National Collegiate Athletic Association
Policy on Alcohol
The National
Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a voluntary organization through
which the nation's colleges and universities govern their athletics programs.
It comprises more than 1,250 institutions, conferences and organizations committed
to the best interests, education and athletics participation of
student-athletes. A fundamental
purpose of the NCAA is to maintain intercollegiate athletics as an integral
part of the educational program and the athlete as an integral part of the
student body.
Illegal
use and abuse of alcohol is contrary to the mission of the NCAA and destroys
such fundamental values as respect, fairness, civility, honesty and
responsibility. The NCAA national
office and each member institution and conference take seriously the
responsibility to present participation in sports as a positive experience for
participants and fans alike. This
responsibility includes educating student-athletes about alcohol abuses and managing
game facilities to ensure legal and responsible use of alcohol by fans
associated with the event. To curb
illegal and irresponsible use of alcohol, each member institution and
conference must take individual local action.
The
purposes of this Policy are to:
·
Advocate for only legal use of alcohol;
·
Promote institutional initiative and responsibility to provide
alcohol abuse prevention education;
·
Establish and communicate parameters for the use of alcohol in advertising; and
·
Encourage the development of resources and programming for
intervention, assistance and education.
I. Values with
Regard to Alcohol
The NCAA supports the following values and general principles with
regard to student-athlete use of alcohol:
·
The NCAA is concerned
about the health and safety of student-athletes.
·
The NCAA takes
seriously its responsibility to educate student-athletes.
·
Illegal behaviors involving alcohol (e.g., underage drinking,
manufacturing and distributing false identification, drinking and driving) are
unacceptable.
·
The NCAA does not
oppose legal drinking; however, excessive use of alcohol is always discouraged.
·
Abstinence, as an option, is supported and never discouraged.
·
The NCAA has, for many years, banned sale of alcohol at NCAA
championship events.
·
The NCAA has taken a leadership role in developing educational
programming in this area.
·
Each NCAA member institution has a responsibility to control
illegal and abusive drinking on its campus.
II. General
Principles
Student-Athlete
Welfare
“Intercollegiate
athletics programs shall be conducted in a manner designed to protect and enhance
the physical and educational welfare of student-athletes.” [NCAA Const. 2.2] This includes, but is not limited to
protecting the health of, and providing a safe environment for, each
student-athlete. [Const. 2.2.3]
Institutional Control and Responsibility
“It
is the responsibility of each member institution to control its intercollegiate
athletics program in compliance with the rules and regulations of the
Association…” [Const
2.1.1] “The institution’s
responsibility for the conduct of its intercollegiate athletics program
includes responsibility for the action of its staff members and for the actions
of any other individual or organization engaged in activities promoting the
athletics interest of the institution.” [Const 2.1.2] Many institutions and conferences have
policies and procedures pertaining to the use and advertisement of alcohol. The NCAA supports institutional autonomy and campus responsibility
as it relates to managing the use of alcohol and other substances on campus.
III. Recommendations
The NCAA Executive Committee recommends that all member institutions and conferences be encouraged to:
·
Prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages during
all preseason, regular season, conference and postseason intercollegiate
athletic events. Alcoholic beverages should not be sold or
otherwise made available for public consumption in the athletics facility
during intercollegiate athletics events.
·
Promote legal and responsible use of alcohol by
fans outside the stadium or arena (e.g., tailgating). To
the extent that an institution can preclude the sale of alcohol outside the
stadium or arena, those efforts should be made. When such restrictions are not feasible,
an institution should visibly promote the legal and responsible use of alcohol
for all fans associated with the event.
·
Prohibit on-site alcohol advertising during all preseason,
regular season, conference and postseason intercollegiate events. Except
when expressly prohibited by prior contract, institutions should preclude
advertising, banners and signs of displays for liquor, beer (including
nonalcoholic beer) or wine products.
Any permanently affixed or leased advertising, including banners, signs
or displays in the facility, should be covered during the event.
