U. of Wis. bans beer ads during sports broadcasts

U. of Wis. bans beer ads during sports broadcasts

By RYAN J. FOLEY (AP) – Aug 26, 2009

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin football fans listening to games on the radio this fall will hear few, if any, beer ads for the first time in years.

The university has ended long-standing sponsorship agreements with MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch InBev for advertising during Badgers sports broadcasts. The deals, which brought the university about $425,000 per year, were not renewed after a campus committee recommended doing away with them as part of its fight against binge drinking.

Chancellor Biddy Martin recently accepted the recommendation, which the athletics department had appealed for months, said Vince Sweeney, vice chancellor for university relations.

"It hurts the athletic department financially but they are stepping up and taking one for the team," Sweeney said. "This was an approach that people felt would have a positive impact on the ongoing battle" against alcohol abuse, he said.

Nationally, universities have been shunning alcohol advertising that critics say promotes underage drinking. Some see the decision by Wisconsin, a state known for heavy drinking and close ties to brewers, as particularly noteworthy.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gNHBkTxZomo_VfJ-4XBOilPB-sHwD9AAO7QO0