MLB Fans to Select Pepsi Max Field of Dreams Team and Get the Chance to Play Against an All-Star Roster of Baseball Legends

PHOENIX, July 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As the Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Stars take the field, Pepsi MAX is giving fans the chance to create an All-Star roster of their own with a salute to the living legends of the game. Starting today through August 31, baseball fans across the country can go to MLB.com/PepsiMAX to cast votes for their favorite players at each of the nine positions.  For each ballot cast, fans will be entered to win the chance to take on the winning Pepsi MAX Field of Dreams Team on their home turf next spring.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110712/NY33447 )

Fans have some challenging decisions facing them in this unique online voting opportunity. The ballot is comprised of 30 MLB greats, three legendary players at each position (catcher, first base, second base, third base, short-stop, designated hitter, relief pitcher, starting pitcher and outfield), including Ken Griffey Jr., Ryne Sandberg, Cal Ripken Jr., Ozzie Smith, Greg Maddux, Tony Gwynn, Carlton Fisk, Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers and Rickey Henderson, among others.

Beginning today, fans can vote up to 25 times per day at MLB.com/PepsiMAX or can text PEPSIMAX to 41623 to receive instructions on mobile voting. Each vote counts as an entry to be selected as one of four regional finalists. In September, the fan-elected 11 man Pepsi MAX Field of Dreams Team will be announced and the four fan finalists will begin campaigning for their chance to take on this real-life fantasy team with ten of their friends in their local community surrounded by family, friends and baseball fans.

"Pepsi MAX is all about creating unique, one-of-a-kind opportunities for MLB fans to help amplify their baseball experience," said Mark Rooks, senior director for Pepsi sports marketing. "With this promotion we are looking to engage MLB fans by allowing them to tell us who they think some of the greatest living legends of the game are, and to top it all off we are giving them the chance of a lifetime to play against some of their all time heroes."

When visiting MLB.com/PepsiMAX, fans can utilize the interactive stats, high quality video highlights and background stories featuring the legends on the ballot to help make their voting choices. Current MLB players also will provide guidance through firsthand video testimonials on how they would cast their votes. In addition, fans will be able to spark balloting debates by sharing their opinions and choices on MLB.com and through social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.

"It was fun working with Pepsi MAX earlier this year to create the 'Clubhouse in the Corn' and 'Rally' commercials and now to see how they are bringing that to life for the fans is amazing," said Dennis Eckersley, baseball Hall of Famer and Pepsi MAX Field of Dreams Team hopeful. "The guys on the ballot are some of the greatest baseball players of all time. I'm honored to be counted among them and excited to see how the fans vote."

To launch the Pepsi MAX Field of Dreams promotion, supermodel, Selita Ebanks, reggaeton stars, RKM & Ken-Y, and MLB All-Stars, Justin Upton and Felix Hernandez, were on hand at the Pepsi MAX footprint at the MLB All-Star FanFest to cast their votes. The promotion is an extension of the brand's advertising creative, which launched earlier this year. As the official soft drink of MLB, zero calorie Pepsi MAX took a creative spin on the Field of Dreams movie to create two spots – 'Clubhouse in the Corn' and 'Rally.'

About Pepsi MAX

Pepsi MAX, with its zero calories and maximum Pepsi taste, is one of PepsiCo's billion-dollar global brands and is part of Pepsi Americas Beverages.  To learn more about Pepsi MAX, visit Pepsi Max on Facebook at: www.PepsiMAX.com/facebook or on Twitter at: @PepsiMAX.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that each generates more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses – Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade – also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in more than 200 countries. With annualized revenues of nearly $60 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. In recognition of its continued sustainability efforts, PepsiCo was named for the third time to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) and for the fourth time to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI North America) in 2009. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

Media Contacts:

Esther-Mireya Tejeda, Manager of Public Relations, 914-253-3347, [email protected]

Lindsey Early, Edelman for Pepsi, 312-451-3574, [email protected]

Amaris Noble, Edelman for Pepsi, 212-642-7738, [email protected]

SOURCE PepsiCo