Multi-year partnership kicks off this month
PLANO, Texas (January 29, 2020) – Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) announced today a formal sponsorship of Major League Fishing (MLF), professional bass fishing’s newest premier tournament organization, and home to Team Toyota professional anglers Mike Iaconelli, Terry Scroggins, Kevin VanDam, and Jacob Wheeler. The partnership includes Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, as title sponsor of the Toyota Series.
The partnership further solidifies Toyota’s on-going commitment to anglers and their families who depend on Toyota to tow boats safely to their favorite boat ramp — whether competing in tournaments, or simply pursuing their weekend passion for fishing like more than 30 million other angling Americans.
“Partnering with Major League Fishing not only allows Toyota to show continued support of our pro angling team but support the entire bass fishing community, from youth programs to the big leagues, in the pursuit of their passions,” said Matt Ozawa, engagement marketing manager, Toyota Motor North America.
Toyota’s support of Major League Fishing soundly showcases the Texas-based automotive manufacturer’s heartfelt commitment to building reliable vehicles that help people enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle. However, the company’s support of bass fishing is not limited to tournament organization sponsorship, but also includes the popular Toyota Bonus Bucks program, as well as their support of youth fishing.
As the official vehicle of MLF and FLW, Toyota will host interactive fan events at upcoming bass fishing tournaments throughout the 2020 season. From behind-the-scenes to live broadcasts, and angler interviews, tips and more, check out all the action at 2020 MLF Bass Pro Tour.
“I’m excited to welcome Toyota into the MLF family,” remarked John Acosta, Vice President, Marketing and Business Development for Major League Fishing. “Through this comprehensive, multi-year deal, Toyota continues its rich history of supporting the outdoors, now leveraging MLF’s highly rated media platforms and angler-centric tournament trails to further position Toyota as a catalyst for growth in the sport of competitive bass fishing.”
“10 years ago, we had this crazy idea to expand the sport of competitive bass fishing,” reflected Jim Wilburn, President and CEO, Major League Fishing. “As the longest national sponsor in competitive bass fishing, it’s an honor to add Toyota to our sponsor roster. Their investment in MLF and FLW validates our goals as a fan-friendly, angler-centric league on a mission to get more people at all levels to go fishing.”
About Major League Fishing
Founded in 2011, Major League Fishing (MLF) brings the high-intensity sport of competitive bass fishing into America’s living rooms through the highest-rated programming in fishing on Outdoor Channel, Discovery, CBS, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, Sportsman Channel, and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). The Bass Pro Tour consists of eight events and a championship streamed live on www.MajorLeagueFishing.com and MOTV. In late 2019 MLF acquired FLW, expanding their portfolio to include the world’s largest grassroots fishing organization.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 38 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold 2.8 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.