Personally, we love beer. Can’t get enough of the stuff. However, some people – namely over 100 college presidents and A.D.s – have a problem with the excessive beer commercials that ran during the NCAA Tournament. Now, while we love the suds, we really hate some of those stupid ads because A) they’re stupid, and B) they usually get more air time than the games themselves. But these college bigwigs hate the commercials for a whole different set of reasons.
The college leaders – among them the top officials at Harvard, Abilene Christian and Georgia State – wrote a letter to NCAA President Myles Brand on Wednesday calling beer advertising “embarrassingly prominent” during tournament broadcasts. They asked the organization to reconsider its policies on alcohol advertising.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington, D.C., which helped organize the letter, accused the NCAA of violating its own policies that supposedly limit beer advertising to 60 seconds per hour and no more than 120 seconds per telecast. The center said it counted 200 seconds and 240 seconds of beer advertising during Saturday’s two semifinal games, and 270 seconds during Monday night’s final, when Kansas defeated Memphis 75-68 in overtime.
The NCAA bylaws do not allow any advertising for hard alcohol.
“Given the persistent problems caused by underage and excessive college drinking, much of it in the form of beer, we find it inconceivable that the NCAA’s profiting from beer promotion during the telecasts of college basketball games comports with the best interests of higher education, sports, or student welfare,” the letter said.
After condemning the excessive use of beer ads, the letter concluded by asking the NCAA to return to its routine practices of profiting off athletes.
Links:
[NewsObserver.com]: Colleges condemn NCAA tourney beer ads
