“Bullying is not O.K.,” was the message Monday Night Baseball analyst Eduardo Perez gave to kids at Prosser Career Academy in Chicago as part of ESPN’s “Shred Hate” bullying prevention program on April 30.
Shred Hate, a partnership between ESPN, X Games, and Major League Baseball, seeks to eliminate bullying by encouraging kids to choose kindness.
Billy Bean, former MLB player and now a special assistant to Commissioner Rob Manfred, as well X Games medalist Jordyn Barratt, also were on hand to talk to the students about their experiences with bullying.
That evening more than 350 kids from “Shred Hate” schools throughout Chicago got the chance to go see their hometown Cubs take on the Colorado Rockies and spread the anti-bullying message. Wearing bright-red Shred Hate T-shirts while sitting in the Wrigley Field bleachers, these fans were ambassadors of kindness.
@NoBully_org had a terrific time yesterday kicking off our new #shredhate campaign with our terrific partners @XGames @espn and @MLB And so did the kids who got to attend a Cubs game! THANKS to all for your support! pic.twitter.com/yzQCJUDHnT
— No Bully (@NoBully_org) May 1, 2018
The program has been presented to more than 25,000 students at 42 schools throughout the country. In the Colorado schools that had the Shred Hate curriculum last school year, 94 percent of bullying cases were remediated.
In the video above, Perez, Barratt, and Bean discuss what the message they delivered to their Prosser Career Academy audience.
In the video below, ESPN play-by-play Dave Flemming discusses the Shred Hate event at Prosser Career Academy as footage airs during the Rockies-Cubs telecast.
Jennifer Paulett and Belen Michelis produced the top video.