ATLANTA, May 6, 2011 – Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) has been named the title sponsor of Major League Baseball’s Civil Rights Game beginning this year and running through 2012. The sponsorship for the 2011 Civil Rights Game includes brand exposure throughout all events leading up to the Fifth Annual Delta Civil Rights Game, which is airing on TBS beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 15, 2011. This exposure includes signage at all receptions, the Baseball & Civil Rights Movement Roundtable Discussion, the MLB Beacon Awards Banquet presented by Belk, the Youth Summit/”Wanna Play?” event in Centennial Park and all three games during this year’s Civil Rights Game weekend
“Delta Air Lines is a pillar of the Atlanta business community, and we are very pleased to have them as our corporate partner for the next two Civil Rights Games,” said Jimmie Lee Solomon, Executive Vice President, Baseball Development, Major League Baseball. “We are thrilled to bring Delta into the fold of what will be an incredible series of events for the city.”
“Delta is proud to serve as the title sponsor of Major League Baseball’s Civil Rights Game with our longtime partners the Atlanta Braves,” said Tim Mapes, Delta Senior Vice President Marketing. “Delta’s involvement will commemorate Atlanta’s rich history in the Civil Rights Movement and celebrate the value present in the world’s diversity.”
In addition to brand exposure, MLB will create a new composite logo including the Delta logo with the Civil Rights Game mark. Delta will be featured in advertising, have scoreboard messaging during all three games of the Civil Rights Game weekend, and will have a presence during the TBS telecast of the 2011 Delta Civil Rights Game through commercials and billboards.
Delta’s signature event, the Delta Youth Baseball March will take place prior to the game on Sunday, May 15. The March will consist of thousands of Delta employees and youth baseball and softball players from the local community marching to Turner Field in support of civil rights. Delta will also be involved in the Civil Rights Diversity Sessions that will take place at local high schools to discuss the importance of diversity, especially within the Delta organization.
The Civil Rights Game Weekend consists of a three-day (May 13-15) series of events, which have been designed by MLB and the Braves to pay tribute to all of those who fought on and off the field for equal rights for all Americans. As home to many key leaders and organizations of the civil rights movement, and as a location for many of the movement’s grassroots activities, Atlanta played a critical role in this period of American history. The Delta Civil Rights Game will be played on Sunday, May 15 between the Braves and Phillies at Turner Field. Delta served as a presenting sponsor of the Civil Rights Game in Cincinnati in 2010.
As the official airline of the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals, Delta sponsors more Major League Baseball teams than any other airline. Delta also serves as the charter carrier for the Braves, Boston Red Sox, Reds, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Mets, Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, Cardinals, San Diego Padres, Twins and Washington Nationals. Delta has partnered with the Braves since the team moved to Atlanta in 1966.
For more information or to purchase tickets to the Civil Rights Game and additional Civil Rights Game Weekend events, please visit www.MLB.com/civilrightsgame.
About Delta
Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year, and was named by Fortune magazine as the most admired airline worldwide in its 2011 World's Most Admired Companies airline industry list. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 346 destinations in 64 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline's service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, the world's largest airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Delta is investing more than $2 billion through 2013 in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.
