Public Enemy, De La Soul Gives Big Ten Basketball Some Flava

PARK RIDGE, Ill. - The Big Ten Conference will debut this week its new basketball public service announcements (PSAs) entitled, Big Ten Soundtrack. The PSAs feature musical backdrops by well-known artists Public Enemy and De La Soul as well as the contemporary, soulful music of JJ Grey and Mofro. The musical anthems were chosen for their cross-generational appeal and ability to showcase the best of Big Ten basketball, while recognizing the vast and diverse audience of Big Ten fans.

The Big Ten men's basketball PSA, Give it Up, is set against the backdrop of Public Enemy's 1994 hit by the same name, also featuring the narration of Chuck D. The spot highlights the energy, excitement and derivation of the passing game, as well as high-flying action and unselfish play from Big Ten basketball student-athletes over the past several decades. The PSA will air nationally for the first time on Saturday, Dec. 12, during the Kentucky at Indiana game, broadcast on CBS Sports. The spot will also be shown later on the Big Ten Network and ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.



The second men's basketball PSA, Magic Number, debuts later this month and features an exclusive remix of De La Soul's The Magic Number. The PSA ties together players and action from different generations through their link to "the magic number" three. The spot includes celebrations of buzzer-beating three-pointers and electrifying plays by Big Ten basketball players wearing the number three.

The new Big Ten women's basketball PSA, entitled I Believe, will debut Sunday, Dec. 6, on the first day of the women's conference schedule. The inspirational and powerful lyrics of this JJ Grey and Mofro song of the same name, combined with storytelling photos of current student-athletes and one-word attributes, illuminate the best of Big Ten women's basketball. The spot will air on the Big Ten Network, CBS Sports and ESPN/ESPN2 throughout the 2009-10 season.

The Big Ten Soundtrack PSAs are part of the Big Ten's thematic, "Big Life. Big Stage. Big Ten." that was introduced last year. The spots can be found online at www.bigten.org and at www.youtube.com/bigtenconference,

The campaigns and PSAs were created and produced by Chicago-based TeamWorks Media.