The controversial highway billboards featuring the Husky mascot next to a Coors beer bottle caused a stir in Connecticut this past week, but they also placed UConn among a number of schools across the country that have associated with beer companies to boost their sports budgets.
Schools capitalizing on alcohol as a part of the college fans’ game-day experience has become an increasing trend in NCAA athletics. Whether in the form of associations to company logos, radio and television advertisements, or sales at stadiums, flowing beer can translate into a flow of cash for college sports programs trying to compete in a multibillion-dollar industry.
“What we’ve seen happen is an increase in the involvement of alcohol companies in college sports marketing over the last three to four years,” said Scott Bussen, a spokesman for MillerCoors. “Colleges and athletic departments have started looking for additional ways to create revenue.”
But that can present a challenge for institutions as they try to balance athletic department efforts to compete in the increasingly high-stakes arena of collegiate sports against on-campus efforts to combat binge drinking and the problems that often follow excessive alcohol use. more
