Banning Beer Ads

In the week leading up to the Super Bowl the Marin Institute has decided to come out and criticize the NFL and Anheuser-Bush for advertising beer during the Super Bowl. I understand the Marin Institute is the watchdog of the alcohol industry, but I can't imagine the Super Bowl without beer ads. Those Budweiser frogs and the "whassssssup" guys are just a couple of the beer commercials that I got a kick out of when I was younger; however, neither of those commercials made me want to go out and get loaded as a teenager.

Yes, a lot of kids watch the Super Bowl but I think for the most part it's grown men who can legally drink that tune in to the game. While we're on the topic of eliminating beer ads, why don't we talk about getting rid of any ads that objectify women like the GoDaddy.com ones? I respect the Marin Institutes concerns but if a funny beer ad is enough to make a kid want to start drinking underage then maybe some of the blame should be pointed at those kids' parents and not at the NFL and beer companies. Sure kids are impressionable, but sometimes it seems like that is used as an excuse by parents and groups that have some kind of vendetta against a company.

A survey says that 72 percent of Americans think that showing beer ads during sporting events is inconsistent with the positive role of sports for children. If that's the case maybe all these people should have their kids playing more sports instead of them watching sports on TV. I watched a lot of sports growing up and I'm sure lots of kids still do, but the main target is still adult males and in a lot of cases beer goes hand in hand with sports. Whether it's having a beer watching the game or going out for a beer after a game with your team, beer and sports go together.

In case it isn't obvious; I want beer commercials to stay. When I'm older and watch the game with my kid I want to be able to laugh at whatever ridiculous ad Budweiser or whoever throws our way. Hopefully I'll be responsible enough of a parent that they'll realize it's entertainment and not a reason to start boozing at age 12.