The 2012 Free The Bowl® youth video contest challenges youth to expose the relationship of beer advertising and consumption to violence before, during and after sporting events. The video contest culminates three days before Anheuser-Busch InBev displays their latest offensive beer ads during Super Bowl Bowl XLVI.
Over the past year, there have been a number of highly publicized incidents of alcohol-related violence at professional sporting venues, such as the tragic beating of San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stowe at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium. Research has shown that sports related alcohol advertising, sponsorship, branding, promotions, and sales practices all fuel over-consumption that leads directly to tens of thousands of annual incidents of alcohol-related violence and harm.
Research ahs also shown thatafter every Bud Light-sponsored-NFL game, an estimated 5,000 people leave the stadiums legally drunk. The toxic social norm that binds alcohol to sports must be broken. The Free The Bowl® youth video contest allows kids to best illustrate that you don’t need to drink alcohol to enjoy the game, despite what the beer ads tell you.
In accordance with the 2012 contest theme and rules, all video entries must incorporate one (1) of the following messages:
- Alcohol ads during sporting events promote binge drinking which contributes to violent behavior.
- The problem with tailgating is that people start drinking hours before the game begins.
- Drinking alcohol during major sporting events like the Super Bowl leads to increased domestic violence.
- After every NFL game, an estimated 5,000 people leave the stadiums legally drunk.
- Half of all U.S. homicides and assaults are related to drinking alcohol.
- You don’t need to drink alcohol to enjoy the game, despite what the beer ads tell you.