Gloops to Title Sponsor MLB’s Japan Opening Series

March 20, 2012

Gloops, a Japanese company that develops and operates social applications for mobile phones, has been named the title sponsor for Major League Baseball’s Japan Opening Series on March 28 and 29, MLB announced on Monday.

The Gloops Japan Opening Series will feature the Mariners and A’s playing a two-game set in Tokyo.

“We are very excited to have Gloops as a title sponsor for Japan Opening Series 2012. Gloops is a popular Japanese company that develops Major League Baseball-themed gaming applications,” MLB senior vice president of international business operations Paul Archey said in a statement. “We look forward to working with Gloops on the highly anticipated opening of the 2012 MLB season in Japan.”

With the title sponsorship deal, the Gloops event logo will appear on both teams’ batting helmets, and the company also will sponsor Oakland’s jersey patch.

MLB Players Association director of business affairs Timothy Slavin said in a statement, said: “We are delighted to have Gloops join us in bringing Major League Baseball to the great fans of Japan. Gloops’ support for the sport is truly appreciated, as is the support of the Boeing Company and all the sponsors involved in helping us kick off the 2012 MLB season in Tokyo.”

Along with Gloops, The Boeing Company, the world’s leading aerospace company and a longtime corporate partner of the Mariners, will sponsor the patch on Seattle’s jerseys and a clinic for young ballplayers in Ishinomaki, Japan. A group of kids from the clinic will participate in a special pregame ceremony prior to the opening game.

Other corporations have reached sponsorship deals for the Gloops Japan Opening Series 2012, including Bank of America, Lawson Ticket, SANKYO, Sato Pharmaceutical and Ito Ham.

by Ismail Uddin