We applaud Rep. Tom Osborne (R-NE) and his colleagues Frank Wolf (R-VA) and Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) for introducing H. Res. 575, calling on the NCAA and its member schools to end all alcohol advertising during radio and television broadcasts of collegiate sporting events.

Colleges should not allow their sports teams to be used to market beer. That practice mocks the values of sports and demeans campus efforts to combat alcohol problems. Unless money is the only object, it’s just plain crazy for college presidents to pocket alcohol ad revenue while promoting efforts to reduce dangerous and destructive underage and binge drinking on campus.

Note: CSPI launched the Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV to eliminate alcohol ads from televised sports. In January 2004 the Campaign wrote to more than 1000 NCAA-member colleges and universities asking them to sign the College Commitment to end alcohol ads on college sports telecasts. To date 108 colleges have already signed on. Ohio State University, the 2002 college national football champions, was the first school to sign the Commitment.