The Cincinnati Reds welcomed the 2026 National PLAY Campaign to Great American Ball Park, hosting 60 middle school and high school aged baseball players and their coaches for a day centered on health, wellness, and the importance of living an active lifestyle. The event, led by the Reds athletic training and strength and conditioning staff in partnership with the Reds community relations department (a huge thank you to Lindsey Dingeldein and Sara Scharff for their work in planning this event), marked another impactful stop on the 2026 PLAY Campaign Summer Tour.
The PLAY Campaign — which stands for Promoting a Lifetime of Activity for Youth — is a nationwide initiative presented by the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) in partnership with Major League Baseball, the Taylor Hooton Foundation, Song for Charlie, and longtime supporting sponsor the Henry Schein Cares Foundation. Started in 2004, the campaign continues to bring MLB athletic trainers, national partners, and local students together for hands-on educational experiences that extend well beyond the baseball diamond.
Inside the Day at Great American Ball Park
The Reds athletic training and strength and conditioning staff took center stage throughout the event, leading students through a series of interactive sessions designed to educate young athletes on the habits and decisions that lead to long, healthy careers in the sport they love.
Head Athletic Trainer Sean McQueeney, Assistant Athletic Trainers Tomas Vera and Ryan Ross, and Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Rob Fumagalli brought their expertise directly to the students, covering topics that included youth arm health, the risks of sports specialization, and the importance of building a well-rounded approach to athletic development. For many of the players in attendance, the opportunity to learn directly from sports medicine and performance professionals working at the Major League level was a rare and memorable experience.
Youth arm health remains one of the most pressing topics in baseball at every level, and the Reds staff addressed it head-on — discussing pitch counts, proper mechanics, rest and recovery, and the warning signs that young pitchers and their coaches should never ignore. The conversation around sports specialization was equally important, with staff emphasizing the value of multi-sport participation during developmental years and the physical and mental toll that early specialization can take on young athletes.
Powerful Messages From National Partners
The educational programming was further strengthened by impactful presentations from two of the PLAY Campaign’s national partners.
Brian Parker represented the Taylor Hooton Foundation, speaking to students about the dangers of performance-enhancing substances and the importance of making informed, healthy decisions as young athletes navigate the pressures of competitive sports. The Taylor Hooton Foundation has been a longtime partner of the PLAY Campaign, and Parker’s message resonated with players and coaches alike — a timely reminder that shortcuts in athletic development carry real and lasting consequences.
Christina Julian spoke on behalf of Song for Charlie, delivering critical education around counterfeit pills and fentanyl awareness. Song for Charlie’s presence at PLAY Campaign events has become an increasingly important component of the program, equipping young people with potentially life-saving information in an accessible and age-appropriate format. In an era where fentanyl awareness has never been more urgent, Christina’s presentation gave students and coaches the knowledge and tools to make safer decisions both on and off the field.
A Day That Reflects What PLAY Is All About
For PBATS and its partners, events like the one hosted by the Cincinnati Reds represent the heart of what the PLAY Campaign was built to do. By combining the unique platform of Major League Baseball with meaningful education around health, wellness, and personal responsibility, the campaign continues to create lasting impressions on the young athletes it serves.
The Reds community relations department played an integral role in bringing the event together, helping ensure that students from the Cincinnati area had access to an experience that was both educational and memorable. The collaboration between community relations and the athletic training staff reflected the kind of organizational commitment to youth outreach that makes the PLAY Campaign possible at each of its stops across Major League Baseball.
As the 2026 PLAY Campaign Summer Tour continues, PBATS and its partners remain focused on the initiative’s core mission — giving young people the tools, knowledge, and inspiration to live healthier, more active lives, and to make positive choices that carry them far beyond their playing days.