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U. of Wisconsin Bans Beer Ads during Sports Broadcasts

The University of Wisconsin has ended its longstanding sponsorship agreements with MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch for advertising during its sports broadcasts. The deals, which earned the university about $425,000 per year, were not renewed after a campus committee recommended doing away with them as part of its efforts to curb binge drinking.

"It hurts the athletic department financially but they are stepping up and taking one for the team,” said Vince Sweeney, vice chancellor for university relations. "This was an approach that people felt would have a positive impact on the ongoing battle" against alcohol abuse, he said.

The Associated Press reports that nationally, universities have been shunning alcohol advertising that critics say promotes underage drinking. Some see the decision by Wisconsin, a state known for heavy drinking and close ties to brewers, as particularly noteworthy.

"It's tremendously significant that university officials felt empowered enough to stand up to the political pressure that they are going to get as a result of the beer industry's clout in Wisconsin," said George Hacker, director of the Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV in Washington. "What Wisconsin's action reflects is a growing distaste for aggressive marketing to audiences that include large numbers of underage persons."

The university's new policy prohibits beer ads on its statewide radio network during football, men's and women's basketball, and hockey broadcasts. Sweeney cautioned that fans may still hear the occasional beer ad during games if local stations sell the few spots they control to brewers.

The policy also prohibits beer ads during coaches' television interview shows and in game programs but would allow beer companies to continue hosting tailgating tents before football games, Sweeney said. He said the policy would be revisited after this year.

MillerCoors spokesman Pete Marino said the company "looks forward to continuing a good relationship with the university" despite the decision. He said none of its ads target underage drinkers. Anheuser-Busch said it respected the university's decision.

Mike Miller, a Madison doctor and past president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, said alcohol ads have helped make Madison "the epicenter of the problem of binge drinking by college students."

"The university is to be commended for their decision," he said, "because it reflects a need to change our alcohol-oriented culture in Wisconsin."