In a first-of-its-kind partnership, the Boston Red Sox will give its minor-league players violence-prevention training through the university's Center for the Study of Sport in Society.

The 2004 world champions are the first major-league baseball team to sign up for the training provided by Sport in Society's Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) program. The Red Sox partnership, which begins in March during spring training, will involve all 150 of the team's minor leaguers, some as young as sixteen and hailing from as far away as the Dominican Republic.

In a January press conference announcing the partnership, Red Sox senior vice president and general manager Theo Epstein said he hopes MVP's anti-violence training will help young ballplayers "survive on the road."

Red Sox executive vice president of public affairs Charles Steinberg added, "It is vital for our players to know how serious and unacceptable domestic violence is, and this program holds promise to effectively address this issue."

In signing up for the MVP program, the Sox join the New England Patriots, who have used MVP's curriculum to train their rookies and free agents for the past six years. Sport in Society is aiming to forge relationships with all of Boston's professional sports organizations. An arrangement with the Boston Bruins is expected soon, and talks are under way with the Celtics.

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