The partnership will spread an anti-steroids message nationwide to thousands of high school and youth baseball players

COLUMBIA, MD - November 2, 2009– Baseball Factory announced today a partnership with the Taylor Hooton Foundation that will help deliver an anti-steroids message to thousands of baseball players nationwide.  The organizations will work together to provide all Baseball Factory players and families with educational information on the dangers of anabolic steroids and other appearance and  performance enhancing drugs. 

 

The partnership between Baseball Factory and the Taylor Hooton Foundation will provide an opportunity for young baseball players to learn about the dangers associated with appearance and performance enhancing drugs (APEDs).  In addition, the Taylor Hooton Foundation will provide training to the Baseball Factory staff on all aspects of this topic and will make an appearance at select Baseball Factory events in order to deliver this message directly to players and their families.  It is important that not only the players, but also the parents are fully educated on the perils associated with these drugs.

 

"We're excited to be teaming up with the Taylor Hooton Foundation," Steve Sclafani, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Baseball Factory, said. "Performance enhancing drugs have been a major negative force on baseball for too long and we feel it is extremely important that we raise awareness of the dangers of these drugs.  We want to make sure that our players are able to make educated decisions on what they put into their bodies and the Taylor Hooton Foundation delivers a positive message to help eliminate these issues."

 

The Taylor Hooton Foundation will be distributing written materials to players at all Baseball Factory events.  The Taylor Hooton Foundation prides itself in offering the most current and accurate drug information available.  The Taylor Hooton Foundation is also currently partnered with Major League Baseball in their fight against APEDs.

 

Don Hooton, President of the Taylor Hooton Foundation, commented, "I am very pleased that the Baseball Factory has agreed to partner with the Taylor Hooton Foundation. This partnership is a perfect opportunity for us to be able to deliver our education messages to kids and parents that are right in the perfect target zone.  The place to win this battle is to get into the hearts and minds of our athletes and other youth during their developmental time."

 

Baseball Factory is widely recognized as the top, hands-on player development and marketing service in the United States.  Over 2,500 players from Baseball Factory and Team One, the company's showcase and tournament division, have been selected in the amateur draft, with over 215 of those players going on to the Major Leagues.  In addition, Baseball Factory and Team One have assisted players in obtaining over $500 million in scholarships and over 30,000 of their players have gone on to compete at the college level.  The company holds more than 250 baseball camps, clinics, showcases and tournaments each year.

 

"At Baseball Factory, we pride ourselves on educating families on all aspects of the game.  This is one of the topics in baseball that cannot and should not be avoided.  By partnering with the experts at the Taylor Hooton Foundation, we will be able to provide a clear anti-steroids message to our players," said Steve Sclafani.

 

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The Taylor Hooton Foundation is the only entity-public or private-in the United States dedicated to educating young people and adult influencers about the dangers of anabolic steroids and appearance and performance enhancing drugs.  The Foundation is focused exclusively on protecting young people from these drugs through education and outreach.

 

 

About Baseball Factory

Baseball Factory provides baseball players nationwide with the very best instruction, tournament competition, and college planning and guidance. From day one, Baseball Factory has understood the uncertainty of being a high school player heading to college. That is why Baseball Factory has developed programs to provide players, parents, high school coaches, college coaches, and professional scouts with year round advice and training so that they all can benefit from Baseball Factory’s longstanding relationships in the baseball community. Baseball Factory has assisted over 25,000 players compete at the college level, over 2,500 players have been drafted and over 200 have gone on to play in the majors.  For further information, please visit www.baseballfactory.com.

 

 

About Taylor Hooton Foundation

The Taylor Hooton Foundation (www.taylorhooton.org) was formed in memory of Taylor E. Hooton, a 17-year old high school baseball player from Plano, TX.  Taylor committed suicide on July 15, 2003 as a result of the abuse of anabolic steroids.   The Foundation was established in 2004 by his parents, family and friends when they became aware of the magnitude of a growing problem among high school students across the country-the illegal use and abuse of anabolic steroids and other appearance and performance enhancing drugs.   They also learned that young people and their parents are generally unaware of the real dangers of these powerful drugs.  The Taylor Hooton Foundation for Fighting Steroid Abuse (THF) is a non-profit, 501(c) corporation headquartered in McKinney, TX. 

 

CONTACTS:

                                                                                               

BASEBALL FACTORY:

Jason Budden

800-641-4487, jason@baseballfactory.com

 

TAYLOR HOOTON FOUNDATION:

Donald Hooton, Jr.