For the fifth consecutive year, Adam Wainwright is bringing his annual Big League Impact Fantasy Football Live Draft and its winning fundraising formula of MLB players, celebrities and fans to Busch Stadium on Friday, August 25.
As part of the event, participating fans will draft their own fantasy football team, competing against Wainwright and other big leaguers such as Lance Lynn, Matt Carpenter, Luke Weaver, St. Louis Blues Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Pronger. Participants will manage their fantasy team throughout a 13-week, head-to-head-format season, including a head-to-head matchup against one of the celebrity participants. Prior to the start of the event, Wainwright will lead participants on a behind-the-scenes tour of Busch Stadium before joining his teammates for a VIP fantasy football draft in the UMB Champions Club. Participants will also get to enjoy VIP access to batting practice, party suite tickets for the evening's game versus the San Diego Padres, weekly interaction and competition with big leaguers throughout the fantasy football season and chances to win other great, one-of-a-kind prizes.
All proceeds from Wainwright's event at Busch Stadium will go to benefit Cardinals Care, Operation Food Search of St. Louis, Crisis Aid International and Big League Impact's Global Initiative Fund.
Big League Impact started with a single fantasy football charity event in 2013 and has raised over one million dollars and expanded to nine MLB cities: San Francisco, New York, St. Louis, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. This year's roster of participating MLB players includes Adam Wainwright, Hunter Pence, John Smoltz, Kyle Gibson, Matt Holliday, C.C. Sabathia, Dellin Betances, Brett Gardner, David Wright, Tony Watson, Cameron Rupp and Tucker Barnhart.
"The growth we've seen in Big League Impact over the past four years is really exciting," said Wainwright. "In only a few years, we have already been able to raise over one million dollars by doing just what we were already going to do. Play fantasy football."
For a full listing of Big League Impact fantasy football draft day experiences, or to register for events in their cities, fans can visit bigleagueimpact.org.
Fans can learn more about Cardinals players' community efforts at cardinals.com/playerscare.