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Help End Alcohol Ads on College Sports TV
Drinking alcohol is the number one health problem on college campuses, yet many schools receive revenue from beer ads during broadcasts of their games. It’s time to end this type of March Madness – student health must come first. Introduced in the House of Representatives, Resolution 575 calls upon the NCAA to voluntarily end all alcohol advertising during radio and TV broadcasts of college sporting events. Please urge your Representative to sign on as a co-sponsor.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Sign on to H. Res. 575; I am concerned about alcohol ads during college sports.
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
I encourage you to sign on to House Resolution 575, recently introduced by Representative Tom Osborne (R-NE). H. Res. 575 calls upon the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to end all alcohol advertising during radio and television broadcasts of college sporting events.
College and university presidents know that drinking is the number one health problem on campuses today. Two out of five college students are binge drinkers; 1,400 college students die each year from alcohol-related injuries; more than 70,000 students are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape; and 500,000 students are injured under the influence of alcohol each year.
Yet, in 2002 the alcoholic-beverage industry spent $58 million on commercials during college sports programs; $28 million of that was spent on 939 ads aired during that year's NCAA basketball tournament. That compares with the 925 ads aired during the Super Bowl, World Series, college bowl games, and Monday Night football combined. Alcohol ads appeared twice as often, on average, during NCAA championship broadcasts than during other sports programs, and 16 times as often, on average, than during all television programs. Among the viewers of those alcohol ads were large concentrations of avid fans who are underage college or high school students.
Given the problems we have with underage drinking in this country, our kids don't need to see beer ad after beer ad while watching otherwise great March Madness basketball games. It sends the wrong message about athletics and healthy lifestyles, and reinforces the incongruous connection between alcohol and college sports. Please consider my request and sign on as a co-sponsor of H. Res. 575.
Sincerely,
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Campaign Launched:
March 30, 2004
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On Thursday, March 25, U.S. Representative Tom Osborne (R-NE), joined by Reps. Frank Wolf (R-VA) and Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), introduced H. Res. 575 in the House of Representatives, calling upon the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to end all alcohol advertising during radio and television broadcasts of college sporting events.
This resolution is not binding legislation, i.e., it would not have the force of law, if passed. It would express the opinion of the House and send a strong message to higher education leaders that Congress recognizes the inappropriateness of beer advertising in college sports.
Andy Geiger, athletics director at Ohio State University, thinks “it’s inconsistent to....discourage underage drinking and turn around and huckster the stuff on your [college sports] broadcasts.” CSPI polling shows that a large majority of Americans agree.
Passage of this resolution would provide a real boost for our Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV. We are circulating a “College Commitment” statement asking schools to end alcohol ads during their games and work to end conference and NCAA advertisements as well. Already 108 schools, more than 10 percent of the NCAA, have signed on. For more information on how you can help, please visit the Campaign’s web site: http://www.BeerFreeSportsTV.org.
For more information, contact Amy Gotwals, manager of grassroots advocacy, CSPI's Alcohol Policies Project, agotwals@cspinet.org or 202-332-9110.
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