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“THE PEOPLE’S GAMES‚” Game to take place in Venice Beach this Sunday May 8th

NYC Coach Earl “The Pearl” Monroe & LA Coach Lucius Allen Ready Their Squads

New York, NY & Los Angeles, CA, April XX, 2011 – The People’s Games (www.PeoplesGames.com) is a
new concept that provides the common man an opportunity to live out a dream of representing their
family, neighborhood and city in athletic competition against rival cities. The inaugural event is a best-
of-three basketball series, NYC vs. LA, which tips-off Sunday, May 8th in Los Angeles at the iconic courts
of Venice Beach, and continues May 10th in New York City at a famous location in Manhattan to be
announced soon, and May 11th (if necessary) at the City College of New York’s (CCNY) Holman Gym.

Hundreds of hopefuls from both cities participated in several rounds of tryouts throughout the month
of March, battling for twenty coveted spots on each city’s roster. The final teams feature an eclectic
and inspiring mix of players from all walks of life – a construction worker, spa owner, teacher, student,
lawyer, barista, stay-at-home dad, past division one college player, cancer survivor, former homeless
and others – including some who will fly in an airplane for the first time.

In addition to the glory of representing their hometowns, these players will also be coached by
basketball royalty. Team New York City is led by Knicks legend and basketball Hall of Famer Earl “The
Pearl” Monroe, while former UCLA and Lakers great Lucius Allen is the coach of Team Los Angeles.
Longtime friends off the court and now once again foes on it, Monroe and Allen are eager to showcase
their squads and determine which city gets ultimate basketball bragging rights.

“I’m thrilled to be part of The People’s Games and was drawn by the fact it gives regular guys a
chance to realize their dreams and get back to the roots of why we love the game,” said Monroe.
“We have a tremendous team who’s ready to prove that New York City is the center of the basketball
universe with a big win over LA.”

Allen responded, “I played and learned under legendary coach John Wooden and I’m bringing that same
focus on tenacity and defense to this group of talented athletes. We’re already a basketball family and
ready to bring the first People’s Games championship home to LA, where it belongs.”

The People’s Games was created by award-winning producer and Chairman of Beacon Pictures, Armyan
Bernstein and seven-time Emmy winner and producer of six Olympic Games, Terry Jastrow. The
tryouts, practices and Game #1 in Los Angeles are conducted in partnership with the LA Department of
Recreation and Parks.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa even got into
The People’s Games spirit, participating in friendly banter with their own predictions on which city will
experience the thrill of victory. “For my friend Mayor Bloomberg in New York City, I’d like to say I’m
sorry but you are about to finish second in a two city event,” said Mayor Villaraigosa in an on-camera
interview. Mayor Bloomberg responded via Twitter, saying, “I’ll take talent from Rucker Park or West
4th Street Cage over LA, any day of the week.”

The People’s Games are open to current residents of the city, who are 18 or older, and who have
never played professionally in the sport for which they are trying out. The following competitors where
selected through neighborhood tryouts held throughout the month of March, and team practices in
April.

TEAM NEW YORK CITY:

Muhammad Abdul, Brooklyn, Guard, 26 years old
Daniel Alotta, Queens, Guard, 35
Justin Bright, Brooklyn, Guard, 24
Kareem
Corprew, Brooklyn, Forward, 22
Ronald Grant, Bronx, Guard, 32
Richard Letren, Brooklyn, Center, 32
Evander Little, Brooklyn, Guard, 24
Evan Majzner, Manhattan, Guard, 28
Majestic Mapp, Bronx, Guard, 29
Emmanuel Martinez, Brooklyn, Forward, 29
Junior Mitchell, Brooklyn, Guard, 24
Irving Moses, Manhattan, Guard, 28
Eric Patterson, Bronx, Guard, 21
Roman Perez, Brooklyn, Guard, 24
Omari Phipps, Queens, Forward, 26
Nygel Roach, Manhattan, Guard, 26
Alanzo Robinson, Brooklyn, Guard, 23
Banri Takenouchi, Manhattan, Guard, 31
Herman Vanegas, Queens, Forward, 34
Samuel
Wallace Jr., Brooklyn, Center, 25
Durell Watson, Brooklyn, Guard, 26

TEAM LOS ANGELES:
Jason Anderson South Central, Guard, 24 years old,
Shane Chase, West LA, Forward, 26,
Rashaun Ellis, Wilshire, Forward, 33,
Julius English, Sun Valley, Guard, 39,
Matisse Gaillard, Brentwood, Guard, 21,
Nick Gaillard, Brentwood, Guard, 27,

