San Antonio, TX, June 12, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- San Antonio Spurs fan Ruth Hernandez was particularly excited after the Spurs won Game 3 of The Finals 2013 last night. Hernandez was named "Designated Driver for the Season" for the Spurs and attended Game 3 as a grand prize winner of the "Responsibility Has Its Rewards" sweepstakes.
Patricia Hoskin was named "Designated Driver for the Season" for the Miami Heat and attended Game 1 of The Finals as the other grand prize winner of the sweepstakes. Hernandez and Hoskin were randomly selected among all of the fans who pledged to be designated drivers at the Spurs and Heat home games. Designated drivers pledge to refrain from drinking alcohol and provide their friends and family with a safe ride home.
Throughout the season, the NBA, Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management (TEAM) Coalition 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, positive fan behavior and promote traffic safety. The success of those efforts is demonstrated by the fact that more than 65,700 adults pledged to be designated drivers during the 2012-13 NBA season. At the recent TEAM Coalition membership meeting, the "Designated Driver for the Season" from the Houston Rockets, Oscar Rosse, was randomly be chosen to attend the 2014 NBA All-Star Game.
The top five NBA teams for designated drivers at the end of the 2012-13 regular season are:
- Dallas Mavericks with 9,061 designated drivers
- Oklahoma City Thunder with 8,200 designated drivers
- San Antonio Spurs with 5,679 designated drivers
- Houston Rockets with 5,067 designated drivers
- Cleveland Cavaliers with 4,957 designated drivers
"The success of the Responsibility Has Its Rewards campaign with the NBA this season is a direct result of the commitment from the league, the teams and all the campaign partners," said Jill Pepper, executive director of TEAM Coalition. "Teamwork is what this campaign is all about. We are demonstrating that when everyone - including the fans - takes responsibility, everyone wins."
About TEAM Coalition
TEAM Coalition is an 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. TEAM's members and supporters include the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, NASCAR, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, ARAMARK, Delaware North Companies Sportservice, Ovations Food Services, Beer Institute, National Beer Wholesalers Association, Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors, Brown-Forman, Live Nation, National Association of Broadcasters, Contemporary Services Corporation, Elite, International Association of Venue Managers, Stadium Managers Association and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. www.TEAMCoalition.org
About Anheuser-Busch
For more than three decades, Anheuser-Busch and its nationwide network of wholesalers have invested more than $980 million in national advertising campaigns and community-based programs to promote responsible drinking, prevent underage drinking and drunk driving and address college issues. For more information on these alcohol responsibility efforts and the progress being made, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.
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