TULSA, Okla. (March 1, 2021) – Major League Fishing, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced today the multi-year extension of a sponsorship agreement with Wiley X®, one of the most trusted brands in the world for safety eyewear and high-performance sunglasses, offering premium protection and superb visual clarity, both on and off the water.
The continued sponsorship names Wiley X as the Official Sunglass Provider of the MLF BIG5, as well as the presenting sponsor of the 2021 Wiley X College Faceoff events and the title sponsor of the 2021 Wiley X High School Fishing Camp – the ultimate summer camp for serious high school anglers, their parents, boat captains and coaches. Complete details for the summer camp will be released in the spring of 2021.
“As a company, and as fans ourselves, we are excited to continue to engage in these great competitive events with our premium fishing sunglasses,” said Ray T. Hill IV, Vice President of Retail Sales at Wiley X. “Whether it’s pros, collegiate anglers or high school up-and-comers wanting that additional edge for success, Wiley X sunglasses bring an unmatched level of polarization and protection that can be that key differentiator, especially with our new CAPTIVATE™ polarized color enhancing lenses.”
Wiley X officially signed on as the Official Sunglass Provider of the MLF BIG5 in 2020, but their sponsorship with the MLF dates back to 2013.
“Wiley X has been a valued sponsor of Major League Fishing for the past eight years and we are thrilled to continue to build on our relationship with them across MLF and the MLF BIG5,” said Jim Wilburn, MLF President and CEO. “The opportunity to bring the MLF SCORETRACKER to collegiate anglers across the nation through the Wiley X College Faceoff events benefits both companies and is going to be a massive hit when those young anglers feel the excitement and thrill of competing in the MLF format.”
The Wiley X College Faceoffs – originally launched in 2019 – are single-day tournaments in a four-event series where competitors will fish in an MLF-style catch, weigh, immediate-release format at each event. The College Faceoff tournaments will occur the Saturday following an Abu Garcia College Fishing competition, on the same body of water. The results from the College Fishing tournament the previous day will determine the 20 competitors for the Wiley X College Faceoff, with the top two teams (four anglers) from the top five schools in the regular season tournament qualifying to fish in the ten-boat faceoff the following day.
Coverage will be provided for each Wiley X College Faceoff at MajorLeagueFishing.com and on MLF social media outlets, including interviews and a trophy presentation for top finishers. Top individual teams will be recognized, and the school with the highest total combined weight from their two participating teams will be crowned the Wiley X Faceoff Champion.
2021 Wiley X College Faceoff Schedule:
April 24: Lake Guntersville, Guntersville, Ala.
- Qualifying tournament: Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI at Lake Guntersville, April 23
- Qualifying tournament: Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI at Lake O’ the Pines, June 11
- Qualifying tournament: Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI at Mississippi River, July 30
- Qualifying tournament: Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI at Detroit River, August 20
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI on MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
About MLF BIG5
MLF BIG5 is part of MLF, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization. It provides anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money across five tournament circuits featuring a five-biggest-fish format. Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with offices in Benton, Kentucky, MLF and its partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Zimbabwe.
MLF tournaments are broadcast on Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, MyOutdoorTV, Discovery and CBS Sports while MLF Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros to the world’s most avid bass anglers.
