Cricket Communications and Professional Bull Riders, Inc. Bring Fans Closer to the Action

SAN DIEGO — Cricket Communications, a leading provider of innovative and value-driven wireless services, today announced a multi-city partnership with Professional Bull Riders, Inc. to provide a great fan experience at bull riding competitions across the country.

Cricket customers in select cities will have the opportunity to participate in rider meet-and-greets and special Fan Zones while also getting great offers on select Cricket phones and accessories. The following cities on the nationally-televised "PBR Built Ford Tough Series" will be participating:

Albuquerque, NM (March 23-25)
Kansas City, MO (March 31 – April 1)
Boise, ID (May 11-12)
Pueblo, CO (May 18-20)
Las Vegas, NV (October 24-28)

"Over the past number of months the PBR has watched Cricket Communications expand their marketing initiatives and reach," said PBR CEO Jim Haworth. "Cricket examined the marketplace and found the PBR and our Built Ford Tough Series in key cities to be a solid marketing and media platform to reach current and potential customers. We look forward to partnering with Cricket and bringing the best the PBR has to offer to their subscribers and our fan base."

Families and fans will also be able to stop by the Cricket Wireless booth for giveaways, prizes and information about some of the best deals on Cricket's exclusive smartphone offerings.

"Cricket Wireless is excited to be part of such a fast-paced and family-friendly event," said Annette Jacobs, president, West Area for Cricket Communications. "We are happy to give our customers the chance to interact with their favorite riders and to also provide them with an opportunity to learn more about what Cricket has to offer."

The BFTS opened on Jan. 6-8 with capacity crowds at Madison Square Garden in New York, and will make 28 stops in 23 states before the Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas on Oct. 24-28, 2012. The World Finals are where the PBR World Champion will be crowned and awarded the coveted championship buckle and a $1 million bonus. The richest bull riding event in the world, the World Finals has a total purse of more than $2 million.

The BFTS is televised every week on CBS, CBS Sports Network, NBC, NBC Sports Network, and YouTube. BFTS telecasts are produced for the PBR under a multi-year agreement with David Neal Productions, a Los Angeles-based production company led by 34-time Emmy® Award winner and Peabody Award winner David Neal, who serves as an executive producer.

For more information about Cricket's devices, special promotions, and pre-paid service plans, visit a Cricket location near you, or visit www.mycricket.com. To follow Cricket's latest news and updates online, go to Facebook at www.facebook.com/cricketwireless and Twitter at twitter.com/cricketnation.

About Cricket
Cricket is the pioneer of simple and affordable unlimited wireless services with no long-term commitments or credit checks required serving more than 5.9 million customers. Cricket products are available nationwide. Cricket offers wireless voice and broadband Internet services over the latest technology, high-quality, all-digital 3G CDMA2000 1X and 1xEV-DO wireless network. Cricket's nationwide wireless voice service plans include unlimited anytime minutes, unlimited U.S. long distance, unlimited text and picture messaging, unlimited text to Mexico, unlimited Mobile Web, unlimited directory assistance, as well as a variety of calling features and feature-rich mobile applications such as popular games, ringtones and wallpapers. For more information on Cricket, visit www.mycricket.com. Cricket is offered by Leap Wireless International, Inc., headquartered in San Diego, Calif. For more information on Leap, visit www.leapwireless.com.

About the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR)
The PBR is the world's premier bull riding organization. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of the PBR. In just two decades, the dream of 20 bull riders has become a global sports phenomenon that is televised worldwide. More than 100 million viewers annually watch primetime PBR programming on networks around the world including CBS, CBS Sports Network, NBC, and NBC Sports Network. The PBR has awarded over $100 million in prize money and 24 riders have earned over $1 million, including Justin McBride with $5.5 million — the most of any western sports athlete in history. Nearly two million fans attend Built Ford Tough Series and Touring Pro Division events each year. For more information on the PBR, go to www.pbr.com, or follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TeamPBR and http://twitter.com/PBR

SOURCE Cricket Communications