Golden Nuggets: Kabam's Chou has close ties with "alma mater he loves"

Details from the Kabam-Cal press conference. This is like a wedding, but with even more tears of joy!

By Leland Wong Dec 8, 2013, 3:00am PST

While Cal fans are mixed on the deal to name the field at California Memorial Stadium, one positive is the number of deep Cal ties throughout the Kabam team.

"This is a great Cal story," athletic director Sandy Barbour said. "This is business, but this is personal, too."

For [Kabam co-founder and Cal alumnus Kevin] Chou, it's a commitment made partly with his heart.

"I can't imagine a closer tie that a CEO can have with the alma mater he loves," Chou said.

Kabam has also pledged a number of contributions to benefit the Cal community:

The agreement also involves initiatives that include Kabam offering scholarships to Cal students working in technology or innovation, internships to Cal students and student-athletes and creating an interactive technology zone at the stadium.

Kabam also pledged to bring 500 military veterans and their families to Cal football games each year.

And to give you an idea of the financial magnitude of this deal:

Field-only naming deals still are fairly rare in collegiate sports, and Cal's is the richest on a per-year basis. Cal will earn about $1.2 million on average per year, more than Maryland's Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium ($800,000) or Akron's Summa Field and InfoCision Stadium ($250,000).

Let's just make sure Chou does a better job of attending games from now on...

Full footage of the press conference announcing the partnership between Cal and Kabam can be seen below.