MyShout

Sport will lose out, argues Stephen Crawley, if there is a ban on alcohol sponsorships

I saw snippets of the John Smith's Grand National on the TV on Saturday. Anyone watching the start with the sound turned down would have thought the jockeys were on the sponsor's product - they spun round and round as the starter tried to get them off!

It got me thinking: now that smoking is being banned, is it possible that there might be a move to control alcohol sponsorship of sport? There have certainly been some rumblings. After all, that was the first move in tobacco (remember the Marlboro Racing team and Benson and Hedges golf and cricket!).

In Scotland the anti-tobacco politicians moved straight to sport sponsorship and alcohol almost immediately after the smoking ban had been introduced.

Football shirts and beer sponsors have never been as prominent in Scotland as in England. With the national team having Tennents lager and Rangers and Celtic both having Carling on their shirts a cynic might suggest that lager has Scottish sport covered.

Fortunately, that isn't the case. If you can recall the start of the 2007 Cricket World Cup, you'll remember Deuchars IPA on the Scottish Team's shirts - and the Famous Grouse has been on Scottish Rugby shirts for 16 years. Alcohol and sport just seem to fit.

Sport sponsorships play an integral part in the marketing mix of many UK alcoholic drinks and, in addition to headline sponsorships, there is a lot of support at grass-roots level in local rugby, football and cricket clubs.

In the licensed trade there are many in-pub activities related to sport, either on TV or involving the pub's own teams. Plenty of support is available from brand owners, especially if their headline sponsorship can be linked to events in the pub. I am sure those pubs selling London Pride will spare a thought for the runners participating in the London Marathon this Sunday.

But do these sponsorships drive the social responsibility agenda? Do these sponsorships glamorise alcohol by association? Do they drive increased consumption? And would these events be the same without any alcohol sponsorships?

Maybe these are some of the key questions we need to ask ourselves.

Some politicians would have a different view, but with a vested interest in both, I would argue that sport would ultimately lose out.

But the tobacco industry probably said the same.

A British pint and sport - whether backed by a sponsor or not - is the toast. And if, through good behaviour, we can call a halt to those opposed to alcohol sponsorship of sports, then so be it!