Surfing and alcohol sponsorship: Do we really care?
What place is there for ethics in the modern business landscape? How many businessman would forego dollars and ignore the bottom line to do 'the right thing'?
Strange questions indeed. Even stranger when you consider I was sitting at a surfing press conference when I flashed upon them. There on a sunny Autumn morning in a glass-walled room overlooking Bondi Beach I sat. Around me were politicians, the odd celebrity and a gaggle of surfing administrators. A feeling of social detachment plus the serene location made it an ideal setting for some Big Thinking.
We'd all been invited to Bondi Icebergs to listen to Surfing Australia's latest public statement. It was touted as a surprise, a 'significant announcement' said the press release resoundingly, and considering the healthy state of Surfing Australia there was reason to believe it could've been something huge.
The announcement wasn't huge, but nor was it trivial either. The assembled were informed by CEO Andrew Stark that Surfing Australia had become the latest sporting organisation to join the Be The Influence initiative. Created by the Australian National Preventive Health Agency the broad-ranging program aims to curb binge drinking in young people by reaching them through sport. Surfing was the last of 15 sports on the program.
On stage Stark spoke effusively of the benefits. "This is a monumental partnership for our sport," he said of the new arrangement, "it will provide a serious boost to our various programs Australia-wide."
Not only did Stark celebrate the support Surfing Australia will receive, much was made of how the government initiative will replace all existing alcohol sponsorship of Surfing Australia and its state branches. Effective immediately there would be no alcohol advertising at Surfing Australia events, competitions or in their publications.
Before handing the microphone over to the next speaker Stark made one last point. "The anti-binge drinking message that we will promote to our community is something that we all believe in." It was less a press conference platitude than anything yet spoken and that's because it didn't sound like spin but an honest declaration of ethics.
Stark was applauded by those in the crowd and later by many who read the associated press release. Binge drinking is an issue, they said, it should be addressed by those who wield power. The consensus being that alcohol advertising is detrimental to young people.
Someone who unquestionably believes in that causal relationship is 2003 Australian of the Year, Professor Fiona Stanley. In 2011 Stanley established the Alcohol Advertising Review Board (AARB), an independent body that reviews alcohol advertising in Australia. The AARB operates as a counterweight to the alcohol industry-supported Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code addressing what Stanley says is a "tsunami of alcohol promotion to which our children are exposed."
Since they were created the AARB has fielded a number of complaints about alcohol advertising in surfing. Last year Jim Beam's National Surf Tag competition had a complaint against them upheld, as did Carlton Dry at this year's Quiksilver Pro (the offending ad featured Kelly Slater). In May 2012 a Surfing Australia sponsor was the target of a complaint fielded by the AARB.
Carlton United Breweries has been one of Surfing Australia's most lucrative and loyal sponsors having supported them for nine years. In that time CUB has run many promotions but it was a recent campaign that drew the ire of a complainant and subsequently the AARB. At issue was alcohol advertising on the Surfing Australia website, a site that also contains links and information targeted specifically at young kids.
Professor Mike Daube is the spokesman for the AARB and is damning in his assessment of current alcohol advertising. "The drinking patterns of young Australians are cause for concern with many starting to drink at younger ages and drinking to get drunk. Exposure to alcohol advertising influences young people's attitudes and behaviours in regard to alcohol." With ads for Victoria Bitter adjacent to those for Vegemite Surf Groms it's little wonder Surfing Australia fell foul of the AARB.
Of the Surfing Australia sponsorship Daube says, "It is simply inappropriate that sports such as surfing were being used to promote alcohol to young people."
In the AARB's complaint report it's noted that CUB were contacted for comment but didn't reply. The AARB's final action was to request that the advertiser reconsider their sponsorship of Surfing Australia. Lacking the legal power to enforce their decisions the AARB can only rely on the media and public pressure, something CUB resisted. Victoria Bitter continued their support of Surfing Australia and advertising on their website.
When I brought Surfing Australia's new anti-alcohol stance to Daube's attention he said he, "welcomed the decision of Surfing Australia. This is a very positive move, and shows yet again that sports can succeed without being a part of alcohol promotion."
Except it isn't as simple as that.
Jennifer Howard is Media Relations Manager at CUB and her response to the Surfing Australia situation is illuminating. "As business partners we could understand why they would take substantially more money offered from a Government Agency so we were happy to stand aside."
