Deseret News | Utah college chiefs want liquor-free sports TV.
USU President Stan Albrecht and Athletics Director Scott Barnes are among the many presidents, coaches and athletics directors around the country who have signed a letter supporting a movement to get the NCAA to ban beer advertisements during college sporting events on TV.
The effort, according to DesNews, is intended to curb underage drinking.
I’m not an advocate of underage drinking (21 means 21) but I’m here to tell you that very, very few college students base their decision on whether to drink on seeing beer ads during sporting events. Beer ads will still be present during pro sports events and other programs, and kids who want to drink will still drink because there are other incentives for them to do so (the “adult factor,” social fit-in, getting drunk.) Taking away commercials for Bud and Miller Lite during the Final Four isn’t going to be a magic bullet and, I’d argue, will have no impact at all other than decreasing revenues for college sports, which might not be a big deal at high-profile schools, but at smaller schools, every little bit is critical.
-Tyler
Tyler,
I agree with your take. All except for the part where you claim “getting drunk” is an incentive. This is a common misconception in Utah, that people drink to “get drunk.” This is categorically untrue. No one enjoys being drunk, despite how much they actually do it. It’s a terrible feeling and a result of alcohol abuse. I have lived in a lot of college towns and very few people actually set out to get drunk, except for those in Utah that is. Many local drinkers who grew up in Utah do actually drink with reckless abandon for some unknown reason. Most people in other college towns have a drink because it’s an enjoyable experience when done in moderation. Most people know that, or they figure it out quickly. My personal theory on why many adult Utahns drink like they’re still in high school is because they feel like it’s their way of sticking it to the man (or the dominant culture); since they’re going to hell anyway, they may as well get tattoos, body piercings, and smoke too. In that regard, it is no wonder why so many morally abiding Utah citizens feel that all hell will break loose if liquor laws are loosened. I mean, seriously, look how bad it already is (is it bad?). The funny thing is that, for Europeans and many people from the eastern and western U.S., the cause of Utah’s alcohol related problems (if there really are any) is obvious: puritanical control actually encourages rebellion. Only in Utah do we have an overwhelmingly libertarian majority that mistakenly votes republican while actually practicing socialism. Oh the irony.