Five new Major League Baseball clubs will support the Shred Hate initiative -- an innovative program striving to end bullying in schools and communities by encouraging youth to choose kindness -- MLB, ESPN and X Games announced on Wednesday.
The Angels, Dodgers, Phillies, Pirates and Rangers are the latest teams to join the Cubs, White Sox, Twins and Nationals as Shred Hate clubs in the effort to prevent bullying. Select schools in club markets will use the No Bully methodology that has remediated more than 90 percent of bullying incidents since Shred Hate's launch in January 2017.
No Bully is a nonprofit that trains schools how to activate student compassion to eradicate bullying and cyberbullying. The organization will work directly through Shred Hate and local school districts in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Dallas. This is in addition to existing Shred Hate schools in Chicago, Colorado, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Washington, D.C.
In a study by the Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Department of Education, nearly one in four students -- more than 10 million total students -- report being bullied each year in the United States. Thanks to the five MLB club additions to the Shred Hate program, nearly 60,000 students will be reached in the 2018-19 academic year.
"Shred Hate has been an extraordinary opportunity for baseball to use our considerable platform and positively influence the lives of young people where our teams play," said MLB vice president and special assistant to the Commissioner Billy Bean. "The courageous stories shared by some of the students participating in the Shred Hate program, and who have been affected by this epidemic, inspire us to multiply our efforts.
"We are incredibly thankful to our clubs who have stepped forward in support of this initiative as we continue to grow an inclusive and accepting culture throughout every level of our sport."
Two new Shred Hate modules were developed to roll out this academic school year in an effort to impact afterschool and summer programs, as well as student athletes and coaches. Courtesy of the No Bully System in-school curriculum, 20- to 30-minute lessons are available to download here. In addition, student athletes will learn how to be upstanders and lead schools in their bullying prevention efforts with the help of multimedia platforms and public service announcements from MLB players.
MLB will host a social-media driven Shred Hate activation at the Little League Classic presented by GEICO beginning on Thursday in Williamsport, Pa. The activation looks to raise awareness about bullying and the Shred Hate initiative among the thousands of kids and parents attending the event. Look for them at MLB's Play Ball Park at the Little League International complex during the tournament.
"Shred Hate is stopping bullying at unprecedented rates," said ESPN vice president of corporate citizenship Kevin Martinez. "We're excited to expand on this success and bring the program into more schools, while raising awareness on this critical issue using the incredible reach and platforms of MLB, its clubs and X Games."