NCAA Retains Status Quo on Beer Ads and Fantasy Sports

NCAA committee chairman Michael Adams announced on Thursday that alcohol advertisements and fantasy sports at the college level will continue despite recent discussion of both topics. The NCAA executive committee determined that despite the inappropriateness of beer ads at the college level, there is no way to ban them in a country whose sports rely heavily on alcohol sponsorship. Currently ads can only be sold for beverages containing 6 percent or less of alcohol (such as beer) during the NCAA national championships and beer ads in arenas or stadiums must be covered during these events as well. This topic recently came under fire in April, when over 100 university presidents addressed NCAA president Myles Brand about the “embarrassingly prominent” beer ads appearing in the men’s basketball tournament.

The inclusion of college-level sports in the online fantasy sports arena has been another debated about topic for the NCAA. Until recently, college sports were exempt from web competition, but that all changed when CBS Sports announced plans of an $11 billion television deal with the NCAA that will incorporate real names and stats of college-level football players. The NCAA release on Thursday confirmed that the league will not prohibit the inclusion of college sports in fantasy leagues due to the refusal of the Supreme Court to hear the case and the ruling of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis. For more information on these topics see the full article and more news on NCAA updates on ESPN.com.

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