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Commentary on O ' B rien et al . (2014): Refuting arguments against a ban on alcohol sport sponsorship

2014; Wiley; Volume: 109; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/add.12657

1360-0443

Avalon de Bruijn,

Behavioral Health and Interventions

There is growing evidence that exposure to alcohol-branded promotion and sponsorship increases alcohol drinking behaviour among young people 1, 2. The study by O'Brien et al. 3 provides some evidence from the United Kingdom showing that alcohol industry sponsorship is harmful from a public health perspective. These findings fuel the already vigorous debate that is held in the United Kingdom 4 and in several other countries over the need for bans on alcohol advertising and more specifically sport sponsorship. In Ireland, the Department of Health has recently recommended that a ban on alcohol sponsorship of big sporting events should be in force by 2020 5. There is a major concern in Ireland that alcohol abuse is encouraged by the sponsorship of sporting events by alcohol companies. The under-25-year-olds are of main concern to Irish policymakers, mirroring the age group that is sampled by O'Brien et al. However, the recommendation of a ban on alcohol sponsorship has been met with a great deal of resistance, with some critics arguing that Ireland will fall behind its European neighbours if strict alcohol-related provisions are implemented 6. In this line of reasoning, the question is often raised as to whether sport could recover from the loss of income from alcohol companies. Sport has overcome similar concerns in the past in relation to tobacco sponsorship. The European Union (EU) have pushed the drive to eliminate tobacco sponsorship from sport. In countries that have comprehensive bans on tobacco sponsorship, sponsors from other sectors, in particular that for the new information technology sector, have successfully replaced tobacco companies and brands to fund sports teams, concerts and other events 7. In fact, 4 years after banning tobacco sponsorship in Australia, sport sponsorships increased by 45% 8. More recently, the Australian government was successful in encouraging some smaller sporting organizations to agree to abandon all alcohol sponsorship before they received federal funding 9. An important economic counter-argument to a complete ban on alcohol sponsorship is the idea that the position to pitch for hosting major international sporting tournaments would be threatened by a ban. For example, Irish sporting bodies have argued that a ban on alcohol sport sponsorship would damage the prospect of hosting major events and tournaments in this country, with a potential bid for elements of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) European Championships in 2020 and the Rugby World Cup in 2023 as the most high-profile examples 10. The proposed ban on alcohol sponsorship in Ireland would mirror a ban on alcohol sponsorship that has been in force in France for many years. This French regulation was introduced at the same time as restrictions on tobacco advertising in 1991 as part of what is known as the ‘Loi Evin’. Despite this ban, France has successfully hosted the Rugby World Cup in 2007 11, and will be hosting the Euro 2016 UEFA Football Championships 12. This suggests that its ban is not necessarily a red-line factor in determining host countries for big sporting events. Total sponsorship revenue of the UEFA Championship in France is even expected to grow by 50% compared to the revenue of the previous one 13. The paper by O'Brien et al. 3 rightfully concludes that policymakers should consider whether the harms outweigh the financial benefits of alcohol sponsorship. Without alcohol sponsorship, sport and athletes would actually carry a positive message about a healthy life-style, which we know is a powerful way of influencing young people. None.