NSTEP SPONSORS PITCHTRAX


QuesTec, Inc. and Oral Health America's National Spit Tobacco Education Program (NSTEP) (www.nstep.org) have  agreed to a sponsorship contract for the remainder of the 2001 Major League Baseball regular season.  NSTEP was established in 1994 with the support of Major League Baseball and is funded in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Chaired by former Major Leaguer and broadcaster Joe Garagiola, NSTEP's purpose is to educate the American public to the dangers of “smokeless”, or "spit" tobacco products through a variety of public awareness activities, many of which involve baseball.

Since 1995, NSTEP has received over $100 million in leveraged exposure for its various activities and public service announcements that have featured baseball celebrities such as Derek Jeter, Henry Aaron, Jeff Bagwell, Alex Rodriguez, and most recently,  entertainer Garth Brooks.  The campaign has received numerous accolades from such public figures as former President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala, as well as received several awards for excellence in communication.

During FOX Sports Net’s (FSN’s) regional  coverage of Major League Baseball games across the country, a “SMOKELESS DOES NOT MEAN HARMLESS” graphic, including the web site: www.nstep.org, will be prominently displayed several times per game on PitchTrax virtual replays, along with two verbal “SMOKELESS” messages to be read by the announcers.  As part of this Agreement, Oral Health America has contracted QuesTec to promote their message during 380 televised baseball games on FOX Sports Net.  Oral Health America’s PitchTrax sponsorship will be featured in 10 regional markets on FOX Sports Net and has already appeared during FSN’s coverage of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland A’s, San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers. 

NSTEP's Chairman Joe Garagiola praised the PitchTrax technology. The former big league catcher said, "I've always felt the catcher had the best view of any player on the field.  PitchTrax now makes everybody a catcher without having to catch the ball.  Fans can also learn the truth about spit tobacco while they watch.  I believe PitchTrax is the perfect way to let our fans, especially the youngsters, know how the pitchers are thinking and even a more important message that smokeless does not mean harmless."

“PitchTrax offers advertisers and sponsors a unique platform on which to promote their brand and message during televised games of Major League Baseball.  PitchTrax provides sponsors with a high profile presence during live action at critical points throughout the game,  allowing them to separate themselves from all of the in-between innings clutter”, stated Steven B. Greenfield, QuesTec Chairman and CEO.

PitchTrax uses QuesTec’s proprietary tracking technology to create a unique three-dimensional view of the exact trajectory, movement, speed and ultimate plate-location of every pitch thrown during a game. PitchTrax offers viewers a three-dimensional perspective that can be shown from any angle or zoom level and illustrates the true movement and location of the baseball better than any TV camera angle can.  PitchTrax is currently licensed exclusively to the FOX Channels Group as "in-game enhancement" during live television broadcasts of Major League Baseball games.  PitchTrax appears as a sponsored feature during FOX Sports Net productions.