"This program underscores the fact that promoting responsible drinking is not just the responsibility of one group. By working together, sports leagues, concessionaires, brewers, and others can implement successful alcohol management training and awareness programs through TEAM Coalition."
--- Liz Tobin, Senior Director External Affairs, Beer Institute
TEAM traveled to New Orleans, LA on August 26 to reward fans who made the Responsibility Has Its Rewards pledge to:
Always Buckle Up - Every Trip, Every Time
Never Drive Drunk
Always Have a Designated Driver
Fans Don't Let Fans Drive Drunk was the responsibility message for Saints fans over the age of 21. Joining the fans were five members of the Saintsations.
Also in attendance for the filming were representatives from three law enforcement agencies:
New Orleans Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas
Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand
Kenner, LA Chief of Police Steve Caraway
Fans who made the pledge filmed responsibility videos to be included in a Public Service Announcement being produced for broadcast on the Superdome video board, the Saints Web site and local TV broadcasters.
NATIONAL CAMPAIGN: Responsibility Has Its Rewards™
Saints Responsibility Message:Saints Fans Don't Let Fans Drive Drunk
RHIR PARTNERS INCLUDE:
New Orleans Saints
Anheuser-Busch
TEAM Coalition (Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management)
WHO: Fans and the Community
WHAT: The New Orleans Saints, Anheuser-Busch and TEAM invited fans to tape their own RHIR responsibility messages at the Saints football team office on Thursday, August 26, the day before the Saints second preseason home game. Fans read a script from a teleprompter and received a copy of their message electronically. Fans messages may be selected to be included in a broadcast public service announcement or stadium video board announcement.
Anheuser-Busch: Budweiser Good Sport is a comprehensive action plan for influencing fan behavior at sporting events. Anheuser-Busch developed the program in 1986 to help stadium operators, team owners and concessionaires promote positive fan behavior, responsible drinking and the use of designated drivers at sporting venues.www.beeresponsible.com.
TEAM Coalition: an alliance of professional and collegiate sports, entertainment facilities,
concessionaires, stadium service partners, 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. www.teamcoalition.org
US DOT / NHTSA 2008 NATIONAL DATA:
In 2008, 11,773 people were killed as a result of alcohol-related (BAC > 0.08) car crashes, a decline of 9.7% from the 13,041 fatalities in 2007
Many, if not most of those lives would have been saved if people did not drive when they were impaired by alcohol or if they used sober, designated drivers or if they simply wore their seat belts.
Statistics and research clearly show that 21-34 year old males are the demographic most likely to be involved in an automobile crash, drive when impaired by alcohol, and fail to buckle up.