Interestingly, she also admitted that while sponsorship of Surfing Australia has currently ceased, CUB "maintain a product supply arrangement" at all Surfing Australia events. In short, they provide the beer.
Now, it's all well and good to decry alcohol sponsorship when the government is stepping in as substitute – especially when they offer "substantially more money" - but what will happen when the budget changes? At present Surfing Australia's Be The Influence initiative is only slated for one year; anything beyond that is uncertain. Also, the Federal Government is likely to change in October which may have bearing on current government spending.
Will Surfing Australia accept sponsorship from alcohol companies again? Or will the surfing public maintain their resistance and apply pressure through the AARB? Beyond all of that, do we really care about alcohol advertising in surfing? What is the ethical position to take here?
Surfing Australia and anyone who backed their current anti-alcohol stance should consider these questions because, as Jennifer Howard states, when the government program expires Carlton United Breweries, "would look at doing something again [with Surfing Australia] in the future but it would have to be the right property, brand fit and price."
Andrew Stark was approached for comment in this article but declined.
Comments
I'm a bit older than the average surf grom, but I have watched with both horror and deep concern the way that a culture of extreme drinking has invaded a whole generation.
Where do you start? Very close to home for me is the stunning incidence of alcohol-fuelled voilence and the brain damage that results from it. I've seen that one up close. Mix in the chronic damage to liver and brains and spirits that stem from drinking levels that are orders of magnitude above what constitutes full-blown alcoholism. Add a generation who find their lives so painful that they have to regularly and spectacularly anethetise themselves. Finish it off with the way that my home town becomes a vomit splattered, piss-soaked temple to excessiveness most nights, all in the cause of Big Alcohol making massive profits off the whole sorry state of affairs.
Most kids (say 14-30 year olds) I talk to think that this is normal and reasonable and acceptable. It isn't. It's disgusting and dangerous, and this is becoming a wasted generation in more ways than one. I'm not saying that you shouldn't drink. I am saying that you shouldn't drink to get drunk, and then keep on drinking and drinking and drinking.
Whether Surfing Australia could influence this at all is debatable, but it's clear that Jim Beam and CUB and all the others want to cosy up to our community because they see it as a way to groom their next tranche of committed, high volume customers.
This will accomplish next to nothing, young people will be getting pissed regardless of advertisements. The minority of youngsters who surf, let alone watch Surfing Australia events, won't even notice the difference with them gone.
Also, the number of teenagers who would drink carlton beer would be next to nothing, it isn't a fluorescent coloured drink with 60g of sugar in it.
Also, when will some parents start taking some fucking responsibility for their child and their actions, everyone just goes running off to the government like spoilt little brats, expecting the problem to fix itself.
CUB "maintain a product supply arrangement" at all Surfing Australia events.
So it's not binge drinking when you get it for free?
Grazza,
Ever heard of the Boot Hill Gang? In Torquay I grew up hearing all about their legendary exploits and all of them involved behaviour that caused "chronic damage to liver and brains and spirits that stem from drinking levels that are orders of magnitude above what constitutes full-blown alcoholism."
However my mates and I weren't warned off it, there's was a legacy to aspire to. The older crew bought us the beers and explicitly encouraged us to go hard on the beers till it became something to brag about.
I guess what I'm saying is that binge drinking is not a modern phenomena. I think it's ingrained in Australian culture and especially surf culture.
I agree with Dexxta. Parents need to take responsibility. Whinging to the government all the time just creates more bullshit. And CUB beer is coloured water with sugar it is rubbish beer, and I am from its home state. Myself nor my son nor his mates drink it, they are all into some local quality brews and savouring the flavour, not guzzling for the sake of it, that is just being a boofhead.
Given Australia is awash with alcohol and is suffering the permanent hang-over in all aspects of life from domestic violence to increase health care costs associated with preventative illness we should all care a lot.
But, its been my immediate and direct observation that there is no point telling kids not to get shit-faced "to have fun" when since those same kids have seen their parents regularly mis-use alcohol since they were little tackers. Sure that's partly a generalisation but there is so much truth about it also. Alcoholic parents have a real good chance of raising(?) alcoholic kids.
