Folks, been caught up in a lot lately, but have not forgotten about you all. Now that the National Hockey League season is officially over, I can shave off the playoff beard and get back to busines. In the brief time I was away, I had the opportunity to attend game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals in Mellon Arena in my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA with a fraternity brother of mine. Unfortunately, the beloved Penguins lost that game and the series. Congratulations to Hockeytown and their Red Wings. The Pens have a lot of young talent and I beleive that this will not be their last run at hoisting the Cup. So, that explains my absence and while not as compelling as Tiff's, it was nonetheless enjoyable. But that is not what we are here to discuss today.
Today's topic is football. Not just any type of football, but Electronic Arts' NCAA College Football 2009 on your consoles and portables. That is right, time to hit the gridiron. The game will be great, no doubt. EA always steps up on this long running series and this year will be no exception.
What we have in club this year though, is nothing short of spectacular. Sam's Club will be the ONLY retailer to offer OFFICIAL EA alternative cover images. What does this mean to you? Well, if you are like me and NOT a Razorback fan (almost illegal here in Arkansas, I still will not to that "wooooo pig" thing), you can put an image from a selection of images on YOUR box front at no additional charge. For my family, that means ours will look like THIS:
It, just does not get any better than this! We can "Cheer, Cheer for old Notre Dame" right on the box! Other options will exist for customization. LSU, Ohio State and others will be available at the Club. We cannot have every mascot option available, for example, my alma mater, the Duquesne University "Iron Dukes" are not an option. That still leaves a lot of great choices for you as a fan. This option will exist in all of our clubs with a Photo Center, which is the vast majority of Sam's Clubs.
This was a cool project on which to work with Electronic Arts. Our local team of Kasey and Mark did a great job in making this happen. We appreciate their hard work in making your Member experience a little bit better and more exciting. So, time to put the Penguin hats away and break out the Fightin' Irish hats. We can all cheer for the teams we like. Many of us will be able to customize the games we love with the teams we love at Sam's Club. Look for it at Sam's Club on July 15th!
I have a few other announcements coming, but need to lock down a few details... Stay tuned!