·
Prohibit media advertising of alcoholic
beverages that exceed six percent alcohol by volume. Immediately
prior to, during and subsequent to televised competition, institutions should
preclude media advertising of alcoholic beverages that exceed six percent
alcohol by volume.
·
Limit advertising of malt
beverages, beer and wine products that do not exceed six percent alcohol by
volume and include content that emphasizes legal use of alcohol. These advertisements could include tag
lines such as “Drink Responsibly and “Be Legal.” Such advertisements should not compose more than
14 percent of the space in any game publications; not more than 60 seconds per
hour of any telecast or broadcast or not more than one hundred twenty (120)
seconds total in any telecast or broadcast. Any such content should include an
appropriate focus on legal and responsible use of alcohol.
·
Provide programs and
resources for education, prevention and treatment of alcohol abuse.
IV. Advertising and Promotional
Standards
NCAA Bylaw
31.1.14 precludes on-site advertisement, sales or promotion of alcoholic beverages
during NCAA championship events. The
NCAA has also adopted stringent policies related to media advertising of
alcohol and other substances during NCAA championship events. These policies include a complete ban on
advertising harmful substances, restricted advertising for legal products that
may be abused and no restrictions on nonharmful products. In this regard, advertising of alcoholic
beverages that exceed six percent alcohol by volume is expressly prohibited. Advertising malt beverages, beer and
wine products that do not exceed the specified percentage is permitted. However, such advertisements may not
compose more than 14 percent of the space in the NCAA publication or not more
than 60 seconds per hour of any telecast or broadcast or more than one hundred
twenty (120) seconds total in any telecast or broadcast. Further, the
NCAA encourages content that focuses on legal use of alcohol.
IV. Education
To
promote an environment that discourages illegal and abusive use of alcohol by
student-athletes, the NCAA emphasizes educational programming and research, collaborating with partners in the higher education
community, the prevention community, and the alcohol industry to establish effective
programming strategies. The NCAA
sponsors and/or supports the following educational and research initiatives and
participates in the following collaborations and partnerships:
Research: (conducted under the direction of the NCAA
Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports).
·
Study of
Substance Use Habits of College Student-Athletes is conducted every four
years through a survey administered to a representative sampling of
student-athletes (approximately 20,000).
·
Drug-Education
and Testing Survey is conducted of the membership every two years to
determine institutional policies and practices regarding alcohol and drug
education, drug testing, and facility alcohol management.
Educational Programming:
· CHOICES Grant program seeks to encourage NCAA institutions and conferences to implement and evaluate effective campus-wide programs that integrate student-athletes and athletics into alcohol-education efforts. Funded programs are designed to work toward the elimination of high-risk consumption of alcohol on college campuses by promoting low-risk choices. The implications of the CHOICES grant for NCAA institutions are many, including:
o
Providing resources for small institutions to
accomplish broad goals and objectives, and larger institutions to improve or
focus in on target areas.
o
Providing peer education, under adequate
supervision, as a viable intervention.
o Encouraging campus collaboration as an effective method for effecting change on a much broader scale beyond the athletics department.
Since 1991, about $3.0 million in awards have been given to 138 member institutions. Current annual awards total $450,000.
· APPLE Conferences (Athletic Prevention Programming and Leadership Education) annually provide 60 institutions with strategic planning and support for their athletics substance abuse prevention policies and programs. The Apple model is a comprehensive design for improving substance abuse prevention programming and policies in local athletics departments. By participating in the APPLE Conference participants will:
o Identify their school's current programs and policies.
o Learn a peer education program specifically for student athletes (SAM – Student Athlete Mentors).
o Design an individualized action plan.
o Implement an action plan within their athletics departments.
o Assess their athletics departments’ strengths and weaknesses in substance abuse prevention.
o Share ideas and resources with teams from other colleges and universities.
o Participate in a training session on implementing the SAM program.
o Learn about exemplary programs and policies.
