Cleveland Indians Recognized as Winners of Budweiser Good Sport Designated Driver Challenge

06/12/2014


CLEVELAND INDIANS RECOGNIZED AS WINNERS OF
BUDWEISER GOOD SPORT DESIGNATED DRIVER CHALLENGE
WITH MINNESOTA TWINS
CLEVELAND, OH. (6/12/2014) – The Cleveland Indians were recognized at a luncheon on Thursday, June 12, 2014 for winning the Budweiser Good Sport Designated Driver Challenge with the Minnesota Twins. Representatives from the Indians and TEAM Coalition gathered for the celebration.The Budweiser Good Sport Designated Driver Challenge tracked the number of fans who pledged to be designated drivers at all the 2013 regular season home games for both Clubs. Each fan who pledged to be a designated driver at Progressive Field earned the Indians one point in the challenge. The Indians triumphed over the Twins with a total of 19,755 designated drivers as compared to 16,831.Click here to see the final standings in the Budweiser Good Sport Designated Driver Challenge.

Cleveland Indians won the Budweiser Good Sport Designated Driver Challenge.

(left to right) Brad Mohr, Assistant Director of Ballpark Operations, Cleveland Indians; Jim Goldwire, Coordinator, Ballpark Operations, Cleveland Indians; Omar Jufko, Dockmaster, Cleveland Indians; Jill Pepper, Executive Director, TEAM Coalition; Renee VanLaningham, Manager of Game Day Staff, Cleveland Indians; Jerry Crabb, Senior Director of Ballpark Operations, Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians, DNC Sportservice, Anheuser-Busch and TEAM Coalition have been working together successfully for the Budweiser Good Sport designated driver program, finishing the 2013 MLB season with the 8th most designated drivers in the league.

“We’re pleased to work with the Indians, TEAM and the other program partners to recognize fans who look out for each other and make a designated driver part of their game plan,” said Kathy Casso, vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility for Anheuser-Busch. “When it comes to preventing drunk driving, we’re all part of the team.”

“Teamwork is exactly what this organization is all about,” said Jill Pepper, executive director of TEAM Coalition. “Through the Designated Driver Challenge, we are demonstrating that when everyone – including the fans – takes responsibility, everyone wins.”

The Budweiser Good Sport designated driver program is just one component of the fan behavior initiatives offered by the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Other components include:

  • A Guest Code of Conduct posted in and around Progressive Field
  • Certification of employees across every organization operating in the ballpark in effective alcohol management training
  • Alcohol service policies including ID checks for fans who look 35 years of age or younger, no more than two alcoholic beverages per person per transaction and alcohol cut-off at the end of the seventh inning

About TEAM Coalition
TEAM Coalition is an alliance of professional and collegiate sports, entertainment facilities, concessionaires, stadium service providers, the beer industry, distillers, broadcasters, governmental traffic safety experts, and others working together to promote responsible drinking and positive fan behavior at sports and entertainment facilities. TEAM’s members and supporters include Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, NASCAR, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Aramark, Delaware North Companies Sportservice, Ovations Food Services, Beer Institute, National Beer Wholesalers Association, Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors, Brown-Forman, Live Nation, National Association of Broadcasters, Contemporary Services Corporation, Elite, International Association of Venue Managers, Stadium Managers Association and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. www.teamcoalition.org.

About Anheuser-Busch
For more than three decades, Anheuser-Busch and its nationwide network of wholesalers have invested more than $1 billion in national advertising campaigns and community-based programs to promote responsible drinking, prevent underage drinking and drunk driving and address college issues. For more information on these alcohol responsibility efforts and the progress being made, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.