The Disadvantages of alcohol & sport advertising

      Sponsorship, in most cases, is not meant to be; it is a mutually beneficial business arrangement. In the competitive sponsorship environment of sport, a company wishing to advert their brand with a sport does so to gain a host of economic, public relations and product placement advantages. Sponsors also hope to announce their association with an athlete, team, league, or the sport itself to gain public trust, acceptance, or aware with the perceived image a sport has created or acquired.In return, sports receive financial benefit for their association with a company, product or campaign. There are usually additional non-financial advantages to be gained as a consequence of a sports association with a sponsor.

      Advertising may be linked to sponsorship, or act as a stand-alone investment strategy by a company or organization. In contrast, a company may choose not to sponsor a sport or team, but purchase parallel advertising at a sports venue or during broadcasting of those sports events. Thus, the association between a company or product and a sport or event may not always be under the control of the sport or team because venue or broadcast advertising may not be the same as the sponsorship of the athletes or teams competing.
        When sponsorship and advertising are linked by a single corporate message, the net exposure of the company or product is optimal. Sponsorship and advertising of sports has become a high-stakes business and decisions made by both parties are carefully constructed and critically analyzed. The company wants to associate their brand or product with all the 'feel good' aspects of sport, particularly a successful sporting team or athlete. In turn, the sport wants the financial benefits of sponsorship and advertising as well as the association with a 'successful' company or a well known product.
       The ethics of a sport’s decision to enter into a sponsorship agreement reflects the sporting organization’s values. However, ethical decisions may conflict with a sport’s need for financial gain. The question may arise, "When does a sports association with a company or product diminish the sport’s image?" The evidence of the health risks, both short-term and long-term, associated with significant levels of alcohol consumption is substantial. The evidence base underpinning the social and economic impact of alcohol use provides a compelling argument for rejecting the association between ‘sport’ and ‘alcohol’.
     Strong anti-sponsorship and advertising arguments are based upon the available world-wide evidence that children and adolescents exposed to alcohol marketing (even if this is indirect) are affected in terms of their attitudes and behavior toward alcohol products. Sport attracts the attention of children and youth like no other sector; in fact governments actively promote the involvement of children and youth in sports.