Young Drinkers Influenced More by Alcohol Ads than by Athletes’ Drinking Behavior

Reports of heavy drinking by sports stars appear to have little influence on young people’s own drinking behavior, but use of athletes in alcohol advertising carries considerably more weight, results of a study in Australia suggest.

BBC News reported April 21 that in a questionnaire completed by 1,028 students at two Australian universities, the young people thought professional athletes on average drank 12 percent less than they themselves did. These students at the same time tended to overestimate their peers’ level of drinking, a factor that appeared to influence their own behavior more strongly.

The researchers added that while athletes’ actual behavior seemed to have little influence on youths, the strong presence of alcohol marketing in the sporting world carried greater significance.

“We are not suggesting that sports stars should not be encouraged to drink responsibly, but it’s disingenuous to place the blame on them for setting the bad example,” said Kerry O’Brien, co-author of a report based on the Australian study. “It is time that sport administrators consider their own social responsibilities when weighing up the costs and benefits of using their sports and sport stars to market alcohol on behalf of the alcohol industry.”