Houston, TX, Oct. 28, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For one very lucky and responsible Houston Astros fan, last night’s World Series® game will forever be treasured as an incredible baseball memory. Gabby Zavala from Fresno, TX, cheered loudly for her beloved Astros from inside Minute Maid Park. Mrs. Zavala and her guest received tickets to the game as her reward for being a responsible fan. She was one of the two grand prize winners of the League-wide “Responsibility Has Its Rewards” sweepstakes to celebrate designated drivers. Mrs. Zavala was randomly chosen from more than 19,000 Astros fans who pledged to be designated drivers at Minute Maid Park this season, ensuring safe rides home for their friends and family.
"The safety of our fans is paramount throughout the season," said John Skinner, Senior Director of Security and Facility Management, Major League Baseball." The Budweiser Good Sport Program helps us promote and increase fans' responsibility in regards to designated driving. Along with Budweiser and TEAM Coalition, we're proud to reward fans who have committed to getting their family and friends home safely with these special World Series experiences."
For the 14th consecutive season, MLB, Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management (TEAM) Coalition and Budweiser have joined together to make fans aware of the designated driver programs offered at MLB ballparks. The designated driver programs and the “Responsibility Has Its Rewards” (RHIR) sweepstakes promote safer roads by encouraging responsible drinking and positive fan behavior.
“Budweiser has strived to be a leader in responsible drinking and sports marketing for the past 30 years, and we’re honored to once again reward fans who take personal responsibility for not driving drunk,” said Katja Zastrow, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility & Better World at Anheuser-Busch. “We’re dedicated to working with Major League Baseball, ballparks, concessionaires, and TEAM Coalition to encourage baseball fans to “Give A Damn” about making our roads safer.”
Budweiser and its wholesaler partners promote responsible drinking among baseball fans by implementing Budweiser Good Sport fan responsibility programs in 21 MLB ballparks throughout the season. Budweiser is an official sponsor of Major League Baseball and the 2017 World Series.
As the Astros Designated Driver for the Season, Mrs. Zavala received two tickets for Game Three of the 2017 World Series®, was recognized on the video scoreboard and met MLB and Club officials. The Los Angeles Dodgers Designated Driver for the Season, Jennifer Wells of Irvine, CA, attended Game One of the World Series® at Dodger Stadium as the other RHIR sweepstakes grand prize winner.
“The success of the Responsibility Has Its Rewards campaign with Major League Baseball and Budweiser is a direct result of the commitment from the League, the MLB Clubs and all the campaign partners,” said Jill Pepper, Executive Director of TEAM Coalition. “Teamwork is what this campaign is all about. It is proof that when everyone - including the fans - takes responsibility, everyone wins.”
During the 2017 MLB regular season, more than 560,000 baseball fans planned ahead and made a responsible, winning play by pledging to be designated drivers.
The top five MLB Clubs for designated drivers in 2017 are:
- St. Louis Cardinals: 72,519 designated drivers
- San Diego Padres: 44,171 designated drivers
- Milwaukee Brewers: 40,534 designated drivers
- Detroit Tigers: 31,446 designated drivers
- Toronto Blue Jays: 29,172 designated drivers
About Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is the most historic professional sports league in the United States and consists of 30 member clubs in the U.S. and Canada, representing the highest level of professional baseball. Major League Baseball is the best-attended sport in North America, and since 2004, MLB has enjoyed its best-attended seasons in the history of the game, with each regular season eclipsing the 73 million mark. Led by Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr., MLB currently features record levels of labor peace, competitive balance and industry revenues, as well as the most comprehensive drug-testing program in American professional sports. MLB remains committed to making an impact in the communities of the U.S., Canada and throughout the world, perpetuating the sport’s larger role in society and permeating every facet of baseball’s business, marketing and community relations endeavors. With the continued success of MLB Advanced Media and MLB Network, MLB continues to find innovative ways for its fans to enjoy America’s National Pastime and a truly global game. For more information on Major League Baseball, visit www.MLB.com.
About Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch and its employees build on a legacy of corporate social responsibility by focusing on three key areas: promoting alcohol responsibility, preserving and protecting the environment and supporting local communities. In the past three decades, Anheuser-Busch and its wholesalers have invested more than $1 billion in preventing drunk driving and underage drinking and promoting responsible retailing and advertising. Anheuser-Busch reduced total water use at its breweries by nearly 50 percent over the last 10 years. The company has been a leading aluminum recycler for more than 30 years. Each year Anheuser-Busch and its Foundation invest approximately $20 million in donations to charitable organizations that help in local communities. The company also has provided over 76 million cans of emergency drinking water to people impacted by natural and other disasters since 1988. Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch, the leading American brewer, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the leading global brewer. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.
About TEAM Coalition
TEAM Coalition is an alliance of professional and collegiate sports, entertainment facilities, concessionaires, stadium service providers, the beer industry, distillers, broadcasters, traffic safety experts and others working together to promote responsible drinking and positive fan behavior at sports and entertainment facilities. TEAM Coalition members and supporters include Major League Baseball, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Major League Soccer, NASCAR, National Basketball Association, National Football League, National Hockey League, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Americrown, Aramark, Delaware North Sportservice, Legends, Spectra, Beer Institute, National Beer Wholesalers Association, Constellation Brands, HEINEKEN USA, MillerCoors, Brown-Forman, Live Nation, National Association of Broadcasters, Contemporary Services Corporation, International Association of Venue Managers, Stadium Managers Association and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. For more information, visit www.TEAMCoalition.org.
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