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Date:
To: Editorial Board
From: Your Name, Organization
Re: The NCAA’s Alcohol Advertising Policies
In the first week of August, the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA)
Executive Committee will meet in Indianapolis. The NCAA has
announced that a review of the Association’s alcohol policies will be on
the agenda. Alcohol advertisements on college sports broadcasts
are inconsistent with the mission of higher education. The NCAA
Executive Committee should end beer advertisements during NCAA broadcasts. I [or
ORGANIZATION] have written to President/Chancellor [NAME] urging that
s/he support an end to beer ads on NCAA broadcasts. (A copy is
attached.)
Please consider writing an editorial on this matter. Here are some
key points to consider:
-
Alcohol causes pervasive and serious problems on college campuses today.
Each year, 1,700 college students are killed, 500,000 are injured
[1], and 70,000 are sexually assaulted in
alcohol-fueled events [2]. In 2002 alone, more
than 10 celebratory riots and campus disturbances caused by inebriated
sports fans disrupted colleges across America [3].
Almost half of all alcohol use reported by college students is
attributable to those who are underage [4].
-
The NCAA’s current policy prohibits ads for distilled spirits but allows
ads of beverages with an alcohol content of up to 6 percent alcoholic
content by volume, i.e., beer. In 2003, brewers spent more than
$52 million on beer ads on college sports telecasts — $21 million of
that on the NCAA basketball broadcasts alone [5].
In 2002, more beer ads ran on the NCAA broadcasts than during the World
Series, all college football bowl games, the Super Bowl, and NFL Monday
Night Football combined [6].
-
The NCAA advertising policy states that ads should be “in the best
interests of higher education.” Pitching beer to students and
other young fans during NCAA games counters the educational mission of
NCAA colleges and undercuts the many costly prevention measures taken on
those campuses today. There is a fundamental disconnect between a
university’s commitment to reduce incidence of and harms from binge and
underage drinking and allowing alcohol ads on college sports broadcasts.
For more information, you may wish to visit the Campaign for
Alcohol-Free Sports TV’s web site:
www.BeerFreeSportsTV.org
Thank you.
Name
Professional Affiliation or Organization, if applicable
Address
Phone Number
Email
[1] Hingson, R.W. et al
(2005). Magnitude of Alcohol-Related Mortality and Morbidity Among
U.S. College Students Ages 18 24: Changes from 1998 to 2001. Annual
Review of Public Health. Vol. 26: 259-279.
[2] Hingson, R.W. et al
(2002). Magnitude of Alcohol-Related Mortality and Morbidity Among
U.S. College Students Ages 18-24. Journal of Studies on Alcohol.
63(2): 136-144.
[3] Center for Science
in the Public Interest (2004). Research estimate based on the NCAA
Report on the Sportsmanship and Fan Behavior Summit, along with other
sources.
[4] Wechsler, H. et al
(2002). Underage College Students’ Drinking Behavior, Access to
Alcohol, and the Influence of Deterrence Policies: Findings from the
Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study. Journal of
American College Health. 50(5): 223-236.
[5] Center on Alcohol
Marketing and Youth (2003). Alcohol Advertising on Sports Television,
2001 to 2003.
[6] Center on Alcohol
Marketing and Youth (2002). Alcohol Advertising on Sports Television,
2001 and 2002.
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