100 Free Veggie Dogs for Blue Jays Fans?

After Animal Rights Activists Rushed the Infield on Saturday, PETA Offers Cruelty-Free Franks for Tuesday Night’s Game

For Immediate Release:
April 11, 2016

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Today, PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—sent a letter to the Blue Jays offering to treat the first 100 fans to free veggie dogs from Rogers Centre’s concession stands at tomorrow night’s home game against the New York Yankees. The offer comes after two women with another animal-protection group, Direct Action Everywhere Toronto, ran onto the field during Saturday’s Jays game with a banner proclaiming, “Animal Liberation Now.”

“Anyone can take direct action for animals anywhere and at any time simply by choosing vegan meals,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is eager to hook up baseball fans with delicious, cruelty-free veggie dogs to enjoy while cheering on the Jays from the stands.”

Rogers Centre has made PETA’s rankings of the top 10 vegetarian-friendly ballparks in past years.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

PETA’s letter to Toronto Blue Jays Vice President of Communications Jay Stenhouse follows.

April 11, 2016

Jay Stenhouse
Vice President of Communications
Toronto Blue Jays

Dear Mr. Stenhouse:

We have an idea for a positive follow-up to the demands made by demonstrators on the field on Saturday. On behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 3 million members and supporters, we have an offer to keep your fans happy and full while allowing them to take direct action to improve their health and cut animal abuse out of their diets. We’d like to treat the first 100 fans at tomorrow’s home game against the Yankees to Rogers Centre’s delicious, 100 percent cruelty-free veggie dogs.

Before becoming someone’s hot dog, pigs spend their entire lives confined to filthy warehouses and are denied everything that is natural and important to them, such as nurturing their young and building nests. Mother pigs are kept in tiny, barren crates so small that they can’t even turn around. They develop open sores from rubbing against the bars and often develop stereotypic behavior, indicating extreme mental stress and despair.

Vegan ballpark fare like veggie dogs and veggie burgers spares the lives of animals while protecting the health of your fans. The World Health Organization has now classified hot dogs and other processed meats in the same “carcinogenic to humans” (Group 1) category as cigarettes and asbestos. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, vegans are less prone to suffering from not only cancer but also heart disease, diabetes, and obesity than meat-eaters are.

With vegan eating more popular than ever, we want sports fans to know how easy it is to take direct action in their lives to help animals, and they can start with a delicious, healthy humane meal while catching a game. Our offer is sure to be a hit at the ballpark. Please contact me to discuss the details as soon as you can. Thank you for your consideration.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid E. Newkirk
President