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"The nation’s brewers have consistently demonstrated a commitment to responsible alcohol consumption and the efforts of the TEAM Coalition in stadiums across the country."
--- Jeff Becker, President, Beer Institute
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For Immediate Release |
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Contact: Jill Pepper, TEAM Coalition, 202-669-0357, jill@teamcoalition.org |
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 PHOENIX, Ariz. – 3/09/09 – When the 2009 Cactus League season started at the end of last month, Milwaukee Brewers fans discovered that if they pledge to be responsible at any of the Brewers’ Spring Training home games played at Maryvale Baseball Park, they might win a very special reward.
The Milwaukee Brewers, Delaware North Companies Sportservice, MillerCoors, and TEAM Coalition are partnering to educate fans about the importance of always having a designated driver. The message is simple: "You Hold the Key. Never Drive Drunk." And one fan who pledges will be randomly selected to win the grand prize of the Responsibility Has Its Rewards (RHIR) sweepstakes, which includes:
- Roundtrip airfare for two from the winner’s home city to Milwaukee, Wisc.
- Hotel accommodations in Milwaukee for two nights
- Two tickets to the Milwaukee Brewers home game vs. the Chicago Cubs on Saturday April 11, 2009
- An on-field batting practice experience before the game on April 11
- Dinner for two at the Metavante Club at Miller Park
For the last five MLB seasons, a league-wide version of the RHIR sweepstakes has encouraged fans to pledge to be designated drivers. In 2008, nearly 340,000 MLB fans made the pledge, giving each a chance to be selected as the Designated Driver for the Season for their favorite MLB Club. This year, the Designated Drivers for the Season for the two Clubs that compete in the 2009 World Series ® will win two tickets to the first game of the series played in the ballpark of their favorite Club. And one other Designated Driver for the Season will be randomly selected to win a trip to the 2010 MLB All-Star Game® to be played at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.
The more than 33,000 Brewers fans who pledged to be designated drivers at Miller Park in 2008 represented the second most for any MLB Club. The goal for 2009 is to have even more Brewers fans make the responsible decision to plan ahead and always have a designated driver. The promotion at Maryvale Baseball Park may just be the incentive Brewers fans need to move into the top spot for designated drivers this season.
"Teamwork is exactly what this campaign is all about," said Jill Pepper, executive director of the TEAM Coalition. She noted that through this program the Milwaukee Brewers, MillerCoors, and Delaware North Companies Sportservice, which operates concessions, premium dining and retail for the Brewers at Miller Park and Maryvale Baseball Park, are demonstrating that everyone – including the fans – plays an important role in alcohol management.
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 Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Soccer (MLS), the National Football League (NFL), and the National Hockey League (NHL).
"MillerCoors has worked closely with professional sports teams like the Milwaukee Brewers for more than two decades to encourage responsible consumption at sporting events, and to help prevent underage access to alcohol and drunk driving," said Kim Marotta, vice president, Corporate Social Responsibility for MillerCoors. "We feel our participation in TEAM complements our overall responsibility initiatives."
“Sobriety is no accident,” said Sportservice president Rick Abramson. “That’s why we work closely with our clients to strongly promote and advocate that fans make responsible decisions when it comes to alcohol and to take appropriate action, including declining to serve them, when they do not. The designated driver program is an important component of the alcohol management program at both Maryvale Baseball Park and Miller Park.”
 The designated driver program is one of several components of the alcohol management plan at both Maryvale Baseball Park in Phoenix and Miller Park in Milwaukee. In addition, alcohol management training for the ballparks’ employees gives them the skills to observe fan behavior and serve alcoholic 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, arena employees, corporate sponsors, and team representatives are all working toward common goals – promoting responsible alcohol consumption, positive fan behavior, and traffic safety.
“The Milwaukee Brewers take the issue of alcohol management seriously. Game day should be safe and enjoyable for our fans, both in the Stadium and as they travel home after the games,” said Rick Schlesinger, executive vice president of Business Operations for the Milwaukee Brewers. “We’re proud that so many of our fans have chosen to demonstrate responsible behavior and embraced the “You Hold the Key. Never Drive Drunk” designated driver program.”
Whether it’s at Maryvale Baseball Park or Miller Park, fans who embrace the designated driver program will have a unique opportunity to show their dedication to the Brewers and may win the experience of a lifetime, because responsibility really does have its rewards.
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