So the real problem is inter-generational so good luck with this program/sponsorship arrangement but why just target kids?
There will be a time (or there should be one) when alcohol advertising (along with fast food) will be banned like tobacco ....... I say should be because the alcohol industry lobby group here would be one of the most powerful and we all know how jelly-backed our politicians are (e.g. mining tax).
So why do mining companies like Chevron advertise on TV? not as if I'm off to the supermarket to but a packet of Chevron iron ore.
For the record the only politician I have ever heard say there should be restrictions on alcohol advertising was Steve Fielding, you know that dick head from Family First.
Well said Floyd. Its the Parents who need to start leading by example. Unfortunately we have all been brainwashed since we were kids and our parents before that on and on, that you need to drink alcohol to have a good time.
It will take a generation to break the cycle but now is a good time to start
Blaming the parents is fair enough but who do we blame for their poor behaviour? The grand parents obviously! Assigning blame doesn't solve the problem anyway good governance can. It is how we reduced smoking rates and why we don't have massacres in our schools!
Such good news.
I like a beer as much as the next man but it makes me sad when I see my local grom comp sponsored by Jim Beam.
If you go out clubbing or to a music festival 90% of people are intoxicated. I was greatly surprised when a friend recently returned from Europe told me that at live music venues people rarely get drunk, there's never even a line at the bar.
We can't deny that binge drinking is a problem in Australia,
it's not something that's happened overnight, in fact the problem has likely been brewing (excuse the pun) for decades and it's nice that something is finally being done.
I believe that it's only a matter of time before all alchohol containers have graphic photos showing the damages of alchohol, much the same as cigarettes.
The next step - banning fast food advertising in sports.
Since brewers and investors sold off your countries major beer producer, (Fosters), to the Japanese a few years ago, is it really all that surprising to see the stuff banned from comp sponsorship?
As to groms these days, don't you think it's more than just beer that's molding today's youth into becoming stupid posers?
Blindboy, Assigning blame was not the intent This whole binge drinking issue is ingrained in Australian culture and our parents and grandparents etc are as much victims as todays youth.
This will not be an easy fix but trying to understanding where it comes from is part of finding the cure.
Since beer has always been a form of liquid bread.. the most prudent suggestion in this situation would be...
With all thy getting, get moderation.
http://infohost.nmt.edu/~armiller/beer/beersay.htm
This will have a small impact which will be in part a function of duration. Guaranteed SUrfing Australia will go back to the trough as soon as the government $$ runs out or falls below what the alcohol companies will offer.
But even then the impact in isolation has to be small surely. Taking this sort of action without doing something about discount bulk liquor stores will basically amount to sweet FA. The thing that's changed the most in the last 20 years is the tendency for young kids to drink nearly all of their alcohol before going out (now termed preloading). It used to be the case that kids would have a few quiet ones and then go out and continue drinking (i know there are obvious exceptions - im talking generally). Nowadays the % of kids aiming to get smashed before they go out so they only need water and maybe 1 drink in a venue is massive. That's a function of significantly diminished alcohol prices at bottle shops over time compared with prices in the venues (who have been hit with ever increasing compliance costs from ill conceived government policies which are knee jerk reactions against softer targets for governments desperate to be seen to be doing something).
Also - re the parenting issue - unfortunately peer pressure is way more influential than parenting .
Pensky has nailed it. We used to go to pubs to see bands and drink there. It was cheaper due to the issues he describes. My kids don't do it however they say many they do know get really charged before going out so they don't have to spend money when they get there. Not sure about the parenting, maybe I just got lucky as mine aren't into the binge thing and can't see the point.
Exactly! Peer pressure is way stronger than parenting. Sure parents can lay the foundation but it's also rite of passage for teenagers and early 20's to rebel, and all too often that means binge drinking.
And to all those people saying the advertising doesn't work. Please! This is 2013, get a grip on yourself and the world around you. Better yet, start by 'knowing thyself' and also knowing that companies don't advertise for charity, they advertise BECAUSE IT WORKS.
As we've seen in other industries (smoking for example), take the advertising away and the there's a corresponding drop in consumption.
Cracking read Stu. If anyone asks why I don't buy surf mags anymore I'll direct them to this article.
What's the bet Surfing Australia don't have a press conference when they renew their relationship with CUB?
