1. 2. THE ETHICS OF SPONSORSHIP AND ADVERTISING RELATED TO SPORT

2. Learning goals
We are learning of the proper way to conduct oneself in relation to sport.
We are learning the ethics of sponsorship and advertising.

3. Sport sponsorship
Sport sponsorship refers to the use of sporting events, sports teams, and individual athletes to promote various commercial products that are sold for profit.
Many professional athletes have corporate sponsors, such as Nike, Wilson, Adidas, Puma, to name just a few.
The Nike “swoosh” is perhaps the most famous symbol of sport sponsorship.

4. Sport ethics
Sport ethics refers to the official and unofficial rules of appropriate conduct in relation to sport and the dilemmas that arise if these rules are breached in the pursuit of sport.

5. The restriction of tobacco advertising related to sport
Sponsorship of major international tennis tournaments by tobacco companies had a long history (e.g., the Canadian Open).
In 2000, Canadian federal law heavily restricted tobacco advertising.
Tennis tournaments had to find new sponsors, and they easily did—one current sponsor is a major beer company.

6. Alcohol manufacturers’ sponsorship of sporting events
In Canada and other countries, major international sporting events are sponsored, in whole or in part, by breweries and alcohol manufacturers.
The prevalence of alcohol ads at sporting events raises ethical questions.
The audiences at sporting events include impressionable young people.

7. Think about it …
When does alcohol sponsorship of sport become sports sponsorship of alcohol?

8. Campaigns to prohibit alcohol sponsorship of sporting events
Many campaigners are pressing to see alcohol sponsorship of sport, like tobacco sponsorship, prohibited.
In 2011, a report by the British Medical Association called for a ban on alcohol advertising and sponsorship due to widespread binge drinking.
In 2013, the West Australian Police Commissioner demanded an end to alcohol advertising during live sport to help curb intoxication among youth.

9. World health organizations stand
A 2014 study by the World Health Organization (WHO) states that alcohol was responsible for 3.3 million deaths worldwide in 2012.
The study reported that 16 percent of people who drink alcohol binge drink.
Risky alcohol consumption leads to addiction and puts people at higher risk of developing more than 200 different disorders.

10. Alcohol manufacturers’ counter arguments
Canadian law forbids alcohol ads that appeal to minors and that link drinking with social acceptance, personal success, or athletic achievement.
Alcohol manufacturers insist that their ads are only pitched to adults.
They insist that sponsorship drives brand choice, not consumption levels.

11. Is pairing an unhealthy product with sport unethical?
Opponents of alcohol ads at sports events state that pairing an unhealthy product (alcohol) with a healthy activity (sports) through advertising makes that product seem acceptable.
From an ethical standpoint, the primary concern is that the health and well- being of vulnerable young people are being placed at risk.
Powerful advertising campaigns pairing alcohol and sport fail to tell the whole truth: overconsumption of alcohol is a serious social problem.

12. Sport Sponsorship by Manufacturers of Soft Drinks and Energy Drinks
Manufacturers of soft drinks and energy drinks are also ever-present sponsors at sporting events.
Many observers regard these products as inappropriately linked to sports given the extremely high concentrations of caffeine and sugar in them.
The backlash against soft drink/energy drink companies has not been nearly as strong as it has been against tobacco or alcohol.

13. Should Manufacturers of Energy Drinks Be Banned as Sport Sponsors?

14. Sexist and Offensive Advertising During Sporting Events
The sexist and offensive advertising aired during televised sports events raises ethical issues for viewers.
In 2012, a British journalist described the $200 million-plus Super Bowl TV ads as “misogynistic gags that insult men as much as they do women.”
The Huffington Post commented that an estimated million viewers watched the Super Bowl XLVI TV broadcast; 51 million were women.

15. TV Ads Demeaning Female Viewers
The Huffington Post asked:
“Wouldn’t [Super Bowl] advertisers have more overall success running commercials that don’t ignore, demean, or vilify almost half of those tuning in?”
Female viewers have yet to mount a massive campaign against such advertisements that insult women, but it may very well happen ...

16. summary
Ethical issues arise with regard to the sponsorship of sporting events by manufacturers of products such as alcohol, soft drinks, and energy drinks.
Protests against sport sponsorship by soft drink/ energy drink manufacturers have not been as strong as they have been against tobacco or alcohol.
Some advertising during major televised sporting events such as the Super Bowl tends to be sexist and offensive, yet such ads continue to run.

17. Learning goals
We are learning of the proper way to conduct oneself in relation to sport.
We are learning the ethics of sponsorship and advertising.