Univ. of Illinois Associate Chancellor for Public Affairs Robin Kaler said billboards near the school promoting Coors Light as the "Official Beer of the Fighting Illini" were "not in the scope" of a deal with the beer maker and "are being removed and won't appear again," according to Tom Kacich of the Champaign-Urbana NEWS-GAZETTE. The ads were a result of a "new four-year deal" between MillerCoors and Learfield Sports, which "handles sponsorship rights for the UI athletic department." UI Assistant AD Marty Kaufmann said the deal is "a six-figure benefit" to the athletics department. Kaufmann: "We haven't had any beer partnerships since maybe the mid-'90s. And then we opened it back up this year, so this is a change. But the parameters we held to is that, one, there'd be nothing in the venue, nothing in State Farm Center or Memorial Stadium. All the advertising would be off campus. It would be radio, television and some tickets, and (MillerCoors) could use our logo in promotional and marketing. We felt that our peers -- not all of them but a higher number -- were doing some things and we felt we should consider it." Kacich noted the "only place on television you'll see the Coors Light commercials is on weekly interview shows with UI coaches; the Big Ten Network still prohibits beer advertising" (Champaign-Urbana NEWS-GAZETTE, 9/14).
80 PROOF POSITIVE: In Hartford, Jenny Wilson wrote, "Schools capitalizing on alcohol as a part of the college fans' game-day experience has become an increasing trend in NCAA athletics." Whether in the form of "associations to company logos, radio and television advertisements, or sales at stadiums, flowing beer can translate into a flow of cash for college sports programs trying to compete in a multibillion-dollar industry." Across the country, athletics departments are "weighing the pros and cons of alcohol products and signs on campus." The decision to associate the UConn Husky logo with Coors was "quickly reversed" last week. Elsewhere, the Univ. of Louisville has raised $2.5M "in the past three years through a promotion with Maker's Mark, by selling bottles of the Kentucky company's staple 80-proof bourbon -- with coaches' faces stamped on the label." UL Senior Associate AD/Media Relations & SID Kenny Klein said that the athletic department "will put the money toward construction of a new academic center for student-athletes" (HARTFORD COURANT, 9/14).