It's all about the money and the power and the power and the money. I went out for a beer with a mate in feb in the lead up to the quiky pro. As I was ordering a beer the bar girl mentioned that if I buy a Carlton draught I would get a scratchy which would give me a 1 in6 chance of winning a quiky pro singlet, some wax or something else. The ugly breakdown of this scenario is that I was influenced to buy a beverage sponsoring a surf comp while also being coerced into some form of gambling at the same time. This surfing australia announcement means absolutey nothing until we see a total ban of alcohol company sponsorship across all surfing comps in Australia regardless of who sanctions them. This will never happen as long as company's like CUB keep offering the $$$$.
You say you were influenced to buy a beverage sponsoring a surf comp while being coerced into some form of gambling.
Unless you're younger than 18, I say you need to exercise more self control.
I think advertisers need to get their act together when it comes to kids and teens, especially ads that put pressure on parents, but beyond 18, I think the cure is worse than the cold.
I for one don't want the power, say and reach of egomaniacal politicians and unelected apparatchiks expanded to include any more of my rights than those things already cover. Enough already.
Noting that many these days want to also force all women to roll around town in a tent, do they make burkas for men?
White people ARE pussies.
"The anti-binge drinking message that we will promote to our community is something that we all believe in."
- Surfing Australia's CEO .
Quite interesting that he did not wish to comment in your article but wanted you at his press conference, he doesn't seem to have decided whether you are relevant or not? I think he'll get back to you next year with their announcement about their new major sponsor, whoever that might be with a higher bid.
Amy Bainbridge from the ABC has written a very interesting article.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-29/bainbridge-alcohol-advertising-in-...
I think it is pretty easy to answer her questions Ben. What happens to pro sport? Well a lot of over paid young men get a more realistic take on life......and sport rolls on with less bullshit, less illegal drug use and fewer arrogant strutting steroid junkies. The more money you put into a sport the more toxic the culture becomes.
Does the benefit outweight the health cost to society? No, not even in the same ball park, assuming that there are any benefits which is a dubious proposition. All that sport on the box while obesity levels rocket. Unrelated? Dream on. These days the message to kids is clear sport is about elite competition and money. Fun? Screw that, this is big business and yes you can run all those dinky kids program's with plastic bats and run your grom comps but the message from the pros trumps that shit a million times.
Should we take more responsibility for our drinking, rather than blame it on advertising? This from someone who has already admitted that as a highly educated professional she cannot control her own drinking. Get real! This is not an either or situation. Take responsibility for your own drinking by all means but make that task easier for yourself and everyone else by increasing the restrictions on alcohol advertising, in particular, get it out of sport.
Really good piece stu!
Binge drinking in Australia goes back a lot further than our parents and grandparents. Read about the outlandish piss-ups of the first decade of white settlement, bloody hell. Now it feels like it's one of our big social blind spots. The roller is from the USA so might not grasp the pervasiveness of it here, he might think of it as similar to the US's cultural attitude toward guns etc. Ie it doesn't make any fcuken sense but you do it anyway because that's the force of the culture.
You might think it's impossible to change but that's not borne out by looking at how other destructive social norms have been weeded out of societies both here and elsewhere. Drink driving is the classic example in Oz.
What you can't kinda dispute is the cost. If binge drinking lost its grip on Australian culture, who would be harmed? Truly, nobody at all. Some jobs might be lost in liquor distribution, marketing etc, but those jobs would reshuffle through the economy, and there'd be a lot less sick days.
Who would be helped? Pretty much everybody. Aside from the huge human costs foregone, the kids who would avoid brain injuries, the adults whose lives would function better, there are huge savings to be made in health care and economic productivity.
You can't foresee all the results of any actions, but breaking that weird social habit would have to be up there with the best collective moves we could make. Maybe it will happen naturally over time, as more immigration dilutes the strain, but every little bit helps.
If SA can arrange its affairs better so as to avoid any level of pumping up the binge drinking culture then more fcuken power to 'em I reckon.
....and if SA can't arrange a better deal then it's OK to go back to VB Nick?
6 days in and 24 comments ...... says something about the topic i guess.
Anyway, for those that are interested might want to check out this documentary that screened on SBS last night ........ Do I drink too much?
http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/26189891637/Do-I-Drink-Too-Much?utm...
