Boycott Baseball…for a day

(from press release)

A group of devout baseball fans has started “Baseball Fans Give Back” — a social initiative to respond to the steroids scandal that has tainted Major League Baseball.

Determined to see a positive outcome in an otherwise negative situation, the group is encouraging people to stay away from big league baseball for one day, but asking them to take a portion of the money or time they were going to spend on the game that day and give it back to their community instead.

“Baseball Fans Give Back” is asking people to boycott the game on April 17th, the date that Roberto Clemente made his big league debut in 1954. Specifically the group has petitioned fans to take any of the following four actions:

1. Refuse to go to one of the 15 big league baseball games on April 17th.
2. Refuse to watch the television broadcasts of one of the 15 big league baseball games on April 17th.
3. Pledge to spend three hours giving back to your community by volunteering on April 17th, the average length of a big league baseball game.
4. Pledge to donate $13 to a charity or other non-profit organization, half of the average cost of a big league baseball ticket.

Fans can sign-up on the group’s web site, www.baseballfansgiveback.com. The group is not a charity, so they provide recommend charities they would like people to consider when deciding where their donation will go. They have also collaborated with VolunteerMatch.org to connect people with rewarding volunteer opportunities in their area.

Lucas Swineford, Founder of Baseball Fans Give Back, said, “We want to inspire people who, like us, are frustrated. For one day, we can come together as baseball fans to make a positive impact on our communities. Then we can all go back to watching the game we love the very next day.”