Major League Baseball and TEAM Coalition Are Proud to Partner With RADD: The Entertainment Industry’s Voice For Road Safety in the 2005 Responsibility Has Its Rewards Campaign

RADD to Provide Media Platform for Celebrity Messengers to Talk to Adult Baseball Fans About Responsible Drinking and Rewarding Them for Being Designated Drivers
WASHINGTON, DC -- 04/18/2005 -- Major League Baseball® (MLB) and Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management (TEAM Coalition) have successfully drafted RADD: The Entertainment Industry’s Voice For Road Safety to further develop and promote the Responsibility Has Its Rewards (RHIR) campaign.

The RHIR campaign, launched in 2004 by TEAM Coalition and MLB, rewards adult fans who pledge to be designated drivers at MLB games by entering them into a drawing to be selected as that Club’s designated driver for the season. The selected fans for the two Clubs that play in the 2005 World Series® will each receive two tickets to their Club’s first home Series game. One designated driver for the season from a Club that does not play in the World Series will be chosen at random to win a trip to the 2006 MLB All-Star Game® in Pittsburgh. During the 2004 season, over 160,000 baseball fans pledged to be designated drivers as a part of the Responsibility Has Its Rewards promotion.

“We are pleased to invite members of our roster of over 500 RADD celebrity messengers to participate in this campaign, as well as provide a platform for Major League Baseball players to talk about road safety. With RADD, TEAM and MLB working together, we can reach an at-risk audience of young adults, where they live, work and play with life-saving messages,” said Erin Meluso, President of RADD.

“MLB views fan safety as one of the League’s top priorities, that’s why we endorsed the Responsibility Has Its Rewards campaign -- to recognize our fans who choose to designate a sober driver,” said Kevin Hallinan, Senior Vice President of Security and Facility Management for MLB and Chairman of TEAM Coalition. “We are confident that with RADD’s help, even more fans will become aware and participate in this life-saving program.”

RADD has plans to create additional public service announcements with various MLB players, coaches and umpires for the RHIR campaign. RADD celebrity messengers have also been invited to participate in the upcoming 2005 MLB Legends and Celebrity All-Star softball game at Detroit’s Comerica Field, July 10, 2005.

Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that young males 21-34 years-old are most likely to be involved in automobile crashes, drive impaired and less likely to wear safety belts. Market research also shows that this demographic is a core audience for sporting and entertainment programming and events.

TEAM Coalition -- an alliance of professional and collegiate sports, entertainment facilities, concessionaires, 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 -- has coordinated this league-wide promotion in support of existing designated driver programs designed to reward fans for responsible behavior. Official promotion rules are available at www.teamcoalition.org.

RADD (Recording Artists, Actors and Athletes Against Drunk Driving), ’The Entertainment Industry’s Voice For Road Safety’, is an internationally recognized non-profit organization that empowers celebrities and media partners to create positive attitudes about road safety. Founded in 1986, RADD advocates the use of designated drivers, seatbelts and safe driving through control behind the wheel, making responsible behavior the norm. RADD’s messages are non-judgmental, hip and positive. www.radd.org

Contact Information

Jill Pepper

Media Contact

TEAM Coalition

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