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A resolution asking the National Collegiate Athletic Association to end alcohol advertising on radio and television broadcasts during college athletic events will be introduced today in the House of Representatives.
Representative Tom Osborne, Republican of Nebraska, the former football coach at the University of Nebraska, is the author of the resolution. He introduced a similar one last year, but it never came to a vote.
This year's resolution comes with the N.C.A.A. men's basketball tournament set to begin on March 15.
The four-page resolution said alcohol producers spent $52 million on radio and television advertising for college sports in 2003, including $21 million for the N.C.A.A. tournament.
That was down from 2002, when $58 million was spent on alcohol advertising on radio and television, including $27 million in the tournament, the resolution said.
The resolution points to a 2002 study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism that says two in five college students are binge drinkers, 1,400 college students die each year of alcohol-related injuries and more than 70,000 college students are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault. The resolution has the American Medical Association's backing.
The N.C.A.A. did not return a phone call seeking a comment.
Osborne is a member of the national advisory council for the Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV, according to the campaign's Web site. The campaign is part of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which calls itself an advocate for nutrition and health, food safety, alcohol policy and sound science.
The Web site said that 227 N.C.A.A. institutions had committed to banning radio and television advertising for alcohol at their athletic events.
Source: AP
Representative Tom Osborne, Republican of Nebraska, the former football coach at the University of Nebraska, is the author of the resolution. He introduced a similar one last year, but it never came to a vote.
This year's resolution comes with the N.C.A.A. men's basketball tournament set to begin on March 15.
The four-page resolution said alcohol producers spent $52 million on radio and television advertising for college sports in 2003, including $21 million for the N.C.A.A. tournament.
That was down from 2002, when $58 million was spent on alcohol advertising on radio and television, including $27 million in the tournament, the resolution said.
The resolution points to a 2002 study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism that says two in five college students are binge drinkers, 1,400 college students die each year of alcohol-related injuries and more than 70,000 college students are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault. The resolution has the American Medical Association's backing.
The N.C.A.A. did not return a phone call seeking a comment.
Osborne is a member of the national advisory council for the Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV, according to the campaign's Web site. The campaign is part of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which calls itself an advocate for nutrition and health, food safety, alcohol policy and sound science.
The Web site said that 227 N.C.A.A. institutions had committed to banning radio and television advertising for alcohol at their athletic events.
Source: AP
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