An obvious step colleges should take is end the promotion and marketing of beer and other alcoholic beverages on campus. The level of advertising and promotion on college campuses when the majority of students are under the legal age, creates an environment that encourages underage drinking. There are reports that college and high school athletes are more likely to drink heavily than other students. There is a strong marketing association of beverage alcohol and athletic events such as football, basketball and soccer. This is particularly ironic because we know that alcohol can impair athletic performance.
Alcohol interferes with the central nervous system.
Balance and coordination, judgement and reaction are affected. Because athletes are so concerned about their performance in the pool, on the court or on the field, we need to work with coaches and athletic directors to strongly discourage alcohol use by their players. They need to educate the athlete about the effect that alcohol has on their body and by doing so, we may be able to shift the drinking culture away from the sporting culture which has tended to glamorize drinking. The beverage alcohol industry has a responsibility to discourage underage drinking and to curtail advertising and marketing that appeal to underage youth. The prevalence of alcohol advertising on television and the association of alcohol with professional and college sporting events is a matter of great concern.