NBA Alcohol Management Training and Designated Driver Award Winners Announced

07/21/2014

TEAM Coalition Announces
NBA Alcohol Management Training and
Designated Driver Award Winners

Las Vegas, NV. (7/17/2014) – TEAM Coalition (Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management) proudly recognized recent training certification and designated driver program award winners at the 2014 NBA Summer Meetings/Security Conference on Thursday July 17, 2014.

TEAM Coalition is a unique alliance of professional and collegiate sports, entertainment facilities, concessionaires, stadium service providers, the beer industry, distillers, broadcasters, governmental traffic safety experts and others working together to promote responsible drinking and positive fan behavior at sports and entertainment facilities. Click for a complete list of TEAM Coalition members.

“Alcohol management training and certification is the bread and butter of what the Coalition offers its members. More than 5,000 employees of NBA arenas became TEAM certified last season,” said Jill Pepper, TEAM executive director. “It is a testament to NBA’s commitment to employee training and its positive impact on fan behavior.”

In 2013, more than 50,000 employees from 162 facilities became certified in the training program. Approximately 10% of those employees were from NBA arenas – including ushers, ticket takers, guest services representatives and the employees of concessionaire companies.

TEAM Training Award Winners
64,954 NBA fans pledged to be designated drivers during the 2013-2014 NBA season. The Designated Drivers for the Season from the San Antonio Spurs, Jim Corbin, and the Miami Heat, Gerald Mitkowsky, attended The 2014 NBA Finals Games 1 and 3, respectively, as the grand prize winners of the Responsibility Has Its Rewards sweepstakes for designated drivers.

In May of 2014, the Designated Driver for the Season for the New York Knicks, Brian Fagen, was selected as the first prize winner of the Responsibility Has Its Rewards sweepstakes. Brian and a guest will attend the 2015 NBA All-Star Game and at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY, home of the New York Knicks.

2013-2014 Top Five Teams for Designated Drivers
  • Dallas Mavericks, 9,892 designated drivers
  • Oklahoma City Thunder, 8,200 designated drivers
  • Houston Rockets, 7,330 designated drivers
  • Sacramento Kings, 7,004 designated drivers
  • San Antonio Spurs, 4,262 designated drivers
2013-2014 Most Improved
Toronto Raptors: 521% increase in designated drivers