and had more than 1,200 participants last year. Chris Rose, host of The Best Damn Sports Show Period, and former St. Louis Ram defensive tackle D’Marco Farr will host the event this year.
The competition will see more than 120 teams of 10 battle each other through 10 rounds of 10 questions each. Tables for each team start at $1,000, while VIP tables are $3,000. However, the organizers of the event realize the importance of getting students involved too, even if they cannot shell out the money for a table.
“The National City Stay N’ Play filled that need without having to dish out $100 and find nine friends to do the same,” said Jocelyn Brodeur, Vice President of Marketing at Image Works Public Relations. “You can come sit in the stands and participate for free. Prizes will be awarded in the stands, also.”
According to the Event Overview, the team that wins, as well as the runner-up and flighted teams, will be awarded tickets and suite packages to major sporting events. Roger Wehrli, who is a Hall of Fame cornerback for the St. Louis Cardinals football team, will be a featured guest.
“This is a fun night-something different, unique and interesting,” Brodeur said.
Buck said that this fundraiser will help the St. Patrick Center to assist more than 9,000 people in 2008. He gave the keynote speech at Saint Louis University’s Make A Difference Day during the fall semester, which drew more than 2,100 volunteers.
“There are 21 programs this year that are geared to help those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless,” Buck said.?”The Sports Trivia Championship will impact lives and goals set in all of these programs.”
In a similar letter, Tim Murphy, senior director of digital marketing at Anheuser-Busch and chairman of this year’s event, said Budweiser hopes to be able to help the St. Patrick Center’s mission by reaching $1 million in 2008.
According to Brodeur, the event targeted St. Louis as its home because of its tradition as one of the best sports cities in the nation, having hosted high profile events, such as the NCAA Men’s Soccer College Cup, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four and various Olympic Trials events.
As spring training begins and March Madness brackets start to take shape, the Sports Trivia Championship should be the spot for every sports fan looking to impress others with his or her knowledge. The general public is encouraged to attend, but the event will be televised on Fox Sports Midwest in the following weeks.
