Responsible Fans at the 2018 NCAA Lacrosse Championship

05/29/2018

For the second year in a row, the NCAA and TEAM Coalition partnered at the 2018 NCAA Lacrosse Championship in Foxboro, MA on May 26 – May 28, 2018.  This was the second year that alcohol was served at the Lacrosse Championship and TEAM was there to reward fans who made the Responsibility Has Its Rewards pledge to:

• Buckle Up – Every Trip, Every Time
• Never Drive Drunk
• Always Have a Designated Driver

Fans from all over the country gathered at Gillette Stadium to watch the Men’s D-I, D-II and D-III championship games. The Yale Bulldogs won their first ever D-I championship by defeating the Duke Blue Devils in the final. Merrimack College took home the Men’s D-II Championship after losing in the title game last year and Wesleyan University won their first ever D-III championship.

Over 700 fans took the Responsibility pledge, signed the inflatable lacrosse stick and received a free souvenir photo. The new partner in the program was the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The championships were perfectly timed with NHTSA’s high visibility enforcement campaign for seat belts called Click It Or Ticket. All photos included the Click It Or Ticket logo to encourage fans to buckle up – every trip, every time.

LAX 2018-05-26 12-51-35PM
LAX 2018-05-26 14-49-56PM
LAX 2018-05-26 10-19-04AM

The TEAM Coalition effort to contribute to a safe and exciting fan experience benefits us all – the fans, players and sports leagues alike. TEAM recognizes that most fans come out to enjoy the thrill of the competition, and that irresponsible alcohol use can detract from that experience. By engaging us all in this effort, and rewarding positive fan behavior, TEAM scores!

Mary Wilfert, Associate Director of Education Outreach, National Collegiate Athletic Association
NCAA
For more information, see NCAA.org.
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 National Collegiate Athletic Association, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, NASCAR, National Basketball Association, National Football League, National Hockey League, Americrown, Aramark, Delaware North Sportservice, Legends, Spectra, Beer Institute, National Beer Wholesalers Association, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Constellation Brands, HEINEKEN USA, MillerCoors, Brown-Forman, 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 visit www.TEAMCoalition.org or www.FansDontLetFansDriveDrunk.org.
US DOT / NHTSA 2016 NATIONAL DATA:

• In 2016, 10,497 people were killed as a result of alcohol-related (BAC > 0.08) car crashes, an increase of 1.7% from the 10,265 fatalities in 2015.

• Many, if not most of those lives would have been saved if people did not drive when they were impaired by alcohol or if they used sober, designated drivers or if they simply wore their seat belts.

• Statistics and research clearly show that 21-34 year old males are the demographic most likely to be involved in an automobile crash.