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Finish Line Brings Back College Hoops Bracket Challenge

March 9, 2017

Finish Line Brings Back College Hoops Bracket Challenge

Retailer ups the ante with a fresh take, adds “Second Chance Bracket”

Athletic retailer The Finish Line, Inc. (NASDAQ: FINL) will jump into the men’s college basketball tournament frenzy with its revamped bracket challenge. Joining the spirited conversation that the tourney brings, the Finish Line Bracket Challenge will offer participants the chance to win up to $5,000 by selecting winning teams this March and encourage engagement on the company’s social accounts.

“With college hoops and all the hype around it in March, our customers will be at the center of every important moment during the tournament,” said Paul Diehl, senior director of content, social and consumer trends at Finish Line. “We will drive conversation with relevant content that aligns with what our core consumers value. We also sweetened our bracket challenge this year with a new second chance incentive.”

Alongside Finish Line’s primary bracket challenge, fans will have the opportunity to participate in the retailer’s “Second Chance Bracket.” The new challenge allows participants with busted brackets to reenter the competition at the Sweet Sixteen round with a brand new selection of teams and the chance to win $1,000. Finish Line will also award one Winner’s Circle member $1,000 for participating in the primary challenge, as well as supply gift cards to the 2^nd through 50^th place primary bracket challenge finishers. Participants may track their progress for the duration of the tournament with a real-time leaderboard on the challenge’s website.

Finish Line will also deliver timely content on social media by integrating customer quotes with photos and statistics from the tournament. The retailer plans to surprise some participants by hooking them up with the latest gear throughout the challenge, awarding them for participating and freshening up some of the frustration that comes with busted brackets. Additionally, the retailer will celebrate the tournament in-store by utilizing digital display screens and loading them with real-time, geo-targeted team results in the cities of competing teams.

Customers can register online and make their team selections at finishlinebracket.com from March 12 - March 16 for the initial challenge and see the complete list of rules. Information about the second chance bracket will be announced on the retailer’s social accounts following the start of the tournament.

About The Finish Line, Inc.

The Finish Line, Inc. is a premium retailer of athletic shoes, apparel and accessories. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Finish Line has approximately 970 Finish Line branded locations primarily in U.S. malls and shops inside Macy’s department stores and employs more than 14,000 sneakerologists who help customers every day connect with their sport, their life and their style. Online shopping is available at www.finishline.com and www.macys.com. Mobile shopping is available at m.finishline.com. Follow Finish Line on Twitter at Twitter.com/FinishLine or Twitter.com/FinishLineNews and “like” Finish Line on Facebook at Facebook.com/FinishLine. Track loyalty points and find store and product information with the free Finish Line app downloadable for iOS and Android customers.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes statements that are or may be considered "forward-looking" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of words or phrases such as "believe," "expect," "future," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "foresee," "may," "should," "will," "estimates," "outlook," "potential," "optimistic," "confidence," "continue," "evolve," "expand," "growth" or words and phrases of similar meaning. Statements that describe objectives, plans or goals also are forward-looking statements.

All of these forward-looking statements are subject to risks, management assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the relevant forward-looking statements. The principal risk factors that could cause actual performance and future actions to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the company's reliance on a few key vendors for a majority of its merchandise purchases (including a significant portion from one key vendor); the availability and timely receipt of products; the ability to timely fulfill and ship products to customers; fluctuations in oil prices causing changes in gasoline and energy prices, resulting in changes in consumer spending as well as increases in utility, freight and product costs; product demand and market acceptance risks; deterioration of macroeconomic and business conditions; the inability to locate and obtain or retain acceptable lease terms for the company's stores; the effect of competitive products and pricing; loss of key employees; execution of strategic growth initiatives (including actual and potential mergers and acquisitions and other components of the company's capital allocation strategy); cybersecurity risks, including breach of customer data; a major failure of technology and information systems; risks associated with any strategic alternatives carried out with respect to JackRabbit, including any sale or similar transaction; and the other risks detailed in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Readers are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included herein are made only as of the date of this report and Finish Line undertakes no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.