Diamond Sports is now the official scholarship sponsor of The American Legion Baseball All-Academic Team.
The American Legion’s long-standing relationship with Diamond Sports is moving beyond baseball merchandise. For the next three years, Diamond will be the official scholarship sponsor of The American Legion Baseball All-Academic Team.
Diamond Sports Co., Inc., is a leading manufacturer in baseball, softball and football merchandise, and is the official baseball used during Legion national tournaments. The agreement between the two organizations involves Diamond providing $25,000 in scholarship funds for the nine-player All-Academic Team, beginning with the 2012 season.
Before a player can receive an opportunity to be a part of the All-Academic Team, he or she must complete the Legion Baseball Scholarship form and be nominated by a team manager or head coach from their American Legion post-affiliated team. Players not sponsored by a Legion post are ineligible for the scholarship. Additionally, in adherence to National Collegiate Athletic Association rules, nominated players must have graduated from high school and have been accepted into a college for the upcoming fall semester. However, players do not need to play college baseball to be eligible for this scholarship.
All eligible applicants can download the Legion Baseball Scholarship form here. It must be completed and submitted to their respective American Legion state department headquarters no later than July 16.
Each state department’s baseball committee will review the submitted applications and select an overall state winner to receive a $500 scholarship from the Legion and a chance to be a part of the All-Academic Team. The 50 state-winning applications must be submitted to National Headquarters no later than Aug. 8.
The selected state applicants will be reviewed during the 2012 World Series in Shelby, N.C., by a scholarship committee comprised of Legionnaires and Diamond representatives. The committee will choose a player from each of the eight Legion Baseball regions to be a part of the All-Academic Team and to receive a $2,500 scholarship. Also, an overall top academic player will be named the team captain and awarded a $5,000 scholarship.
The 2012 American Legion Baseball All-Academic Team, sponsored by Diamond Sports, will be announced during the Legion World Series on Aug. 20 at Keeter Stadium in Shelby.
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