On Friday, Major League Baseball announced the launch of “Vaccinate at the Plate,” a public health initiative with the goal to boost vaccination rates across the country, but in a more focused sense, among local communities. If fans recieve a Covid-19 vaccination shot at at this clinic, they will be gifted with one free ticket to a MLB game, whether it be for the day or later in the 2021 baseball season.
All 30 professional baseball teams will host one or more vaccination clinics in the month of June. Details like where the clinic will be held, when it will be, and which game fans receive a ticket for, are flexible and will be up to each team. They will also partner with a local pharmacy or healthcare provider to administer the vaccines safely and with the proper medical precautions.
“Major League Baseball wants to play a role in expanding widespread adoption of the vaccines which have proven to be safe and effective,” said Dr. Gary Green, the Medical Director of Major League Basball. “As more people get vaccinated, the rate of infection decreases, and more areas of society can safely reopen. We are proud of the efforts MLB clubs are taking to help in this effort.”
Teams are currently planning on expanding their audience admission to full capacity for the 2021 season. However, a stadium full of vaccinated fans is ultimately the goal, and the MLB has launched this initiative to help that goal be achieved by boosting incentive for people to get vaccinated.
Several teams have already released dates for their vaccination clinics, posted promotions on their social media account, and encouraged fans to attend with extra incentive. The Seattle Mariners announced that fans who choose to get their vaccine at their clinic will recieve a $20 Amazon gift card in addition to a pair of free tickets.
The President and CEO of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Derrick Hall, spoke a little bit about why the MLB launched this initiative. “We want to play a role in ensuring that anyone who wants a vaccination is able to get one so that we can continue to get back to our normal lives as soon as possible.” He said in a statement.
As of now, the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, and Seattle Mariners have already announced dates, times, and locations of their vaccination clinics. Vaccination will be available to all fans over the age of 12.
More information on the Vaccinate at the Plate initiative can be found at MLB.com/vaccine.
Allyson Park is a writer and media intern for Knup Sports and the Sports 2.0 Network covering a variety of topics including football, soccer, and baseball. Connect with Allyson on Instagram @allysonpark01.
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