TEAMUp2Win! 2015 -

04/27/2015

Fans who attended the both the 2015 NCAA^® Women’s and Men’s Final Four^®were treated to amazing skills on the court. And a record number showed their support for the message of responsibility that TEAM Coalition and NCAA have shared for seven consecutive years.

2,763 fans made the pledge to be responsible at the three-day, outdoor March Madness Music Festival at White River State Park and the four-day indoor Fan Fest presented by Capital One at the Indiana Convention Center in conjunction with the Men’s tournament.

1,324 fans made the same pledge to never drive drunk and always have a designated driver at the Tourney Town™ presented by Capital One in Amalie Arena at the Women’s tournament.

Participating fans made the pledge to be responsible, promising to never drive drunk, always have a designated driver and never provide alcohol to anyone under the legal drinking age. Responsible fans autographed a responsibility wall and received a free souvenir photo.

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TEAM Up 2 Win! – the national program that encourages NCAA basketball fans to make the responsibility pledge online in advance of the tournaments – saw equally impressive success.

A record 7,231 fans across the country made the pledge. Each had a chance to win one of two grand prizes, a trip for two to the 2015 NCAA Men’s Final Four or a trip for two to the 2015 NCAA Women’s Final Four, provided courtesy of the NCAA.

The Men’s Final Four prize winner was Robert Ciucci. He traveled from Mechanicsville, VA to Indianapolis and received two tickets to the 2015 NCAA Men’s Final Four games on Saturday April 4 and received two tickets to the championship game on Monday, April 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Women’s Final Four prize winner was Kendra Dowen. She traveled from Tallahassee, FL to Tampa and received two tickets to the 2015 NCAA Women’s Final Four games on Sunday, April 5 and received two tickets to the championship game on Tuesday, April 7 at Amalie Arena.

The TEAM Coalition effort to contribute to a safe and exciting fan experience benefits us all – the fans, athletes 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!<span class="su-quote-cite">Mary Wilfert, Associate Director, NCAA Sport Science Institute, Collegiate Athletic Association</span>

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NCAA

The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletics opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.NCAA.org and www.NCAA.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes. Importantly, the NCAA opposes all sports wagering. This application should not be used for sweepstakes, contests, office pools or other gambling activities.

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 the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, NASCAR, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, Aramark, Delaware North Sportservice, Legends, Ovations Food Services, Beer Institute, National Beer Wholesalers Association, Anheuser-Busch Companies, HEINEKEN USA, 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. For more information visit www.TEAMCoalition.org or www.FansDontLetFansDriveDrunk.org.

US DOT / NHTSA 2013 NATIONAL DATA:

• In 2013, 10,076 people were killed as a result of alcohol-related (BAC > 0.08) car crashes, a decrease of 2.4% from the 10,322 fatalities in 2012.

• 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, drive when impaired by alcohol, and fail to buckle up.

Author: jillteamcoalition