Well it's not like I have much of a say in it but I don't really think so BB, no, that whole VB thing has always been a bit suss around an organisation like Surfing Australia, with its constant promotion of a healthy, kid-centred surfing life.
They'd find it pretty hard to go back, one suspects.
Then again I am easily offended by subtle cultural-weave style of alcohol promotion, even that whole "raise a glass" Anzac thing vaguely pissed me off. Like drinking beer is an essential part of the sombre recollection of Australia's war history. Yeah right.
Glad to hear that Nick.
"A father has been blocked by the AFL and Cricket Australia from taking out advertisements promoting a healthy lifestyle, with the sporting authorities saying it would conflict with their sponsorships from alcohol and food companies."
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/sports-reject-healthy-living-ad-se...
After reading that article, there is some serious problem in sport at the moment.
"...A Cricket Australia spokesman said the responsible drinking category was already filled..."
They need pr help now
Interestingly, SN's main rival has very recently taken the well-known foreign beer's logo off its WOTD.
Anyone aware of the reason?
Not sure whaaaat, perhaps that advertising contract has come to a completion. However, it's worth noting that CW have been partnered with Surfing Australia for the last twelve years or so.
Well, there you go.
As a side note, if you had to have your surfing website sponsored by a beer, that brand was probably the most apposite. I've always found it like having sex in a canoe.
Surfing Australia and Government driven Anti-alcohol deal sponsoring a series of boardriders events?
So guys who actually work for a living are going to have obey an order that no alcohol is to be consumed during any event on their day off, responsibly like clubs have done for 40+years?
Who is going to reinforce it? police? ..."Where's stevo, he's in the next heat?!"
"Oh Andrew stark (Arguably 1 of the WORST drunks i have witnessed) had him hauled off because he was wearing a VB Shirt and it looked bad on TV...."
So do the Bondi Guys know?...
I really don't see a problem hatter. You might be mad at the moment but you'll get over it. Times change and, whatever age you are now, I guarantee you will face greater changes than having to wait a couple of extra hours for your first beer. I think most competitive surfers will see the value in this and be happy to cooperate.
The ASP World Junior Championships are curently being held in Brazil. And the presenting sponsor? Devassa, one of Brazil's largest brewers.
You're not even allowed to look at Devassa's webpage if you're under 18-years-old but they're the major sponsor of a grom's comp.
Drink up, kids!
What no beers at 9 am after the next mal comp?
How am I going to face those sausage sandwiches sober?!
The judging will become a lot more reliable too I guess but at what cost , at what cost?
I dont blame my fathers moderate-low daily red after work or advertising, (except sale price ads in bottlo) for my on and off abuse of beer wine or rum. I blame myself. Missed epic waves all over the east coast last sunday with a hangover and often surf crap after a night out on the piss.
Dad let us drink a beer or two from a young age, 14 or 15 and didnt get into heavy drinking untill 32. At 18 it was boring would rather go for the early than hang out with the boys till 4 am..
The ocean seems to detox a little however i dont see how anyone could surf better with alcohol use.
Lost a good job in the past by going to the pub for a sneaky at lunch.Was allowed to go for a two hour surf when it was good but one beer at the pub? no way.
Drinking is shit in heavy use. It doesnt just bring about underlying good and bad personalities or issues it seriously effects the way the emotions work AND STOP WORKING, can turn a mellowish or relatively normal person into a serious sociopathic rage over anything petty.
Either that or sloth around and fall asleep on a train, floor gutter whatever with neck collapsing on the esophagus with possible death.
Worsens depressive peoples states of minds, lose motivation for things you once loved. Lose friends with bad behavior. Embarrassment of being a dick for a few hours.Neighbors hearing you vomiting. solve that with another beer and Vit B complex tablet..
Aceh sounds good right now. No alcohol available im pretty sure anywhere.
What about red bull? a doc says i drink too much of it, he says Taurine was developed for occasional use in Vietnam or Korean war style combat, can be deadly if drunken daily. Also (apparently) can bring out anxiety, agoraphobic or even schizoid behavior.
No complaints are being said about that. Respect they put a lot of money into surfing and help out everywhere..they also put on some the best parties ive been to. maybe i should edit that out. If you want, Ben,Stu 0r Craig i will. Two friends work for them. I hope they dont read this.
