ALEXANDRIA, VA, Jun 3 - As National Basketball Association (NBA) fans all over the country and across the world look forward to the first game of the 2010 NBA Finals¨ tonight in Los Angeles, the eligibility of the winners of the Responsibility Has Its Rewardsª (RHIR) sweepstakes was announced today by TEAM Coalition (Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management) and Hillard Heintze, one of the leading private strategic security advisory and management companies in the United States.

Los Angeles Lakers fan Julie Hsu and Boston Celtics fan William Fonte were named "Designated Drivers for the Season" and will each attend a Finals game to cheer on their team as grand prize winners of the Responsibility Has Its Rewards sweepstakes. Hsu and Forte were randomly selected among all of the fans who pledged to be designated drivers at the Lakers and Celtics home games. With the support of S2Verify, the background screening industryÕs new revolutionary technology, Hillard Heintze provided background checks for these winners to confirm their eligibility.

"Giving fans the opportunity to be the voice of the Responsibility Has Its Rewards campaign personalizes the 'Fans Don't Let Fans Drive Drunk' message. Teamwork is exactly what this campaign is all about," said Jill Pepper, Executive Director of the TEAM Coalition. Pepper also noted that through this program the Los Angeles Angels, ARAMARK, and Jack Daniels are demonstrating that everyone – including fans – plays an important role in alcohol management.

A 2011 NBA All-Star Game^¨ trip will also be awarded to one Designated Driver for the Season from an NBA team that does not compete in the 2010 NBA Finals¨. The 2011 NBA All-Star Game¨ trip includes two (2) tickets to the game to be held on February 20, 2011 at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, roundtrip airfare, and hotel accommodations.

TEAM Coalition is an alliance of professional and collegiate sports, entertainment facilities, concessionaires, stadium service providers, the beer industry, broadcasters, governmental traffic safety experts, and others working together to promote responsible drinking and positive fan behavior at sports and entertainment facilities. TEAM Coalition members are united by a shared mission to provide effective alcohol service training in public assembly facilities and promote responsible alcohol consumption that enhances the entertainment experience while reducing alcohol-related instances both in facilities and on surrounding roadways.

The Responsibility Has Its Rewards campaign promotes traffic safety, positive fan behavior, responsible alcohol consumption, and the designated-driver program at sports and entertainment facilities. Fans who registered to be a designated driver pledged to not drink alcohol, drove their friends and family home safely, and ensured that everyone always buckled up. This year over 70,000 NBA fans registered as designated drivers in NBA arenas. Partners in the campaign include NHTSA - the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, state offices of highway safety, professional and collegiate sports, entertainment facilities, concessionaires, stadium service providers, the beer industry, and broadcasters.

"Confirming the eligibility of these winners is a vital process,"" said Jill Pepper, executive director for TEAM Coalition. "That's because at the heart our entire Responsibility Has Its Rewards campaign is the need to champion and highlight designated drivers as worthy representatives of responsible behavior."

"We are proud of the opportunity to continue supporting TEAM CoalitionÕs sweepstakes," said Arnette Heintze, co-founder and CEO of Hillard Heintze, a Chicago-based firm that helps world class organizations across industries achieve their security and investigative objectives through services that range from independent security assessments and risk analyses to background investigations of senior executives and prospective board members under consideration for sensitive or high-profile positions.