University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Join Players Era Men’s Championship Field
February 06, 2025 | Men's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Players Era, an EverWonder Studio company, announced Thursday the University of Tennessee men's basketball team is the latest national powerhouse program to join the field for the 2025 Players Era Men's Championship in Las Vegas.
With the addition of the fourth-ranked Volunteers, next year's Players Era Men's Championship is shaping up to be the most competitive men's in-season tournament ever put together. The loaded field now features 13 teams either currently ranked or receiving votes in the latest AP Poll, including four of the top five.
The Volunteers are scheduled to take part in the elite event, held each year in Las Vegas, in 2025, 2026 and 2027.
"Tennessee is an exceptional program with one of the best coaches in college basketball. Adding them to the Players Era Men's Championship field for the next three seasons strengthens our field and elevates the unrivaled level of competition," Players ERA CEO Seth Berger said. "Thanks to Coach Barnes for his support and commitment to Players Era. We are looking forward to seeing them compete for an SEC and NCAA title this year, and can't wait to see them in Las Vegas next November."
"Our program is thrilled to join the Players Era Men's Championship field. This is a tremendous event featuring some of the very best teams in the sport, at a destination location," Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said. "We always try to test ourselves during non-conference play and it is hard to find a better way to do that than through this tournament. It will help prepare us for the rigors of SEC competition and will serve as an excellent experience for our student-athletes."
Tennessee joins Kansas and Auburn as the latest entrants to the 2025 field. The trio joins the eight teams that played in the inaugural tournament (Alabama, Creighton, Houston, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, San Diego State and Texas A&M) and seven other previously committed teams (Baylor, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Michigan, St. Joseph's, St. John's and Syracuse).
To create a first-of-its-kind men's college basketball showcase, the 2025 Players Era Men's Championship will debut an entirely new format that combines international style-group play with championship matchups. The result will be an unmatched competitive environment where every second of every game counts and the championship matchups deliver high level games with a postseason feel.
The groundbreaking Players Era Festival launched this past fall, with games played at MGM Grand Garden Arena and distributed on TNT Sports. Next year's men's championship will again coincide with the opportunity for athletes on each team to engage in at least $1 million of NIL activities for Players Era and its sponsors outside of competition. Publicis Sports, the dedicated U.S. sports practice within Publicis Media, will continue to partner with EverWonder and the Players Era Men's Championship to help secure new advertising and sponsorship partners for the tournament.
About EverWonder Studio
EverWonder Studio is a best-in-class content studio and production company across Documentary, Live, Experiential and Brand Partnerships, led by multi-Emmy-winning producers and executives CEO Ian Orefice (TIME Studios) and President Mike Antinoro (Film 45, Dick Clark Productions) and backed by legendary media executive Jeff Zucker (CNN, NBCUniversal) and RedBird IMI. The studio's focus is on nonfiction subjects with worldwide appeal, transforming them into entertainment that has purpose and impact, and then expanding those projects as businesses across platforms, screens, and experiences. With projects that span sports, culture, and global affairs, EverWonder creates meaningful entertainment that sparks the imaginations of people around the world.
The studio has signed a first look deal with producer Bryan Zuriff and his company BZ Entertainment (The Match on TNT Sports, The Netflix Cup), created the EverWonder Live division, announced an investment in Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour director Sam Wrench to launch a new production company Next of Kin Content, and teamed with Charles Barkley to launch global production company Round Mound Media.
With the addition of the fourth-ranked Volunteers, next year's Players Era Men's Championship is shaping up to be the most competitive men's in-season tournament ever put together. The loaded field now features 13 teams either currently ranked or receiving votes in the latest AP Poll, including four of the top five.
The Volunteers are scheduled to take part in the elite event, held each year in Las Vegas, in 2025, 2026 and 2027.
"Tennessee is an exceptional program with one of the best coaches in college basketball. Adding them to the Players Era Men's Championship field for the next three seasons strengthens our field and elevates the unrivaled level of competition," Players ERA CEO Seth Berger said. "Thanks to Coach Barnes for his support and commitment to Players Era. We are looking forward to seeing them compete for an SEC and NCAA title this year, and can't wait to see them in Las Vegas next November."
"Our program is thrilled to join the Players Era Men's Championship field. This is a tremendous event featuring some of the very best teams in the sport, at a destination location," Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said. "We always try to test ourselves during non-conference play and it is hard to find a better way to do that than through this tournament. It will help prepare us for the rigors of SEC competition and will serve as an excellent experience for our student-athletes."
Tennessee joins Kansas and Auburn as the latest entrants to the 2025 field. The trio joins the eight teams that played in the inaugural tournament (Alabama, Creighton, Houston, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, San Diego State and Texas A&M) and seven other previously committed teams (Baylor, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Michigan, St. Joseph's, St. John's and Syracuse).
To create a first-of-its-kind men's college basketball showcase, the 2025 Players Era Men's Championship will debut an entirely new format that combines international style-group play with championship matchups. The result will be an unmatched competitive environment where every second of every game counts and the championship matchups deliver high level games with a postseason feel.
The groundbreaking Players Era Festival launched this past fall, with games played at MGM Grand Garden Arena and distributed on TNT Sports. Next year's men's championship will again coincide with the opportunity for athletes on each team to engage in at least $1 million of NIL activities for Players Era and its sponsors outside of competition. Publicis Sports, the dedicated U.S. sports practice within Publicis Media, will continue to partner with EverWonder and the Players Era Men's Championship to help secure new advertising and sponsorship partners for the tournament.
About EverWonder Studio
EverWonder Studio is a best-in-class content studio and production company across Documentary, Live, Experiential and Brand Partnerships, led by multi-Emmy-winning producers and executives CEO Ian Orefice (TIME Studios) and President Mike Antinoro (Film 45, Dick Clark Productions) and backed by legendary media executive Jeff Zucker (CNN, NBCUniversal) and RedBird IMI. The studio's focus is on nonfiction subjects with worldwide appeal, transforming them into entertainment that has purpose and impact, and then expanding those projects as businesses across platforms, screens, and experiences. With projects that span sports, culture, and global affairs, EverWonder creates meaningful entertainment that sparks the imaginations of people around the world.
The studio has signed a first look deal with producer Bryan Zuriff and his company BZ Entertainment (The Match on TNT Sports, The Netflix Cup), created the EverWonder Live division, announced an investment in Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour director Sam Wrench to launch a new production company Next of Kin Content, and teamed with Charles Barkley to launch global production company Round Mound Media.
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