Braves pitch important anti-bullying message
The Atlanta Braves may be near the bottom of the National League standings, but they’re leaders off the field when it comes to combating bullying.
In a public service announcement distributed to 100 metro Atlanta schools, popular players like pitcher Shelby Miller and — sigh — the just-traded outfielder Jonny Gomes stress the importance of "striking out" bullying by confiding in a trusted teacher or coach. "You should know you're not alone," says catcher A.J. Pierzynski.
That message will be emphatically underscored on Sept. 10 at Turner Field, right before the Braves take on — ooh, this hurts — the NL East division-leading New York Mets at 7:10 p.m. Starting at 4:30 p.m., Fan Plaza will be the site of "No Place for Hate," an anti-bullying rally that's a team effort by the Braves and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). And it will feature an appearance by Brian Jordan, the former Braves All-Star outfielder-turned-successful-children's-book-author.
Jordan, who also serves as a pregame analyst on “Braves Live” on FSNSouth and SportsSouth, will address the rally, where participants can take an anti-bullying pledge. The first 250 youths who take part in the rally will receive a copy of Jordan’s newest book, “Time Out for Bullies.”
It’s the second time this season that the Braves have hosted a high-profile rally aimed at showing that “even though people are from other cultures and parts of the world, we can all unite as one,” Braves community affairs coordinator Kathryn Bennett explained recently. Back in August, the club partnered with the North Fulton Rotary Club and Up With People on a similar event. That rally, titled “Going to Bat,” featured a screening of the PSA and two performances by Up With People, a global education organization that aims to bring the world together through service and music.
“We are consistently trying to make (the anti-bullying efforts) a bigger thing,” Bennett said at the time, adding that “Going to Bat” was the first such rally the Braves were doing in conjunction with organizations other than the ADL. “The good news is, each year, it’s snowballing.
In fact, the Braves and the ADL are veteran teammates on "No Place for Hate," an anti-bullying campaign of which the PSA is one highlight. You can check out the video on the "Braves Strike Out Bullying" page on the team's website. Tickets to the Sept. 10 game — which also is Hispanic Heritage Night and Julio Teheran Bobblehead Night — are available through the website (www.braves.com) as well. The Fan Plaza rallies are open to anyone with a ticket to the game.
