The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence fights the stigma and the disease of alcoholism and other drug addictions.

NCADD Action Alert

NCADD Responds to Liquor Ads During Pro Football Games

OCTOBER 2, 2002

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD) for many years has been a recognized leader in preventing under-aged drinking and alcohol abuse and alcoholism in teens and kids. NCADD has protested directly to companies whose alcoholic beverage advertising and partnership policies have targeted kids, who are not old enough to drink, and are in greater danger of developing alcohol abuse and alcoholism. It has come to our attention that ads featuring hard-liquor are being aired during National Football League (NFL) games. NCADD has written the the commissioner of the NFL to express concern because the prevalence of alcohol advertising on television and the association of alcohol with professional and college sporting events is a matter of great distress.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Use the sample letter below as a template for your own letter to the Commissioner of the NFL. Send the letter on your NCADD Affiliate stationery and if you know of any, use real-life examples of the influence of these ads on kids. Use this letter as a base for a petition to circulate among church groups and PTA groups you already work with. Contact members of the community who you work with normally on kids' health issues and ask for their support, and help in generating support, for this issue. Send copies of correspondence you receive in response to your letters and petitions to NCADD at attention: Ames Sweet, 20 Exchange Place, Suite 2910, New York, NY 10005.

SAMPLE LETTER

October 1, 2002 Paul Tagliabue Commissioner National Football League 280 Park Avenue New York, NY 10017 Dear Mr. Tagliabue: As an organization that has long taken an interest in the well-being of the children and youth of this community, we want to express our extreme disappointment with the advertising of hard-liquor in NFL football stadiums and during NFL football telecasts. The prevalence of alcohol advertising on television and the association of alcohol with professional and college sporting events is a matter of great concern. As parents, members of families and fans, we ask that teams not sell airtime or space in the stadium to the liquor industry. An NFL/liquor-company sponsorship deal opens the door to a deluge of hard-liquor promotion during games our children watch. By making this deal, a team assists the liquor industry's aggressive efforts to reach millions of underage viewers. Airing ads for liquor-branded "alcopops" (the malt-based beverage with a liquor name and logo) during NFL telecasts trumpets liquor brands and enables liquor producers to sidestep the networks' voluntary ban on hard liquor ads. NFL games are watched by millions of underage fans every week. It is bad enough that beer commercials steadily inundate millions of underage viewers during NFL games. Opening the door to a new flood of liquor ads and enticing teens to try liquor brands cannot help in our fight to deter underage drinking. Alcohol is the number one drug used by teens. It is a factor in the four leading causes of death among persons ages 10 to 24: (1) motor-vehicle crashes, (2) unintentional injuries, (3) homicide and (4) suicide; and underage drinking costs Americans $53 billion annually in health care, criminal justice, social services, property damage and loss of productivity expenses. We respectfully request that the NFL refuse ads for liquor-branded products during NFL telecasts, and remove liquor-branded signage from football stadiums. We look forward to working with you and the NFL to do what is best for the young people of this country. Sincerely, [SIGN LETTER] [INSERT AFFILIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NAME AND TITLE]

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.

244 East 58th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10022 phone: 212/269-7797   fax: 212/269-7510 email: national@ncadd.org   http://www.ncadd.org HOPE LINE: 800/NCA-CALL (24-hour Affiliate referral)