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Alexandria, Va (Feb. 19, 2010) – Among the more than 108,000 NBA fans who enjoyed the 2010 NBA All-Star Game Sunday, Feb. 14, at Cowboys Stadium, Sandi Kuritzky of Strongsville, Ohio, was in attendance as the winner of the Responsibility Has Its Rewards (RHIR) sweepstakes.  Kuritzky, the Cleveland Cavaliers Designated Driver for the Season, was randomly selected from all the NBA fans who pledged to be the designated driver to help get their friends and family home safely from NBA arenas last season. Kuritzky’s prize included airfare and hotel accommodations, along with two tickets to the All-Star Game and Saturday night’s activities at the American Airlines Center.
To continue promoting responsibility at the four-day NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas held at the Dallas Convention Center, TEAM Coalition asked NBA fans to make the pledge to always have a designated driver and always buckle up – every trip, every time.
More than 2,500 fans made the pledge and received a souvenir photo, and each adult who pledged was entered to win a framed Mavericks jersey autographed by Mark Cuban, compliments of Anheuser-Busch.
Anheuser-Busch also encouraged fans to be responsible and respect others while attending NBA All-Star activities in Dallas through its Good Sport program, which promotes a positive crowd environment by reminding fans to be responsible, respect the rights of others and use a designated driver.
More than 500 fans pledged to be designated drivers throughout the All-Star festivities and several were randomly selected as “Designated Drivers of the Night” and awarded prizes, including:
- George Mucha received an autographed NBA basketball at the NBA All-Star Saturday Night
- Valerie Harmin received a framed NBA jersey at the Budweiser One Night Stand event
- Rodney Hampton received an autographed NBA basketball at the NBA All-Star Game
These responsibility efforts are all proof of the commitment to responsible drinking and positive fan behavior from the NBA, Anheuser-Busch and all TEAM Coalition member organizations. According to Jill Pepper, executive director of TEAM Coalition, “Teamwork is exactly what the Responsibility Has Its Rewards campaign is all about. Through all our activities surrounding the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, we are demonstrating that when everyone – including the fans – takes responsibility, everyone wins.”
“Tying Responsibility Has Its Rewards to our season-long 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 NBA, TEAM and the other program partners to recognize fans who look out for each other and make a designated driver part of their game plan. When it comes to preventing drunk driving, we’re all part of the team.”
Throughout the season, the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management (TEAM) Coalition, Anheuser-Busch and NBA teams across the country have worked together to make more fans aware of the designated-driver programs at NBA arenas, encourage responsible drinking and positive fan behavior and promote traffic safety. The success of those efforts is demonstrated in the fact that a record 62,000 adults pledged to be designated drivers during the 2009 season.
The top three NBA teams for designated drivers at the end of the 2009 season are:
- Sacramento Kings with 11,000 designated drivers
- Dallas Mavericks with 7,463 designated drivers
- Cleveland Cavaliers with 3,872 designated drivers
“The success of the Responsibility Has Its Rewards program underscores the commitment of our fans to being responsible leaders in their communities,” said NBA Senior Vice President, Security, Bernie Tolbert. “As we saw throughout TEAM Coalition’s activities at NBA All-Star Jam Session, they continue to work hand-in-hand with our teams providing our fans with the information and resources necessary to ensure that NBA games and events remain safe and enjoyable for everyone.”
TEAM Coalition – an alliance of professional and collegiate sports, entertainment facilities, concessionaries, stadium service providers, the beer industry, broadcasters, traffic safety experts and others working together to promote responsible drinking and positive fan behavior at sports and entertainment facilities.
For more information, please visit www.teamcoalition.org or www.rhir.org
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