NFL’s Messed Up Stance On Advertising, Booze, and Cannabis
The NFL wants you to drink more booze but not consume cannabis
Someone at the NFL must be drunk: they’ve been making odd changes to their advertising policies while still being anti-cannabis.
Just last week, the NFL adjusted their advertising policy so that they could allow TV partners to advertise distilled booze during the 2017 season, based on a memo from the Wall Street Journal. According to the NFL., it will begin accepting 30-second spots for hard liquor advertisements in each game with a restriction of 2 spots during halftime. Networks that show the games, including CBS, NBC, Fox, and ESPN will also be allowed to run two booze spots during pregame and postgame.
The NFL’s requirement for the ads was that they should have a “prominent social responsibility message” and are prohibited from using football as a theme, or promoting underage drinking. An NFL executive stated that these policy changes will eventually be permanent.
NFL Is After The Money
It’s been increasingly common for sports leagues to court sponsors and advertisers with the purpose of bringing in more money, because apparently the beer brand advertising just simply isn’t doing enough. Sports leagues have also been working with financial service firms and car makers – but they want more dough, so they’ve turned to big alcohol companies.
Naturally there have been concerns about linking the use of hard liquor with world-famous football players, who are admired by young fans. Despite this, professional sports leagues gradually began accepting advertisements and sponsorships from alcohol companies years ago. According to Kantar media, liquor businesses have spent around $411 million just on US ads last year.
Banned Advertisers
Liquor is in, but NFL is still putting vitamins, birth control, and of course cannabis (more on that later on), on the bench. NFL has a list of advertisers from whom they refuse to accept; including any kind of birth control and condoms, gambling and Las-Vegas related ads, and sports drinks like Red Bull. What’s weird is that they will still continue to accept ads for erectile dysfunction medications and lottery ads.
It’s also strange that the NFL refuses to partner with GNC as an advertiser. The supplement company was rejected from sponsoring a Super Bowl commercial earlier this year, because they produce supplements that are banned by the NFL.
It doesn’t stop there – NFL is still accepting commercials featuring violent movies and games. Even if they have a department responsible for reviewing each if they are too violent to feature – none of this just makes any sense.
Basically what football fans can expect in the coming season are ads filled with erectile dysfunction, booze, and violence
NFL’s Strict Stance on Legal Cannabis
If NFL players have been found to be using cannabis, this can lead to serious fines or even suspensions, based on the current NFL policy. The NFL doesn’t care if cannabis is used as treatment or for medicinal purposes that comply with state law. No matter what, they are completely against cannabis use.
The NFL Players Association is organizing a proposal so that the league can minimize the penalties for cannabis use. More NFL players are using cannabis as a way of self-medicating, instead of resorting to opioid painkillers. Cannabis is used by athletes to help them manage pain, which is a common ailment that athletes including those in the NFL have to deal with. The NFL doesn’t seem to give a rat’s ass about the health and safety of its players; given the fact that America has a serious opioid addiction and overdose crisis, while there has not been a single case of overdosing on cannabis.
It’s well-known that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has an archaic view when it comes to cannabis use. Although he admitted to his willingness to review the policy, he said that cannabis has an “addictive nature” and is worried that “there are a lot of compounds in marijuana that may not be healthy for the players long-term”.
Prior to the Super Bowl 51, Goodell attended the Walter Payton Man of the Year forum and said, “What we do is rely on our medical experts, and we have joint medical experts between the players’ association and the league. To date, those medical advisers have not recommended that we change our policy to permit marijuana use. Obviously we’re ware of the fact that marijuana use, particularly in medical areas, is something that there’s a lot of research behind. And we’ll follow that closely. If for some reason we believe that there’s a potential change that can benefit our players and it’s medically supported with research and facts, then we will certainly consider that. But I do know that the players’ association is looking at this also, and they may be presenting a proposal to us in the context of the next CBA.”
Roger Goodell, you have clearly been living under a rock.
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