Flushing, NY (10/31/2015) – For one very lucky and responsible New York Mets fan, last night’s Game Three of the 2015 World Series® will forever be treasured as an incredible baseball memory. Stephanie Fitzpatrick, a Mets fan from Malverne, NY, cheered loudly for her beloved Mets from inside Citi Field. Mrs. Fitzpatrick and her guest received tickets to the game as her reward for being a responsible fan. She was one of the two grand prize winners of the League-wide “Responsibility Has Its Rewards” sweepstakes for designated drivers. Mrs. Fitzpatrick was randomly chosen from more than 14,000 Mets fans who pledged to be designated drivers at Citi Field this season, ensuring a safe ride home for their friends and family.
“The World Series is a celebration of our sport, its best athletes and our great fans,” said John Skinner, Director of Security Operations, Major League Baseball. “The Budweiser Good Sport program and Responsibility Has Its Rewards (RHIR) sweepstakes each help provide fans with a safe, family-friendly experience by promoting responsible fan behavior and rewarding MLB fans who help get their friends home safely, by being a designated driver.”
For the 12th consecutive season, MLB, Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management (TEAM) Coalition and Anheuser-Busch have joined together to make fans aware of the designated driver programs offered at MLB ballparks. The designated driver programs and the “Responsibility Has Its Rewards” sweepstakes promote traffic safety by encouraging responsible drinking and positive fan behavior.
“Anheuser-Busch has led our industry in promoting responsible drinking for more than 30 years and Budweiser Good Sport is one of our most visible programs, which reminds fans who choose to drink, to do so responsibly and get their friends home safely,” said Bill Bradley, Senior Director, Corporate Social Responsibility Advertising and Outreach at Anheuser-Busch. “We all share the same streets after the game. This partnership with Major League Baseball, participating stadiums, concessionaires, TEAM Coalition and baseball fans displays our collective responsibility to help keep our roads safe.”
Anheuser-Busch and its wholesalers promote responsible drinking among baseball fans by implementing Budweiser Good Sport fan responsibility programs with 23 MLB ballparks throughout the season.
As the New York Mets Designated Driver for the Season, Ms. Fitzpatrick received two tickets for Game Three of the 2015 World Series®, was recognized on the video scoreboard and met MLB and Club officials. The Kansas City Royals Designated Driver for the Season, Heather Vengley of Kansas City, MO, attended Game One of the World Series® at Kauffman Stadium as the other RHIR sweepstakes grand prize winner.
“The success of the Responsibility Has Its Rewards campaign with Major League Baseball and Budweiser is a direct result of the commitment from the League, the MLB Clubs and all the campaign partners,” said Jill Pepper, Executive Director of TEAM Coalition. “Teamwork is what this campaign is all about. It is proof that when everyone – including the fans – takes responsibility, everyone wins.”
During the 2015 MLB regular season, more than 600,000 baseball fans planned ahead and made a responsible, winning play by pledging to be designated drivers.
The top five MLB Clubs for designated drivers in 2015 are:
- St. Louis Cardinals: 67,606 designated drivers
- San Diego Padres: 51,720 designated drivers
- Milwaukee Brewers: 46,904 designated drivers
- Baltimore Orioles: 41,714 designated drivers
- Los Angeles Dodgers: 39,673 designated drivers
About MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) is the most historic professional sports league in the United States and consists of 30 member Clubs in the U.S. and Canada representing the highest level of professional baseball. Major League Baseball is the best-attended sport in North America, and the last decade includes all 10 of the best-attended individual seasons by fans in MLB history, with each regular season eclipsing the 73 million mark. Now led by Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr., MLB currently features record levels of labor peace, competitive balance and industry revenues, as well as the most comprehensive drug-testing program in American professional sports. MLB remains committed to making an impact in the communities of the U.S., Canada and throughout the world, perpetuating the sport’s larger role in society and permeating every facet of baseball’s business, marketing and community relations endeavors. With the continued success of MLB Advanced Media and MLB Network, MLB continues to find innovative ways for its fans to enjoy America’s National Pastime and a truly global game. For more information on Major League Baseball, visit www.MLB.com.
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. Budweiser is the Official Beer of Major League Baseball and proudly sponsors 23 of the 30 MLB Clubs.
About TEAM Coalition
TEAM Coalition is an alliance of professional and collegiate sports, entertainment facilities, concessionaires, stadium service providers, the beer industry, distillers, broadcasters, traffic safety experts and others working together to promote responsible drinking and positive fan behavior at sports and entertainment facilities. TEAM Coalition members and supporters include Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, NASCAR, National Basketball Association, National Football League, National Hockey League, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Americrown, Aramark, Delaware North Sportservice, Legends, Spectra, Beer Institute, National Beer Wholesalers Association, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Constellation Brands, HEINEKEN USA, MillerCoors, Live Nation, National Association of Broadcasters, Contemporary Services Corporation, International Association of Venue Managers, Stadium Managers Association and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. For more information, please visit TEAMCoalition.org or FansDontLetFansDriveDrunk.org.
