Colleges’ mixed messages legitimize sports-booze ties

According to the 10-year Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study (CAS), although student athletes are often in better physical shape than students who do not participate in athletics, these athletes are more likely to participate in excessive alcohol consumption. What is the cause of this? Apparently this problem is exacerbated by the alcohol industry, the NCAA and many universities joining together to promote responsible drinking during college sporting events. By linking alcohol to these sports, college students associate games with binge drinking. The only way to reduce this alcohol consumption at these sporting events is to stop marketing alcohol products to college students.

Reflection:Is it realistic to believe that the alcohol industry will stop targeting college students during sporting events? In your opinion, if this is realistic, will it ultimately help prevent binge drinking? If you don’t believe that this is realistic, why don’t you think so? What can be done to prevent an excess of alcohol consumption in college?

Answer: : I don’t think that it is realistic to assume that the alcohol industry will stop targeting college students. There has always been an association between beer and sporting events and if this industry knows that they can make money off of students they will continue to take advantage of this. In my opinion, the promotion of responsible drinking is a more realistic approach to take to reduce binge drinking. Students are confronted with media images every day and although they will not stop drinking because a commercial tells them to, they might listen to a commercial that simply encourages them to be responsible. Advertisements that don’t preach to students are more likely to have a positive effect. In addition, universities can help to reduce binge drinking by enforcing additional rules and consequences dealing with alcohol at sporting events, especially for underage students.

Submitted by: Rachel Jaffe, American Univeristy
Source:“Colleges’ mixed messages legitimize sports-booze ties,” USA Today, December 9, 2002.