There is so much rank hypocrisy surrounding the NCAA’s struggle with the role that beer advertisements should play in promoting college sports, starting with the idea that there’s a “struggle” in the first place, that it could drive a person to drink. There’s simply way too much money involved for the NCAA to give serious consideration to weaning itself off that particular teat.
And while I think it’s something of a joke to argue that eliminating beer advertising will have a noticeable effect on alcohol consumption by college students, those who argue that in accepting it, the powers that be in college football undercut the message that they disapprove of college drinking, have a valid point.
“Alcohol and college sports are a bad mix,” the letter said. “Beer promotion during college sports telecasts undermines the best interests of higher education and compromises the efforts of colleges and others to combat sometimes epidemic levels of alcohol problems on many campuses today.”
Yeah, but there’s all that money.
If nothing else can convince you of the utter cynicism of the NCAA’s position on this, just look at who delivered the message that the status quo must be maintained.
“We want to be very conservative with this,” Georgia president and committee chairman Michael Adams said of the beer ads.
“Though we don’t think this type of advertising is appropriate (for college sports), we have tried this once before in this country and it didn’t work very well.”
Who knew the man had a libertarian streak in him? Next thing you know, he’ll be partying with us in the lots in Jacksonville at the WLOCP.
“I think we’ve taken a very sensible, very rationale, very conservative approach and we’ve asked that any company that advertises (alcohol) during our games continue to include the message ‘drink responsibly’ on its ads,” Adams said. “I think we’ve taken about as a conservative an approach as any sport in the country. While not everyone agrees 100 percent, I think we represent what is a good balance in that opinion.”
You left out “very profitable”, sir.
Speaking of which, does anybody not see the writing on the wall regarding the future of fantasy sports in the wake of the 8th Circuit’s decision?
“Our bylaws lump together names, images and likenesses and the names are being used now, so we’ll have to go back and look at this,” Brand said. “We will need to go back and look at our options. We certainly are not giving up our model of amateurism.”
Cha-ching!
Get The Picture 
Let me know if this fantasy drinking league ever gets going because I’ve got a couple of buddies with MVP potential.
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I never really considered it an issue. I figured that most of the people watching college football on t.v. were 40 y.o. imbibers like me. When I was young enough to be too young I was at the game drinking and not watching beer ads on t.v.
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Adams is a tool.
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In college, and this is important, you drink what’s cheapest.
Have you EVER seen a keg of Natty or South Paw outside of a college town party/tailgate?
They don’t even have them in bars!
The good thing about this is you can drink a bottle of some nice vodka at the begining of the year and fill it up with mccormick to bring to parties and no one’ll no the difference, in fact they’ll tell you how great it is.
I wish Michael Adams would allow the Miller Tent back to it’s rightful place! Coke is there now, and they have barriers AND bartenders serving booze. Essentially doing the same thing that Northeast S and D was doing but since they’re not a company affiliated with alcohol, it’s ok if they break those specific rules. Sinkwich must be spinning in his grave.
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