At 35 had to have a liver function test after 4 weeks of no alcohol. Was still vomiting bile on a daily basis.
All good now. No beer gut either.
An interesting development: "A $25 million anti-binge drinking program offering sporting codes a taxpayer-funded grant if they forfeit alcohol sponsorship is facing the axe under the Coalition’s Budget review."
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/antidrink-campaign-loses-sport...
Good decision Surfing Australia. More than 50% of the members in Maroubra Surfers Association are under the age of 18. Alcohol sponsorship has no place in surfing.
Well it's a conservative government so we can't have the health of the community getting in the way of the rich getting richer. Not to mention that the last thing they would want is people thinking clearly. Ah yes the scum, as HST once remarked, always rises.
Seems there's been an about-face.
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/aug/14/surfing-australia-turns-to-...
I reckon they should seriously consider cigarette sponsorships. We could then combine the Hipsters/Kids and Parents in having smoke-albongs , as we already have binge drinking , and there must be a lot of money with the ciggy companies.
Be an interesting debate , " never seen a kid smoke a pak of ciggies and want to go an bash someone , but sure seen a lot of kids drink a slab and go berko!"
Don't understand the alcohol thing.
It's the most filthy tasting liquid there is...with beer at the top of the list.
Sad and pathetic. It is clearly unethical to use alcohol sponsorship to fund children's sport. It's worth remembering though that Surfing Australia's membership is a tiny fraction of the surfing population, I would guess a couple of orders of magnitude below 1%. As such they do not in any way represent surfers. They represent their membership. I wonder if sponsors are aware of how little interest their activities generate in the broader surfing community?
Is Surfing Australia saying that there is no other source of funding or sponsorship ? What no food company, no juice, no munchie bar company is interested in a pretty good population spread - how hard did they try ?
They're saying that they couldn't give a fuck how they get their money. What ever's easiest, they'll take it.
Anti alcohol money dries up, 'well fuck our moral radar' let's take anything.
Yeah we should care but as a society we don't care enough, not enough to change these powerful entities. We have established & nurtured a society that values the all mighty dollar first & foremost followed shortly by self interest.. Alcohol is clearly one of the biggest contributors to societies problems, yet try & intervene to stop this jugganaut. Buckleys........we are reaping what we've sewn. If we blame Surfing Australia for getting on board, then surely we should be talking about many other organizations that have come before them in the same breath....
Absolutely we should care ! I have never been a big drinker and it is extremely hard being a young male who does not want to drink to extreme with his mates every weekend ! Fortunately now I am a bit older and I can make my own decisions without that pressure, just like Julian Wilson and mick holding cans of red bull at every chance they can (do they really drink that crap ?) it is all about the almighty dollar!!!
i think that this issue has to be used to help our society. Watch the footy, beer logos everywhere, Breweries are here to make a profit. But we have a huge alcohol problem. It is not going to be swept under the carpet.
I believe the brewers need to be made to show some sense to help this issue.
No heavy beer allowed to be advertised. Ads/logos that state only one or two drinks. This issue wont change overnight but we can gradually change the way people/our youth think about this issue.
It wont be as quick as ciggies to change, but we have to make it uncool to be totally pissed and destructive to our own health and to others.
Awareness is key, so dont ban the brewers, but make them more responsible in their exposure.
Its a huge step forward if we could get people to think it's cool to drink 2.5% or 3% beer than the full strength stuff plastered everywhere we look.
will we try this- tax tax tax- the govts want the tax dollars more than a sober society.
Not avery sobering thought, but maybe one day they will awaken from their drunken slumber to see the benefit of it. FFS origin teams with beer logos on them, lets show our kids the way to live-really?????
How many people die from alcohol abuse per year? 15.
How many die in autos per year? Over one thousand!.....
Extending the logic of some here, you'll need to ban auto ads as well on account of all of those folks who use cars in an abusive manner...
Massive amounts of money from taxes on alcohol fund government spending, and government salaries.
Are any of you teetotaling whingers ready to give that up as well?
