Tell Maryland College Administrators that Beer Ads Don't Belong in College Sports Television

Since 2005, 335 institutions of higher education — including Arizona State, Ohio State, Texas Tech, and the Universities of Florida, Minnesota, and Nebraska — and 13 athletic conferences have endorsed the Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV’s “College Commitment” pledge to work toward eliminating beer advertising during televised college sports. Presidents from 15 of the 21 NCAA-member colleges and universities in Maryland advocate removing those ads, including the University of Maryland Baltimore County, Johns Hopkins University, and Mount St. Mary’s University. We can’t understand why administrators at the 6 schools listed below can’t join their colleagues.

Please take a moment to send a quick message to administrators at Bowie State University, Loyola College, The University of Maryland at College Park, Towson University, The U.S. Naval Academy and Stevenson University (formerly Villa Julie College), urging them to support the Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV’s “College Commitment” pledge to remove beer ads from college sports telecasts.

Thank you in advance for helping to make Maryland the first “all-college” state in the country to reject alcohol ads in college sports telecasts. Getting support from all Maryland colleges will help to move the national Campaign forward. Also, please help by passing this alert along to family, friends, and colleagues.

Talking Points

Alcohol is the number one drug of choice among young people. Alcohol advertisements encourage young people to drink.
Underage drinking and excessive alcohol consumption threaten student health and safety.
Underage drinking, excessive consumption, and alcohol problems often convene prominently in college sports.
Beer advertisements undermine the educational missions of colleges and the NCAA. and are not an essential source of revenue.
Americans overwhelmingly support restrictions on alcohol advertising during televised college sports.

For more information about the Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV, please visit http://www.beerfreesportstv.org

Subject:

Dear [ Decision Maker ],

(Edit Letter Below)

I am writing to urge you to join the 15 NCAA-member schools in Maryland that have already signed the Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV's "College Commitment" pledge to eliminate alcohol ads from college sports broadcasts.  If the University of Maryland Baltimore County, Mount St. Mary's University, and Johns Hopkins University, among others (some 335 NCAA members and 13 athletic conferences nationwide) can reject those ads, I wonder why your school can't as well.

Alcohol is the number one drug of choice among young people.  Many young Marylanders begin experimenting with alcohol in high school.  According to the 2004 Maryland Adolescent Survey of 12th graders, 69.7% have tried some form of alcohol, 44.1% drank during the past 30 days, and 29.0% had 5 or more drinks on the same occasion (binge drinking) within the last 30 days.  And in 2005, problems related to underage drinking cost the citizens of Maryland $1.2 billion.

Underage drinking and excessive alcohol consumption also threaten college student health and safety, with the costs of student drinking plaguing college campuses nationwide.  Underage drinking, excessive consumption, and alcohol problems often convene prominently in college sports.  Recent evidence has more closely linked teens' exposure to alcohol advertising with more frequent and heavier drinking.  Beer ads aired during college sporting events contradict the missions of higher education and college sports and undermine campus prevention efforts.

I urge you to support this important Campaign to help break the link between alcohol and Maryland college sports.  Although eliminating alcohol ads on college sports telecasts will not, by itself, solve underage drinking problems, you can do your part to deliver a consistent message to young people about the seriousness of alcohol abuse and help reduce the pressure on young Marylanders to drink.  More information and a copy of the College Commitment can be viewed on the web at: http://www.BeerFreeSportsTV.org.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

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