CJ Johnson, Mid City, Guard, 25

Donald Lee, View Park/Winsor Hills, Forward/Center, 24
Imani Mackie, Crenshaw, Center, 25
Tim McGrath, Westchester, Guard, 24
Jason Pruitt, South Central, Guard, 21
Franklin Session, Watts, Guard, 22
Giyoh Shey, Westlake, Guard, 23
Mahershal Simonet, Westmont, Guard, 25
LaCurtis Sumlim III, Jefferson, Forward, 24
Darrel Tripp, Baldwin Hills, Forward, 23
Joe Udeoji, South Central, Forward, 24
Tarron Williams, South LA, Forward/Center, 33

Battle for Big City Sports Supremacy Starts Off With Basketball Competition Coached By Local Legends ‚”Earl the Pearl‚” Monroe and Lucius Allen.

New York, NY & Los Angeles, CA, March 2, 2011 – Those who have dreamed of representing their city in athletic competition now have a once in a lifetime chance at sports stardom. Organizers today announced The People’s Games, a new sports concept that offers athletes the opportunity to represent their cities in competition against other US cities in a battle to prove which city has the best athletes in various sports.  The program will launch with a basketball competition and will be played at local venues with local sports legends as team coaches.

The People’s Games will tip-off Sunday, March 13th with basketball tryouts throughout New York City and Los Angeles, followed by a ‚”best of three‚” finals series in early May.  Home court advantage will be determined by a ceremonial coin-toss.  Participants can register for tryouts at www.PeoplesGames.com (or call 800-TPG-3098).  The public will also be able to help select their city’s team, participate in a variety of social events surrounding the games, and watch key action from the competition on this site.

New York Knicks legend ‚”Earl the Pearl‚” Monroe will coach New York’s team, and former UCLA great Lucius Allen, who played on John Wooden’s National Championship teams and later for the Lakers, will coach the L.A. team.

The People’s Games will be conducted in partnership with the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation & Parks and in coordination with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.  A portion of the proceeds from The People’s Games will be donated to the local recreation and parks departments in participating cities.  In the future, The People’s Games intends to announce additional competitive platforms and participating cities.

Armyan Bernstein, award-winning producer and Chairman of Beacon Pictures, is the Founder and Chairman of The People’s Games.  Terry Jastrow, seven-time Emmy Award winner, who has produced and directed six Olympic Games, is the Commissioner and Executive Producer of The People’s Games.

‚”We believe there are great athletes out there who, for one reason or another, never got a chance to have their moment in the spotlight,‚” says Bernstein.  ‚”This is the opportunity for them to play for their families, communities and cities.  They are playing for the love of the game rather than personal glory and will come from every walk of life.  All that matters is that they got game!‚”

Terry Jastrow adds, ‚”What compels me most about The People’s Games is the human drama of athletic competition, the common man or woman in pursuit of their dreams.   As people learn more about the Games, we believe that there will be a groundswell of excitement to participate and cheer on their friends and neighbors. ‚”

Unlike professional sports where star players rarely come from the city they play for, participants in The People’s Games must be a resident of the city they are representing, 18 years of age or older, and have no professional experience. Competitors will be selected through neighborhood tryouts to create teams which reflect the heart and soul of the city.

Open tryouts will begin at various locations on Sunday, March 13.  New York City tryouts will take place in the following locations:

  • Bronx: St. Mary’s Recreation Center, 450 St. Ann’s Avenue, Bronx, NY 10454
  • Brooklyn: St. John’s Recreation Center, 1251 Prospect Place, Brooklyn, NY 11213
  • Manhattan & Staten Island: Alfred E. Smith Recreation Center, 80 Catherine Street, New York, NY 10038
  • Queens: Al Oerter Recreation Center, 131-40 Fowler Avenue, Flushing, NY 11355

Los Angeles City tryouts will take place in the following locations:

  • Balboa Sports Complex: 17015 Burbank Blvd., Encino, CA 91316
  • EXPO Center: 3980 S. Menlo Ave.,  Los Angeles, CA 90037
  • Normandale Recreation Center: 22400 Halldale Ave., Torrance, CA 90501
  • Pan Pacific Recreation Center: 7600 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036
  • Pecan Recreation Center: 145 S. Pecan St.,  Los Angeles, CA 90033
  • Westwood Recreation Complex: 1350 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025

For detailed explanation regarding the tryouts and team selection process, visit www.PeoplesGames.com.  Final team New York City and Los Angeles rosters will be announced at the end of March.

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