ST. LOUIS — Saint Louis University Director of Athletics Chris May and Learfield Sports President and CEO Greg Brown today announced a multimedia rights partnership through 2020.

Saint Louis BillikensIt is the first time in school history that SLU is outsourcing its comprehensive athletics rights. The agreement includes the establishment of Billiken Sports Properties, which is led by General Manager John Sartorius. The rights affiliation also will be leveraged with Learfield Licensing Partners, a Learfield Sports company that represents SLU’s domestic licensing program.

“Clearly, this is an important step for our program, and we could not be happier to be aligned with Learfield Sports,” May said. “Learfield is a true leader in the industry and is highly regarded throughout the collegiate sports community with a strong local, regional and national presence. We look forward to teaming with Learfield to grow the Billiken athletic brand both in the corporate world and in merchandising. ”

Billiken Sports Properties will manage the comprehensive SLU athletics rights relationships including signage, sponsorships, corporate hospitality, event marketing, radio play-by-play and coaches’ shows, television and official athletic sponsorships on www.SLUBillikens.com. Learfield’s rights also include third-tier television rights for SLU men’s basketball games at Chaifetz Arena.

Sartorius has more than 20 years of sales and corporate partner experience. He served as associate general manager for Learfield at the University of Missouri and held executive roles at the Saint Louis Zoo, Anheuser-Busch Beer and Theme Park Divisions, and Ralston Purina.

“It is a privilege for us to assist Chris May and his team with enhancing the SLU athletics brand throughout the St. Louis area,” Brown said. “What a terrific opportunity for the Billikens to combine their multimedia rights, branding and licensing under one umbrella, and we’re honored to be selected for that responsibility.”

Learfield Sports now represents the multimedia rights agreements for four Atlantic 10 Conference schools, adding SLU to Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Duquesne. Learfield Licensing Partners has five agreements with A-10 schools – SLU, Richmond, Dayton, St. Bonaventure and Davidson.

Learfield Sports manages the multimedia rights for nearly 100 collegiate properties and has more than four decades of developing trusted relationships with some of the most revered institutions and associations in the world of college sports. It also titles the prestigious Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup with award co-founders NACDA and USA Today. To learn more about its history, job opportunities, and owned businesses in professional ticketing and concessions; licensing and trademark consulting; web solutions; and venue signage and technology, visit www.learfieldsports.com. To learn more about Learfield Licensing Partners, visit www.learfieldlicensing.com.