Try 15 people a day and 450 hospital admissions a day 15000 a year ! Almost 6000 alcohol related deaths a year ! You must have been pissed when you wrote that mate because trying to relate those two together is ridiculous ! And don't forget half of those auto related deaths are probably alcohol related !
those stats seem a bit obscure roller
i know what you are saying and idiots behind the wheel are like idiots that commit domestic violence, vandalism whilst they are drunk.
maybe i am idealistic and delusional, but i would love to see the next generation and the one after be educated about the negative impacts of alcohol, i would also love to see those that live in the cities use public transport more.
but aussies love their cars and their beer and this issue is like taking the guns off the yanks.
but gee whiz, cant we start by at least seeing light beer ads on tv even thru nrl, cricket and so on.
maybe rollers right and we can see Dilmah sponsor the cricket coverage, WADA sponsor the AFL and the Catholic and Anglican Churches sponsor the league coverage whilst the mafia could do the soccer, maybe we could even have betting on the games!!!!!!!!!!! can surfing escape the beer promo?- surf mags-corona ads standard, promoting the utopian day of waves, women and sunset beers and quickie pro, beer, beer and more beer banners everywhere, plugs on the beach commentary and free in the beautiful peoples area.
how can alcohol and high performance sporting participation work?
Heh, let's face it how good does a cold beer taste after a day on the beach.
got me there tb, but i'd prefer the soft taste of a beautiful woman's lips.
I know I'm in the minority but I really cannot believe that advertising works that well. I dont think humans are that stupid. i guess it must be a subliminal thing but I still don't see it as that powerful. I think advertising is just a big tax write off, a back slapping corporate box old boys club exerscise where a bunch wannabees can feel like they made it for a couple if hours. but I guess I'm wrong and human's are not that snart...dont fuck with me ssubliminally, don't fuck with me subliminally, dont fuck with me sub-lim-min-ally!!!
so maybe it is more subliminal and tricky, if this is the case we need more control on all advertising, especially junk food, but it seems that horse has well and truly bolted.. there was a period there where the authorities had some control, and morals!! then with the advent of the internet decades of good work was undermined over night.
I must have had a romantic view of surfing through the nineties because it seemed surfing had some credibility and would chalkenge the man. now it sells its soul to the highest bidder. so we have that pro chick (gilmore I think) looking ridiculous flogging kfc and fanning looking like an awkward gumby decked out in a plethora of logos holding a can he probably doesn't drink. never really thought
much of fanning until he gave that 70k to a shark attack victim. then I thought wow the gold coast prostitute has some compassion...good on him, or at worst he has enough money to do some good. if its the latter maybe he could be more discerning about his long list of sponsors and actually just take the ones he believes in.
surfing and all sports could do the same, there is so much money in sport these days they don't need to sell to the highest bidder. but perhaps look for the products and causes that best fit. I totally disagree with that abc chick who seems to think all this money is needed to make for a better spectacle. and one could say its fairly typical that wonen are more impressed with all the window dressings. but most blokes say footy was better before it became so professional, i would say the same for surfing, all these gadgets and gps tracking etc. might give the inarticulate commentators sonething to articulate but it doesn'treally change the imporant stuff, ie. surfing, at all, I think the current troubles with FIFA and IOC show that too much money undermines the quality product rather than enhancing it, so maybe trying to find sponsors that fit is more beneficial than selling to the highest bidder.
but it appears its way too late for that, to control advertising and ask for credibility so maybe we need to educate kids to be better criticak thinkers and not be scared to question our culture. there was an article recently about australia the nanny state (yes another one!) actually making us dumber. the jounnalust pointed out that across europe there are much more laxed alcohol selling laws, no lock outs, buskers and bands springing up everwhere and a real vibrant nightlife right into the early hours of the morning, with no violence. the problem isn't about restrictions it's about our culture!. we need to foster a culture of respect rather than banning everything. in japan you can buy beer from vending machines 24/7, Indonesia from the circle k 24/7 they dont have these problems with violence. yeh the japanese have health problems with drunks but sonehow the drunk holds himself with dignity. that's what Australia needs to focus on
Propaganda and adverts are quite effective....
http://www.returnofkings.com/68818/how-social-justice-warriors-ruined-au...
well said sypkan, we do have to educate our kids to create a new culture, a new storyline and this comes with being able to have access to talk about things.
alcohol smothers things and then becomes a habit that convinces u it makes u feel better.
it is a false prophet and each to their own as i enjoy a drink, but i dont think it needs to be sponsoring sports.