The NCAA’s executive committee decided Thursday it won’t eliminate alcohol advertising nor stop the incorporation of college sports into fantasy games, reported The Washington Post.
"We want to be very conservative with this," committee chairman Michael Adams said of the beer ads. "Though we don’t think this type of advertising is appropriate [for college sports], we have tried this once before in this country and it didn’t work very well."
Pressure mounted from many corners of the sports and non-sports world, pleading with the NCAA to change a policy that allows networks to sell 60 seconds of commercial time for each hour they’re on the air, said the story. Ads can only be sold for beverages containing 6 percent or less of alcohol — almost exclusively beer — during the NCAA’s national championships.
The NCAA also requires all beer ads in stadiums or arenas to be covered during its championships, does not permit the sale of beer, wine or liquor during the games and has advised its member institutions to follow the same code.
In April more than 100 university presidents wrote to NCAA President Myles Brand, calling the beer ads that appeared during the men’s basketball tournament "embarrassingly prominent."