·
Health
and Safety Speakers Grants provide more than 400 minigrants to institutions
to fund speaker fees for athletics department drug and alcohol education and
wellness programs. Supported by the
NCAA Drug Education budget in 1988 as a new initiative, this grant provides
funding to support outside expert speaker fees on the following topics: alcohol,
tobacco and other drugs(ATOD)/addictions (including gambling); sexual health [including
sexual assault and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues (GBLT)];
stress reduction; nutrition issues; and hazing. Institutions may apply for a $1,000
grant or two $500 grants per academic year. More than 2,000 programs have been
funded in the past seven years with an average of 86,000 students attending the
speaker sessions per year
·
Champs/Life
Skills programs identify “Personal Development” as an area of focus
which includes alcohol education.
Over 500 NCAA member institutions administer this program.
·
STARR
Project (Student-Athletes Taking Active Responsible Roles)- Division III-
provides tool kits to applying institutions to conduct an alcohol abuse prevention
campaign utilizing social norms marketing strategies.
· Speak Up! Kits, funded by the Century Council, promote team discussions on alcohol.
·
Alcohol
101 Plus, developed and funded in collaboration with the Century Council,
provides college students with objective information about effects and
consequences of alcohol use and strategies to make healthy decisions. Alcohol
101 Plus focuses on four targeted groups: first year students, fraternities and
sororities, student-athletes, and students who previously have experienced
issues with alcohol use on campus.
·
NCAA
Athletics Certification/Self Study Programs.
The NCAA athletics certification and self study
programs require institutions to provide evidence of programs that protect the
health of and provide a safe environment for each of its student-athletes
including education regarding alcohol and other drugs. Institutions
should conduct a drug and alcohol education program at least once each
semester.
Collaborations and Partnerships:
·
Inter-Association Task Force on Substance Abuse Prevention in Higher Education brings together
representatives from higher education organizations to support national alcohol
and other drug abuse prevention efforts.
·
TEAM Coalition (Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management) is comprised of representatives from sports leagues, vendors,
broadcasters and government to reduce alcohol abuse associated with sporting
events.
·
Century Council (educational arm of the distillers) provides funding resources to
support educational programming to reduce alcohol abuse.
·
Anheuser-Busch partnership provides a
platform to more effectively address the issues of underage drinking and
abusive drinking and to ensure that student-athletes are educated on these
critical issues.
RESOLUTION – ALCOHOL SALES AND ADVERTISING
Whereas a fundamental purpose of the NCAA
is to maintain intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of the educational
program and the athlete as an integral part of the student body; and
Whereas the illegal use and abuse of alcohol is contrary
to the mission of the NCAA and destroys such fundamental values as respect,
fairness, civility, honesty and responsibility; and
Whereas the NCAA takes seriously its responsibility to present participation in sports as a positive experience for student-athletes and fans alike, and this responsibility includes educating student-athletes about alcohol abuses and providing positive messaging related to the legal use of alcohol; and
Whereas the Association recognizes the connection made by the general public and the media between sports and alcohol use, and restricts alcohol advertising and the sale of alcohol beverages at the site of NCAA championship events; and
Whereas the NCAA supports institutional autonomy and campus responsibility as it relates to managing the use of alcohol and other substances on campus but recognizes the need for a consistent message as it relates to alcohol advertising and sales during all collegiate events.
Now, Therefore be it Resolved that NCAA members shall be encouraged to:
· Prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages during all preseason, regular season, conference and postseason intercollegiate events;
· Promote legal and responsible use of alcohol by fans outside the stadium or arena (e.g., tailgating);
· Prohibit on-site alcohol advertising during all preseason, regular season, conference and postseason intercollegiate events;
· Prohibit media advertising of alcoholic beverages that exceed six percent alcohol by volume;
· Limit advertising of malt beverages, beer and wine products that do not exceed six percent alcohol by volume and include content that emphasizes legal use of alcohol; and
·
Provide programs and resources for education,
prevention and treatment of alcohol abuse.