New Sponsorship Throws Go Daddy into “Toughest Sport on Earth”

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Go Daddy’s newest venture into professional sports sponsorships is with the dangerous and fast-paced Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR). The leading domain name registrar and Web hosting provider also has sponsorships in NASCAR and IndyCar.

“It’s about as American as any sport there is – and it takes nerve. These professional riders are as tough as any athlete in the world. They’re edgy too, and we like that.”

Professional bull riding is an emerging sport that tests riders who attempt to stay mounted for at least eight seconds while a big, brazen bull bucks wildly. According to PBR, more than 100 million viewers tune in each year to watch these intense competitions.

During the GoDaddy.com Invitational, a two-day competition at the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore., held this weekend, 40 of the world’s toughest bull riders will test their skills for a chance to compete in the 2009 World Finals in Las Vegas, Nev.

Prior to the GoDaddy.com Invitational, PBR member Cody Ford is set to join GoDaddy.com CEO and Founder Bob Parsons on www.RadioGoDaddy.com for today’s show at 2 p.m. PDT. Ford, an Oregon Cowboy, has been bull riding since he was 12. He earned not only his first PBR event title in 2009 at the Glendale Invitational in Glendale, Ariz., this past February, but he recently claimed his second career title at the Jack Daniel’s Invitational in Nashville, Tenn., last month.

“Bull riding use to be a niche sport, but it’s quickly growing into a big league event,” said Parsons. “It’s about as American as any sport there is – and it takes nerve. These professional riders are as tough as any athlete in the world. They’re edgy too, and we like that.”

The GoDaddy.com Invitational sponsorship deal with PBR includes Go Daddy branding on everything from venue banners to the actual chute gates. It will also feature another one of the company’s new sponsorship endeavors – Go Daddy Girl, Erin Kalin, who is set to perform the National Anthem both days. Other GoDaddy.com spokespeople compete in professional golf and poker.

Parsons frequently comments on his video blog, www.BobParsons.me, about the value of increasing advertising budgets during a time when other companies are cutting back. PBR joins the growing list of professional sports that GoDaddy.com sponsors, along with several NASCAR races, the Indianapolis 500 broadcast and television advertising in professional hockey, baseball and football.

To learn how you can easily launch your own Web site without spending too much money, visit www.GoDaddy.com.

To hear Bob Parsons interview Cody Ford live, tune in to www.RadioGoDaddy.com today at 2 p.m. PDT, or listen “on demand” anytime after the show.

The Professional Bull Riders circuit is comprised of three levels. This weekend’s GoDaddy.com Invitational is part of the elite Built Ford Tough Series, the highest level of competition. For more about Professional Bull Riders, Inc., visit www.pbrnow.com.

About The Go Daddy Group, Inc.

Go Daddy is a leading provider of services that enable individuals and businesses to establish, maintain and evolve an online presence. Go Daddy provides a variety of domain name registration plans and Web site design and hosting packages, as well as a broad array of on-demand services. These include products such as SSL Certificates, Domains by Proxy private registration, ecommerce Web site hosting, blog templates and blog software, podcast packages and online photo hosting. The Go Daddy Group, Inc., has more than 36 million domain names under management. Go Daddy registers, renews or transfers a domain name every second. GoDaddy.com is the world's No. 1 domain name registrar, according to Name Intelligence, Inc. GoDaddy.com is also rated the world’s largest hostname provider, according to Netcraft Ltd. During 2008, The Go Daddy Group registered more than one-third of all new domain names created in the top six generic top-level domains, or gTLDs, including .com, .net, .org, .info, .biz and .mobi.

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