SOURCE: TEAM Coalition
LOS ANGELES, CA–(Marketwire – July 9, 2010) – “Responsibility Has Its Rewards” will be an important message communicated at many of the MLB 2010 All-Star activities. Throughout All-Star Week, baseball fans will be reminded to demonstrate positive fan behavior, drink responsibly, choose a designated driver, and buckle up.
“Fan safety in the ballpark has always been a top priority for Major League Baseball,” said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. “We believe this is an excellent program that emphasizes fans’ safety to and from the ballpark.” For the sixth consecutive All-Star FanFest, TEAM (Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management) Coalition offers baseball fans who make the pledge to be responsible a chance to win great rewards. TEAM Coalition connects MLB, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, ARAMARK and Anheuser-Busch with the U.S. Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as partners in this effort.
Fans who pledge to be responsible will autograph a commemorative poster and receive a souvenir photo that features campaign messages, partner logos, and All-Star images on the photo border. All the fans who participate are entered to win prizes that include authenticated All-Star Game items. At the All-Star Charity 5K and Fun Run presented by Sports Authority and Nike, as runners cross the finish line, they will have a chance to make the responsibility pledge and autograph the poster. The poster will be displayed at Angel Stadium of Anaheim throughout the remainder of the MLB season.
In addition, the “Designated Driver for the Season” from the Chicago White Sox, Edward Rosenthal, will attend the State Farm Home Run Derby and the 81st All-Star Game as the winner of the 2009 “Responsibility Has Its Rewards” sweepstakes for designated drivers. Rosenthal will be recognized during an in-stadium announcement. He represents the record 360,000 fans who volunteered to be the designated driver for their groups by signing up at Budweiser’s Good Sport booths and similar programs at Major League Baseball games last season.
The sweepstakes reminds adult fans who choose to drink to always have a designated driver, which takes the MLB “Going Beyond” initiative to a new, life-saving level — going above and beyond by being a designated driver.
“The success of the Responsibility Has Its Rewards campaign with MLB is a direct result of the commitment from the league, the Clubs and all the campaign partners,” said Jill Pepper, executive director of TEAM Coalition. “Teamwork is what this campaign is about. We are demonstrating that when everyone — including the fans — takes responsibility, everyone wins.”
TEAM Coalition — an alliance of professional and collegiate sports, entertainment facilities, concessionaires, the beer industry, broadcasters, governmental traffic safety experts, and others working together to promote responsible drinking and positive fan behavior at sports facilities – coordinated “Responsibility Has Its Rewards,” a league-wide promotion with Major League Baseball in support of existing designated-driver programs sponsored by concessionaires and brewers.
“The Los Angeles Angels 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 that ‘fans don’t let fans drive drunk,'” said Tim Mead, Vice President of Public Relations, Los Angeles Angels.
“As a founding member of TEAM Coalition, ARAMARK understands the importance of working closely with our clients and partners to ensure that fans have a great experience, an important part of which is the responsible consumption of alcoholic beverages,” said Marc Bruno, president of ARAMARK Sports, Entertainment & Conventions. “We remain fully committed to those we serve and the designated-driver program is an important component of the alcohol management program at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.”
“Tying ‘Responsibility Has Its Rewards’ to our season-long ‘Good Sport’ program makes everyone a winner,” said Kathy Casso, Anheuser-Busch vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility. “For nearly 25 years, Anheuser-Busch’s Good Sport program has worked with TEAM, sports franchises and venues across the country to encourage a positive game experience and a safe trip home.”
Prior to and during the Home Run Derby and MLB All-Star Game, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) will staff the Good Sport booths located near Field Level Section C 1-1 and outside the main entrance of Angel Stadium, near the Budweiser Clydesdales. Fans who sign up to be a designated driver at the beginning of each event will receive a free non-alcohol beverage. CHP officers also will be available to answer questions about general road safety and the agency’s Designated Driver program.
“Baseball is one of America’s favorite pastimes, but fans can get themselves in a serious slump if they don’t drink responsibly,” said Administrator David Strickland of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “Whether you’re at the ball park or a friend’s house, plan ahead and designate a sober driver. And remember, Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk.”
If you are attending any of the All-Star Game events or watching at home, at a sports bar or restaurant, please do so responsibly.
- Be a designated driver or designate your driver before the game begins
- Give your designated driver your car keys and your appreciation for making sure you get home safely
- Find unique ways to recognize the designated drivers when you are out at a bar or restaurant:
- Offer to be the designated driver the next time you go out
- Cover the cost for parking or even pay for a tank of gas
- Whatever non-alcohol beverage he or she is drinking, make sure your designated driver’s glass is always full
- Pick up the tab for his or her food and drink
- Before you go out, program the numbers for local cab companies in your cell phone, so if you find yourself in need of a ride, it is just one touch away
- Take public transportation whenever possible
- Avoid drinking too much alcohol too fast. Pace yourself — eat enough food, take breaks and alternate with non-alcohol drinks.
For more information, please visit http://www.TeamCoalition.org or www.rhir.org.
CONTACT:
Jill Pepper
(202) 669-0357
[email protected]
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