While professional sports teams and leagues may need the prospect of a multimillion-dollar court judgment to spur them to review their alcohol policies [op-ed, Feb. 5], many colleges, out of concern for the health and safety of their students and other young fans, have begun to break the tie between beer and sports.
In the past year 227 schools (22 percent of the NCAA) have signed the "college commitment" of the Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV, pledging to work voluntarily to end alcohol ads on college sports telecasts. Ohio State, Northwestern and Minnesota are among the schools with prominent athletic programs that are leading the way.
This commitment has set the stage for an NCAA review of its advertising guidelines, scheduled in April. Unfortunately, as in the Super Bowl, beer ads define NCAA basketball March Madness broadcasts. The ads are an affront to the mission of colleges and universities and an obstacle to making real changes to a culture of drinking -- and alcohol harm -- that infects most campuses.
JAY HEDLUND
Manager
Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Washington
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The report that 16-year-old Lauren Sausville allegedly obtained alcohol from an acquaintance is no surprise ["Police Seek Va. Man in Teen's DUI Death," Metro, Feb. 6]. The Century Council, a not-for-profit group funded by distillers to fight drunken driving and underage drinking, recently commissioned a survey that found that 65 percent of adolescents said they got the alcohol they drink from family and friends -- including parents, friends' parents or older friends, with or without permission.
We believe the road to alcohol-free kids is paved with six basic tips:
• Talk with your child about the dangers of underage drinking.
• Be a good role model.
• Disapprove of underage drinking.
