How many times have Flyers fans yelled and screamed for their team to Shooooooooooot?

Well, now they’re going to do the same, and ask you to take your shot. Literally.

The Flyers are the first team in the NHL, and maybe the first in any sport, to create a public service announcement and an awareness campaign for COVID-19 vaccines.

The team has created an information portal on the team website helping fans learn how to get vaccinated and have put together a PSA that will air on television and on all the Flyers social media platforms, urging fans to vax up.

The commercial features coach Alain Vigneault, players Kevin Hayes, Travis Sanheim and Brian Elliott, as well as doctors, broadcasters and, of course, Gritty, with a hip 30-second spot asking fans to do their part to help defeat COVID-19.

Another cool aspect of this campaign is the Flyers not only partnered with Penn Medicine, but also the Black Doctors COVID Consortium to help try and reach Black communities in the Philadelphia area.

From the press release:

 This week, the Flyers committed significant financial support for vaccination sites, including one hosted by the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium on Thursday at the Liacouras Center and another hosted by Penn Medicine in nearby Radnor, PA, on Saturday.

In coordination with the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, the Flyers are also funding a targeted advertising campaign designed specifically to reach Black communities throughout the region who are diagnosed at a disproportionately higher rate than other groups and who are dying from coronavirus at a higher rate than other groups. Earlier this season, Dr. Ala Stanford, founder of the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, and her family attended a Flyers home game through the organization’s “Frontline Families” program, which recognizes a different frontline worker and their family at each Flyers home game.

“It’s on all of us to do our part to end this pandemic, so we’re encouraging all of our fans to take your shot,” Vigneault said.

Flyers Charities is donating $10,000 to the Black Doctors Consortium and will have Gritty and the Flyers Dance team show up to hand out custom “Take Your Shot” stickers and t-shirts, provide water and hand sanitizer to fans waiting in line, and provide their usual entertainment at vaccination sites in Philadelphia and Radnor.

The Flyers will join the Black Doctor’s COVID-19 Consortium on Thursday, April 22 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Temple University’s Liacouras Center to encourage those receiving vaccines, cheer on frontline workers.    

“The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium is working every day to ensure that African Americans throughout our region, who disproportionately contract and die from coronavirus at a higher rate than other groups, get their care they need and access to vaccines,” said Dr. Ala Stanford, founder of Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, in a statement. “We are proud to partner with the Philadelphia Flyers and their ‘Take Your Shot’ campaign. We are grateful for their support.”

Then, on Saturday, April 24, from 3-5 p.m., Gritty and the Flyers organization will head to the Delaware County and Penn Medicine large-scale community vaccination site at Radnor High School. The collaborative clinic expects to vaccinate 3,000 people over two days (April 24-25). 

According to a team spokesperson, Sanheim also recorded a radio ad that will be played on radio stations that cater to a Black audience and an ad will also run in the Philadelphia Tribune.

“The last year has been so difficult for all of us, but there is one thing that’s helped us get to this point: working together,” said Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney. “We have so many partners in this fight against the pandemic, but we need everyone to lend a hand. Today we’re proud to partner with the Philadelphia Flyers. We couldn’t be more excited to support the Philadelphia Flyers and their ‘Take Your Shot’ campaign.”

[the_ad id=”103880″]