Play Campaign Overview
PLAY, which stands for Promoting a Lifetime of Activity for Youth, is a public awareness campaign of the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society® (PBATS), in conjunction with Major League Baseball Charities, the Taylor Hooton Foundation, the Henry Schein Cares Foundation, and the National Down Syndrome Society. The PLAY Campaign combats child obesity and promotes healthy living and decision-making among young people in America.
In 2023, the PLAY Campaign plans to hold events inside all 30 Major League Baseball (MLB) ballparks between May and September. In each city, 75-200 area youngsters between ages 8 and 17 will receive the opportunity to take part in PLAY. The MLB club in each city selects a local group of youths to participate in the program. These groups include Boys & Girls Clubs, RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) programs and other local organizations
PLAY events run approximately two hours in length. The youngsters are divided into groups and rotate through a series of “stations”: a “Hoot’s Chalk Talk” with the Taylor Hooton Foundation, about the dangers of steroid abuse, a strength and conditioning station, an injury prevention station, a lesson in overall health and hygiene from Henry Schein Cares representatives, and a nutrition station and a Q&A station with the participating MLB player(s).
MLB Ballparks
Attendees Educated
MLB Player Participants
Events Hosted
Inspiration & History
Beginning in 2008, PLAY events include the Taylor Hooton Foundation. This component to the campaign educates the participating young people about the dangers of performance enhancing drugs as part of the healthy decision curriculum. In 2013, PLAY added another dimension in the form of the Henry Schein Cares Foundation and their educational station regarding oral health and overall hygiene. They participated in 25 events in 2015 and will host a station at 25 or more events in 2018 as well.
The PLAY program was created in 2004 to raise awareness about young people’s health issues because obesity is a major concern in the United States. Since 2004, PBATS has conducted over 300 PLAY events inside all 30 MLB ballparks reaching thousands of children with positive messages about making smart life choices and living a more active and healthy lifestyle.
PLAY Videos
PLAY In the News
Bucs encourage kids to be healthy at PLAY event
“When the fireworks go off after you hit a home run,” DeJong told the Redbird Rookies little-leaguers who had arrived at Busch Stadium as guests of the athletic training staff’s National PLAY Campaign day. The kids, ranging in age between 9 and 13, got a chance to spend time on the field and heard messages that encouraged them to lead healthy lifestyles.
Graves offers advice at Marlins PLAY event
“When the fireworks go off after you hit a home run,” DeJong told the Redbird Rookies little-leaguers who had arrived at Busch Stadium as guests of the athletic training staff’s National PLAY Campaign day. The kids, ranging in age between 9 and 13, got a chance to spend time on the field and heard messages that encouraged them to lead healthy lifestyles.
Cardinals Host 2018 PLAY Campaign with Paul DeJong
“When the fireworks go off after you hit a home run,” DeJong told the Redbird Rookies little-leaguers who had arrived at Busch Stadium as guests of the athletic training staff’s National PLAY Campaign day. The kids, ranging in age between 9 and 13, got a chance to spend time on the field and heard messages that encouraged them to lead healthy lifestyles.
National PLAY Campaign visits Braves at SunTrust
Braves left-handed reliever Jesse Biddle represented the Braves as the 2018 National PLAY Campaign stopped at SunTrust Park on May 30th to promote the importance of children living a healthy and active lifestyle.
Rockies Host Memorial Day Weekend Event
Rockies relief pitchers Carlos Estevez and Zac Rosscup took time out from their rehabs and joined the PLAY campaign to remind everyone that, at its root, baseball is about fun. One way Estevez and Rosscup stayed healthy when they were young was, well, playing.
Rangers host 2018's first PLAY event
The 50 or so prep baseball players who showed up at Globe Life Park on Saturday morning got a crash course in doing things the right way as part of the National PLAY Campaign to promote the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.
Royals to Host Play Clinic Presented by Sun Life Financial
The Kansas City Royals are partnering with Sun Life Financial, along with the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) and the Taylor Hooten Foundation, to host the free PLAY (Promoting a Lifetime of Activity for Youth) clinic at Kauffman Stadium tomorrow, May 31.
Reds host National PLAY Campaign for youth
The Reds hosted the 2017 National PLAY Campaign at Great American Ball Park on Monday. The event is designed to teach children the importance of living an active lifestyle and warn against the dangers of anabolic steroids with the help of the Taylor Hooten Foundation.
Braves lead youth to more active lifestyle
Early Tuesday morning, Woodstock, Ga., resident Victor Cannon made the near 20-mile drive to SunTrust Park for a unique opportunity.
Yan Gomes, Cleveland Indians host PLAY clinic at Progressive Field to promote healthy choices for kids
Cleveland Indians catcher Yan Gomes joined Tribe athletic trainers Tuesday morning at Progressive Field to host a stop of the national PLAY campaign, which advocates healthy lifestyle choices for children.
Rangers host youth to promote healthy living
Don Hooton Jr. has seen the effects performance-enhancing substances have on young adults, and he’s doing everything he can to prevent it from happening again.
Houston Astros host National PLAY event to encourage healthy, active lifestyles
More than 100 kids came out to Minute Maid Park to learn how to live a healthy lifestyle straight from Astros players and team officials.
Mariners Host PLAY Campaign at Safeco Field
A group of kids from three Seattle area Boys & Girls Clubs got to train like Big Leaguers on the grass at Safeco Field. The kids participated in the annual PLAY Campaign, created in 2004 by the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society to encourage kids to live a healthy, active lifestyle.
Pirates to host kids at PNC for PLAY campaign
Between the first two games against the Brewers, the Pirates will play host to the national PLAY campaign Tuesday morning at PNC Park.
Rays host PLAY campaign event at the Trop
The National PLAY Campaign made a stop at Tropicana Field on Saturday morning, with current Rays players Kevin Kiermaier and Matt Duffy and former Major League pitcher Jason Johnson encouraging kids to be active in order to live a healthy lifestyle.