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By Liz Cox

By Liz Cox
FSView & Florida Flambeau ( Florida State U. )

(U-WIRE) TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The Big Ten Channel, a new national sports television network created by the Big Ten and Fox Cable Networks, will be specifically prohibiting beer and other alcohol advertisements on the network. The Big Ten is a college athletics conference that consists of 11 universities -- Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin. According to a release from the Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany said that banning beer ads was the first issue the university presidents in the conference wanted to discuss. "We think that sports and alcohol don't go together, that alcohol is sort of counter to the values of health (and others) that are represented in sports," said Jay Hedlund, the manager of the Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV. According to Hedlund, over 60 percent of alcohol advertising on television is shown during sports programming. As a part of their larger goal, the Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV, a grassroots movement headed by the not-for-profit Center for Science in the Public, is asking the universities of the NCAA to commit to working towards the elimination of alcohol advertisements from college sports on television. "We think it's particularly inappropriate for colleges with their educational mission and their responsibility to students and other young people to be in the business of marketing alcohol to young kids and others, particularly when the majority of the players on the courts and on the fields in college games are underage as well," said Hedlund. According to Hedlund, as of press time, 246 schools in the NCAA, which is equal to about 24 percent of the Association, signed on to the commitment. All the universities in the Big South and Ivy League conferences have pledged their commitment as well. According to Hedlund, the University of Florida was one of the first major schools to sign the commitment and the first in the Southeastern Conference. Florida State University has not yet signed on to the campaign, nor have any other schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference. There is, however, support for the campaign at FSU. "I think the message that (advertising alcohol in sports) sends is that you're trying to promote health and athleticism and good physical conditioning, and then connecting (it) with alcohol somehow doesn't fit," said Chris Franzetti, the director of the FSU Partnership for Alcohol Responsibility. Franzetti said she did not know why FSU has not joined the Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV; however, there are several groups associated with the University that have pledged their support. These groups include the American College Health Association, of which Thagard Student Health Center Director Lesley Sacher is president-elect; the Florida Higher Education Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention, of which FSU is a member; and the American Medical Association, which funds the FSU PAR. According to Franzetti, FSU does have other regulations in place that limit the use and advertisement of alcohol on campus. These include a posting policy that does not allow alcohol advertising on campus and the prohibition of both vending and drinking alcohol in the stadium. "I think (the campaign) is a major positive step, and I think it sends a message that we need to look at the influence, the costs and the social impact of alcohol on students and young people and the communities at large related to this," continued Franzetti. "Folks that I work with in the field are really supportive of it and proud to say that it's happened." Hedlund said he did not believe there would be a direct correlation between the elimination of alcohol advertising from college sports television and student drinking, but that there would be other positive impacts. "I think a number of schools run very extensive programs on alcohol awareness, alcohol abuse prevention and underage drinking; however, in my mind, when they profit from the advertising sold on their games and the alcohol advertising is so closely associated with the image and brand of the University, the credibility of those other programs tends to wane," said Hedlund. "So I think an alcohol advertising ban becomes one more tool in terms of developing stronger health and safety messages to students and to adults as well about the risks associated with drinking and the inappropriateness of a very close tie between drinking and sports." Hedlund also expressed the importance of the campaign in terms of health and safety impacts of drinking on college campuses. "Each year, more than 500,000 students are injured in alcohol-related accidents," said Hedlund. "There are more than 4,000 alcohol-related deaths of college students each year, more than 77,000 alcohol-related rapes of college students annually. The performance of students suffers dramatically for those who drink heavily, and there are studies that show drinking is heavier by athletes, heavier by fans of athletics and heavier at schools with major athletic programs." For more information on the Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV, visit www.beerfreesportstv.org.

(C) 2006 FSView & Florida Flambeau via U-WIRE