Drink Sponsorship of Sport

[DrPatrickBarry]

Listed to an interesting debate on RTE (Irish Nation Broadcaster) radio this morning about drink sponsorship of sport, as the Irish government is carrying out a consultation process with a view to banning it. The Irish Olympian Sean Tracy was trying to defend the sponsorship while a medical expert was of the contrary view. Apparently there is very high quality international research that shows younger people are very affected by drink advertising leading to starting drinking and drinking more. Sean was of the opinion that the 25 million a year into Irish sport from drinks companies is critical to supporting those activities, while the expert was saying that 25 million is peanuts compare to the costs incurred by the state due to alcohol abuse. I suppose an obvious solution would be to ban it then the state make up the 25 million instead except the state is skint and that would be an easy cost to cut out.

So is this a sensible consideration or should all the other issues in relation to alcohol abuse (availability, price, drink related road deaths, civil disorder, etc) be tackled first.

Personally I would probably vote to ban the sponsorship.

[noel]

I seem to remember formula 1 was going to close down after they were no longer allowed to paint cars with Marlboro' sponsorship.

Companies will always say they do it for the good of the sport and that without them these sports couldn't go on. It's rubbish of course.

I have mixed feelings on this one. As a free-market libertarian, I am against state intervention. If people are stupid enough to drink and smoke because it's written on a player's shirt, then more fool them.

However, taking a more societal view: if there is evidence that this sort of advertising encourages dangerous drinking, then it should be banned.

Perhaps the compromise of my opposing viewpoints would be to tax it more. That way it offsets the increase cost to society and could fund the counter-advertising that the government would need to do (eg, the "being an alcoholic is not sexy" Irish Derby, or whatever)

[dylan]

i had a big argument over mcdonalds sponsoring the sportshall athletics for youngsters quite a few years ago.
i was viewed as having an eccentric opinion.
it was decided the money was more appreciated than the negative health impact of there product.
still does not sit right in my mind.

[DrPatrickBarry]

I always though the same about gary lineker's Walkers adverts. A fanstastic sportsman like him should not be advertising the last thing kids should be eating.

[Wheeze]

If F1 can do it, anyone can.
For any 'sport' to accept cash from purveyors of ill health is an absolute disgrace. I agree with Noel, state intervention is not the way. These organisations should be self governing with strong non executive boards who can steer, often well intentioned, executives away from such conflicting choices.

Dylan, you are not alone. I voiced strong opinions about MaccyD at the Olympics and got attacked by some of the sports med docs associated with it. Shameful.

[Daletownrunner]

If F1 can do it, anyone can.
For any 'sport' to accept cash from purveyors of ill health is an absolute disgrace. I agree with Noel, state intervention is not the way. These organisations should be self governing with strong non executive boards who can steer, often well intentioned, executives away from such conflicting choices.

Dylan, you are not alone. I voiced strong opinions about MaccyD at the Olympics and got attacked by some of the sports med docs associated with it. Shameful.

'The purveyors of ill health'. Well said!! I like a beer & even the odd half bottle of wine a couple of times a year, nothing gets my back up more than these bl**dy adverts implying that having a drink is the only way to have a good time, I despair when I look at teenagers now who see alcohol as cool, where are these guys going to be in 15-20 years time, probably lying in the gutter, the 'overuse' of alcohol should be stigmatized in the same way as smoking, instead it's OK at present to make it look 'cool'.

[dylan]

look at the adverts from the 40s and 50s which used to imply smoking made you normal and also healthy?
ill see if i can dig one out

[DrPatrickBarry]

I am 48 yrs old and when I think of what I was like in my early 20s in a rural Irish village. There was nothing there but the pub and basically the measure of how big a man you are was how many pints of Guinness you could knock back. I was some man!

Kids thinking drink is "cool" is not a new fenonomon!

[Wheeze]

I am 48 yrs old and when I think of what I was like in my early 20s in a rural Irish village. There was nothing there but the pub and basically the measure of how big a man you are was how many pints of Guinness you could knock back. I was some man!

Kids thinking drink is "cool" is not a new fenonomon!

Absolutely Pat. Problem now is that the sort of alcohol that is drunk is very different. Being just a bit older than you, I can also relate to the warrior mentality and drinking escapades....we've all been there. But tell me, it was just beer right? Spirits were usually right out of our range because of cost? Now, just look at the 'shots' and 'jagerbomb' frenzy. It's enough to fell a horse! It's yet another health timebomb going off under us. When I trained, we did not usually have special liver wards. Maybe a cardiac or renal unit but liver disease was rarer. Now most hospitals have a liver ward. And they're full of women under 40 in terminal liver failure.

[molehill]

I too remember consuming vast quantities of beer from my teens onwards, every weekend. But, we had Watneys Red Barrel, Whitbread Tankard, Double Diamond or something equally ghastly and low in alcohol. A standard 8 pint Friday and Saturday night made me sick rather than drunk! Nobody could afford or drank spirits and the wine revolution had not reached the average household, certainly not us. It is mind boggling what youngsters consume now, high alcohol and pretty colours!