Budweiser Sheds Olympic Rings, But Still Stains the NFL

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Just months after renaming itself "America" in honor of U.S. Olympians, Budweiser has terminated its sponsorship of Team USA, CNN reports. The decision comes in the wake of disappointing ratings for the scandal- and Zika-plagued 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro.

According to Ad Age, Budweiser parent company A-B InBev found that the winter games were not a "key consumption period" for their product. The summer games, on the other hand, tended to attract an older, more female audience, while the brand hopes to reach young males.

Alcohol Justice Executive Director/CEO Bruce Lee Livingston applauded Budweiser's withdrawal, and urged them to go further. "A-B InBev spends hundreds of millions annually advertising during sporting events," he said in a press release. "This leads to increased underage drinking and turns family events into drunken, violent experiences."

A-B InBev has a $1.4 billion contract through 2022 with the National Football League, and is regularly the top spender in Super Bowl advertising. This lucrative relationship persists in the face of an alarming and persistent rise in violence at football games. 

With that in mind, Alcohol Justice calls for A-B InBev to really live up to the name America, and take an action that would benefit countless young fans: keep withdrawing from sports sponsorships, starting with the Super Bowl. Livingston, however, is not optimistic. "They want young American men hooked on their beers, so unfortunately we expect them to keep going for the teen boy audience that the Super Bowl attracts," he said.

WATCH award-winning youth-produced counter-beer ads from past Free the Bowl® and Free Our Sports® video contests.


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