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2022 Cricket Celebration Bowl: Showcasing the Rich Legacy and Culture of HBCUs, On and Off the Field
 
What’s the news? Cricket Wireless is teaming with ESPN Sports to bring the 2022 Cricket Celebration Bowl to its hometown of Atlanta. This is Cricket’s second year as title sponsor. This year, we’ll see the North Carolina Central Eagles, champion of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), and the Jackson State Tigers, champion of the Southwestern Atlantic Conference (SWAC), battle it out on Saturday, December 17 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium; kick off is noon EST. The Cricket Celebration Bowl will also air on ABC.

Cricket will provide more than 300 Celebration Bowl tickets to Boys & Girls Club youth across Atlanta. The hope is that the experience will make a lasting impression and perhaps spark their interest in attending an HBCU one day.

Why does it matter? The MEAC and SWAC are the two NCAA Division 1 conferences representing Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). While this year’s Celebration Bowl is sure to be a great game, Cricket is equally proud and excited about the relationships we continue to build within the HBCU community beyond gameday:
 
  • Through our Campus Ambassador Program, we’re helping HBCU students gain experience working for Cricket by developing and executing marketing plans on their campuses with support from local Cricket leaders and our authorized retailers. Our best ambassadors have benefitted with post-graduation opportunities with Cricket and our supporting partners.
 
  • The National Battle of the Bands is a showcase of soulful sounds from HBCU marching bands. Cricket donated a total of $184,000 in funding to support the music programs at the eight HBCU schools that competed in the 2022 showcase: Alabama A&M University, Alcorn State University, Bethune Cookman University, Grambling State University, Kentucky State University, North Carolina A&T State University, Prairie View A&M University and Southern University. 
 
  • Throughout the 2022 football season, Cricket hosted eleven Trophy Tours at MEAC, SWAC and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) games.
 
  • Beyond our national sponsorships, Cricket also supports HBCUs on the local level. Through separate agreements with MEAC, SWAC and SIAC, we set up local activations to promote Cricket services on campuses during football or basketball games. Also, the sponsorship dollars paid to the conferences go towards HBCU member schools at the end of the year.

What we’re saying? “Creating meaningful and lasting connections within our local communities is the cornerstone of who we are and what we do at Cricket Wireless,” said John Dwyer, President of Cricket Wireless. “We’re proud of our ongoing collaborations with ESPN Events and both conferences, as well as our campus ambassador program. These initiatives give us the opportunity to highlight HBCU excellence.”

About Cricket Wireless
Cricket is focused on inspiring smiles, one meaningful connection at a time. We offer an easy and high-quality wireless experience on our reliable nationwide 5G network. Our affordable, straightforward service plans include monthly taxes and don’t require an annual contract. Our customers also enjoy access to top-brand phones at affordable prices. Based on net adds in Q3 2022, AT&T has the fastest growing prepaid portfolio—which includes Cricket Wireless. This is the fourth consecutive year where more customers chose Cricket Wireless or AT&T PREPAID than any other prepaid provider in the United States.

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