| Alexandria, Va. (10/18/2011) – As the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers prepare for the 2011 World Series®, one fan from each Club, and a guest, are in for a night of a lifetime as they cheer on their home teams at Game One and Game Three of the World Series®. Crystal Skaggs and Ann Hester were selected as the grand prize winners of the “Responsibility Has Its Rewards” sweepstakes. Crystal Skaggs, a Cardinals fan from Troy, IL, will attend Game One at Busch Stadium on Wednesday night. Ann Hester, a Rangers fan from Dallas, TX, will attend Game Three at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on Saturday night. They were randomly chosen from among the nearly 450,000 fans who pledged to be designated drivers, ensuring a safe ride home for their friends and family.
“Fan safety in the ballpark has always been a top priority for Major League Baseball,” said John McHale Jr., Executive Vice President, Administration & Chief Information Officer, Major League Baseball. “We are proud that our fans have taken an active role in supporting efforts to emphasize safety to and from the ballpark.”
For the eighth consecutive season, Major League Baseball (MLB), Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management (TEAM) Coalition and brewers have joined together to make more fans aware of the League’s designated-driver programs, including the Budweiser Good Sport partnership with the Cardinals and the Rangers. The designated driver-programs and the “Responsibility Has Its Rewards” sweepstakes promote traffic safety by encouraging responsible drinking and positive fan behavior.
“Tying the ‘Responsibility Has Its Rewards’ sweepstakes to our season-long 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 Major League Baseball, TEAM Coalition and the other program partners to recognize fans who look out for each other and make a designated driver part of their game plan. When it comes to preventing drunk driving, we’re all part of the team.”
As the Cardinals and the Rangers Designated Drivers for the Season, each sweepstakes winner will receive two tickets to a World Series® Game, be recognized on the video scoreboards and meet MLB and Club officials.
“This promotion is an opportunity for MLB to show support for the Clubs’ efforts to offer fans the Budweiser Good Sport program, which succeeds to encourage responsible fan behavior through the generosity of the concessionaires and the local beer wholesalers,” said Jill Pepper, Executive Director, TEAM Coalition. “For fans, it’s a great reminder that responsibility really does have its rewards.”
During the 2011 MLB regular season, nearly 450,000 baseball fans planned ahead and made the responsible, winning play by pledging to be designated drivers.
The top five MLB clubs for designated drivers in 2011 are:
- Milwaukee Brewers: 57,811 designated drivers
- St. Louis Cardinals: 56,445 designated drivers
- Detroit Tigers: 31,613 designated drivers
- Houston Astros: 24,101 designated drivers
- San Francisco Giants: 21,060 designated drivers
About TEAM Coalition TEAM Coalition is an alliance of professional and collegiate sports, entertainment facilities, concessionaires, stadium service providers, the beer industry, 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, ARAMARK, Delaware North Companies – Sportservice, Ovations Food Services, Beer Institute, National Beer Wholesalers Association, Anheuser-Busch Companies, MillerCoors, 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.
For more information, please visit www.TEAMCoalition.org or www.RHIR.org.
### |
