Free Our Sports® is an Alcohol Justice campaign committed to exposing and eliminating alcohol advertising, sponsorships, branding, celebrity endorsements, and promotions from every sport, from college games to the Super Bowl, from the World Series to the World Cup and the Olympics.
Research has shown that greater exposure to alcohol advertising contributes to an increase in drinking and alcohol-related harm among underage youth. As alcohol-marketing tactics increase in complexity and frequency, they significantly influence youth expectations and attitudes, creating an environment that promotes underage drinking.
Citing data from 2006–2010, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that, on average, alcohol is a factor in the deaths of 4,358 young people under age 21 each year. Hundreds of thousands more suffer alcohol-fueled sexual assaults, serious injuries, diseases and academic failure.
Despite industry claims to the contrary, youth are needlessly and disproportionately exposed to seductive and exploitative alcohol ads, which in turn increases the risk of underage drinking and related harm. Restricting marketing content and volume are effective policy responses to mitigate alcohol-related harm. Such efforts enjoy strong public support, with 75% of adults favoring a ban on alcohol ads in youth-oriented media.
We encourage you to join the growing Free Our Sports® digital constituency of concern and TAKE ACTION to demand that Big Alcohol stop using sports events to promote alcohol consumption, there are just too many young people watching.
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