Buffalo Bills Reward Designated Drivers

PITTSFORD, NY–(Marketwire – July 30, 2010) – At Saturday’s training camp at St. John Fisher College, Buffalo Bills fans will have a unique opportunity to serve as spokespeople for responsible behavior. The Buffalo Bills, Delaware North Companies Sportservice, Anheuser-Busch, Pepsi and TEAM Coalition are partnering to educate fans about the importance of designating a driver and demonstrating positive fan behavior. The message is simple: “Bills Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk.”

A public service announcement (PSA) produced from the videos recorded Saturday will air throughout the 2010 season on the stadium’s video board and on local broadcast television. In addition, the video clips will be e-mailed to each participating fan so their moment of fame can be shared with friends, family and co-workers. Participants, along with other fans from across the National Football League who pledge to be designated drivers and demonstrate responsible behavior will have a chance to win valuable prizes at the end of the season as part of the ‘Responsibility Has Its Rewards’ sweepstakes offered by the NFL and TEAM Coalition. For more information about the ‘Responsibility Has Its Rewards’ sweepstakes, logon to www.rhir.org.

“Giving fans the opportunity to be the voice of the ‘Responsibility Has Its Rewards’ campaign personalizes the ‘Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk’ message. Teamwork is exactly what this campaign is all about,” said Jill Pepper, Executive Director of the TEAM Coalition. Pepper also noted that through this program the Buffalo Bills, Delaware North Companies Sportservice, Anheuser-Busch and Pepsi are demonstrating that everyone — including fans — plays an important role in alcohol management.

The designated-driver program is one of several components of the alcohol management plan at Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills. In addition, alcohol management training for the employees of all companies operating in the building including the Buffalo Bills and Sportservice gives employees the skills to observe fan behavior and serve alcohol beverages in compliance with local laws and in a manner designed to encourage responsible consumption. Alcohol service policies are enforced to ensure only fans of legal drinking age are served alcohol beverages. These combined efforts represent an alcohol management plan in which the fans, stadium employees, corporate sponsors, and team representatives are all working toward common goals — promoting responsible drinking, positive fan behavior and traffic safety.

“Sobriety is no accident,” said Sportservice President Rick Abramson. “That’s why we work closely with our clients to strongly promote and advocate that fans make responsible decisions when it comes to alcohol and to take appropriate action, including declining to serve them, when they do not. The designated driver program is an important component of the alcohol management program at Ralph Wilson Stadium.”

“Tying ‘Responsibility Has Its Rewards’ to our season-long Budweiser ‘Good Sport’ program makes for a winning combination,” said Kathy Casso, Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility for Anheuser-Busch. “We’re pleased to work with the Buffalo Bills, TEAM and the other program partners to recognize fans who look out for each other and make a designated driver part of their game plans. When it comes to preventing drunk driving, we’re all part of the team.”

The designated-driver program is a key component of the responsibility initiatives that TEAM Coalition — an alliance of professional and collegiate sports, entertainment facilities, stadium service providers, concessionaires, the beer industry, broadcasters, governmental traffic safety experts, and others working together to promote responsible drinking and positive fan behavior at sports facilities — helps coordinate with professional sports leagues including the National Football League, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League.

“The Buffalo Bills take the issue of alcohol management seriously and we are happy to join with our partners to help spread the word about the designated-driver program and the message ‘Be Loud, Be Proud, Be Considerate and Always Have a Designated Driver,'” said Russ Brandon, Chief Executive Officer for the Buffalo Bills.

Bills fans who embrace these goals have a unique opportunity to show their dedication to the Bills and prove, once again, responsibility really does have its rewards.

TEAM’s members and supporters include the National Football League, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, National Collegiate Athletics Association, ARAMARK, Delaware North Sportservice, Beer Institute, National Beer Wholesalers Association, Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors, LiveNation, National Association of Broadcasters, Contemporary Services Corporation, Elite Show Staffing, International Association of Assembly Managers, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
http://www.teamcoalition.org

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