| San Diego, CA. (August 19, 2010) — At Saturday’s preseason game at Qualcomm Stadium fans will have a unique opportunity to serve as spokespeople for responsible behavior. The San Diego Chargers, Centerplate, California Highway Patrol, Anheuser-Busch, and TEAM Coalition are partnering to educate fans about the importance of designating a driver and demonstrating positive fan behavior. The message is simple: “Chargers Fans Enjoy Gameday The Right Way.”
A public service announcement (PSA) produced from the videos recorded Saturday will air throughout the 2010 season on the stadium’s video board and on local broadcast television. In addition, the video clips will be e-mailed to each participating fan so their moment of fame can be shared with friends, family and co-workers. Participants, along with other fans from across the National Football League who pledge to be designated drivers and demonstrate responsible behavior will have a chance to win valuable prizes at the end of the season as part of the ‘Responsibility Has Its Rewards’ sweepstakes offered by the NFL and TEAM Coalition. For more information about the ‘Responsibility Has Its Rewards’ sweepstakes, log on to www.rhir.org.
The designated-driver program is one of several components of the alcohol management plan at Qualcomm Stadium, home of the San Diego Chargers. In addition, alcohol management training for the employees of all companies operating in the building including the San Diego Chargers and Centerplate gives employees the skills to observe fan behavior and serve alcohol beverages in compliance with local laws and in a manner designed to encourage responsible consumption. Alcohol service policies are enforced to ensure only fans of legal drinking age are served alcoholic beverages. These combined efforts represent an alcohol management plan in which the fans, stadium employees, corporate sponsors, and team representatives are all working toward common goals – promoting responsible drinking, positive fan behavior and traffic safety.
“Tying ‘Responsibility Has Its Rewards’ to our season-long Budweiser ‘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 the San Diego Chargers, TEAM and the other program partners to recognize fans who look out for each other and make a designated driver part of their game plans. When it comes to preventing drunk driving, we’re all part of the team.”
The designated-driver program is a key component of the responsibility initiatives that TEAM Coalition – an alliance of professional and collegiate sports, entertainment facilities, stadium service providers, concessionaires, the beer industry, broadcasters, governmental traffic safety experts, and others working together to promote responsible drinking and positive fan behavior at sports facilities – helps coordinate with professional sports leagues including the National Football League, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League.
“We want every game to be a great experience for our fans, starting before the game all the way through their ride home after the game,” said Chargers Executive Vice President AG Spanos. “We’re proud that so many of our fans have chosen to demonstrate responsible behavior.”
Chargers fans who embrace these goals have a unique opportunity to show their dedication to the Chargers and prove, once again, responsibility really does have its rewards.
TEAM Coalition members and supporters include the National Football League, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Beer Institute, National Beer Wholesalers Association, Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors, ARAMARK, Delaware North Companies – Sportservice, Ovations Food Services, IAAM, Live Nation, the National Association of Broadcasters, Contemporary Services Corporation, Elite Show Staffing and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. |
