Sponsorship in sport

The sponsorship of sporting events and sportspeople is banned in many countries. For example, the primary club competition in European rugby union, the Heineken Cup, is called the H Cup in France because of that country's restrictions on alcohol advertising. However, such sponsorship is still common in other areas, such as the United States.

Alcohol advertising is common in motor racing competitions, and is particularly prominent in NASCAR racing. One major example of this is the Busch Series, sponsored by a brand of beer sold by Anheuser-Busch. Budweiser, the best-known Anheuser-Busch brand, sponsors the car of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., arguably one of the most popular Nextel Cup drivers.

Furthermore, NASCAR mandates drivers under 21 not be permitted to wear a "Budweiser Pole Award" or any alcohol-branded sticker on their car. In such cases, as shown with Nextel Cup driver Kyle Busch or Busch Series driver Reed Sorensen, the drivers' cars carry a generic "Pole Award" sticker with the corporate logo. One team, Petty Enterprises, refuses to participate in the Budweiser Pole Award and forfeits all alcohol monies won.

For distilled spirits, teams must run a responsible drinking sticker clearly visible on the car. For Jack Daniel's, the theme is "Pace Yourself", and includes on NASCAR's Web site a waving yellow flag warning drinkers. For Crown Royal, the television ads feature the car with the slogan "Be a champion" and it acting as a pace car to drivers, warning them of responsibility. Jim Beam has radio ads and NASCAR mandated statements about alcohol control. None of the three, however, is a full-time sponsor. (Jim Beam's parent, Fortune Brands, sometimes has its Moen Faucets replace Jim Beam on the car in selected races.)

Although tobacco companies have been the main source of financial backing in Formula One, some alcohol brands have also been associated with the sport. For example, Budweiser appears on the WilliamsF1 car and the Foster's Group (with the Foster's Lager brand) sponsor numerous circuits around the world.

Anheuser-Busch complies with the French alcohol advertising ban in Formula One by placing their Busch Entertainment theme park logos (mostly Sea World) appeared in places where their Budweiser logo would appear on the WilliamsF1 car at races where alcohol advertising is banned and in Middle Eastern countries, where alcohol advertising is discouraged. Few companies, however, added responsible drinking campaigns with their sponsorship, notably the 1989-90 BTCC Ford Sierra RS500 of Tim Harvey and Lawrence Bristow, which was sponsored by Labatts. Throughout the two seasons, the car bore a "Please Don't Drink and Drive" message.

Some stadiums, particularly in the U.S., bear the names of breweries or beer brands via naming rights arrangements, such as Busch Stadium, Coors Field, and Miller Park.

Diageo are a major sponsor of many sporting events through their various brands. For example, Johnnie Walker sponsor the Championship at Gleneagles and Classic golf tournaments along with the Team McLaren Formula One car.

Cricket is a sport with a large amount of alcohol sponsorship. The 2005 Ashes, for example, featured sponsorship hoardings by brands such as Red Stripe, Thwaites Lancaster Bomber and Wolf Blass wines.

Rugby union also has a substantial amount of alcohol sponsorship. The Scotland national team has a long-established relationship with The Famous Grouse, a brand of Scotch whisky. Wales has a more recent relationship with the Brains brewery, and the Springboks of South Africa had Castle Lager as their shirt sponsor until 2004. Magners is the title sponsor of the Magners League, the top competition in Ireland,Scotland and Wales,Guinness is the title sponsor of the Guinness Premiership, the top competition in England, and the beer brand Tooheys New is the Australian sponsor of the Southern Hemisphere Super 14 competition. Bundaberg Rum is one of the sponsors of the Australia national rugby union team.