Television PSA campaign reaches out to Philadelphians to improve fan behavior

PHILADELPHIA (December 13, 2000) – While Philadelphia looks to finalize the specifics on two new stadiums, a new public service effort is being directed at Philadelphia fans to address their often "unsportsmanlike" behavior.

Commissioned by a consortium of Philadelphia’s hospitality organizations dubbed "The Five Seasons," and produced by the city’s 24-hour sports network, Comcast SportsNet, the goal of the two public service announcements is simply to encourage fans to "enjoy the game, don’t destroy it."

The two public service announcements feature several of the city’s most popular players and sports personalities including the 76ers’ Pat Croce and Todd MacCulloch; the Flyers’ Dan McGillis and Andy Delmore; and the Eagles’ Brian Dawkins and Charles Johnson. The spots for the first time reach out directly to the fans to encourage them to make the fan experience a quality one.

"The fact that the players care about fan behavior means a lot," according to Meryl Levitz, president and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC), one of the Five Seasons’ members. "With their help and support, we believe that we can positively impact the experience of our teams, our residents, our visitors, and even our future fans."

The two spots are now running on Comcast SportsNet, and will start appearing on other cable networks throughout the five-county Philadelphia region beginning in late December. With the help of the professional teams, the public outreach effort will expand in spring 2001 to target the city’s baseball fans.

In addition to the GPTMC, the other Five Seasons organizations are the Gateway Visitor Center, Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association, Pennsylvania Convention Center and the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau.

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