Why doctors are urging the NCAA to pause the Big 12’s $20 million Monster Energy sponsorship originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
A group of doctors and scientists has petitioned the Big 12 and the NCAA to halt the conference's new $20 million Monster Energy sponsorship. The reason is due to the risks of energy drinks being marketed towards children and adolescents.
The group is calling for an independent study, which included experts from the field of pediatrics and cardiovascular medicine.
“The reason for focusing on the Big 12 is primarily the scale and demographics of its audience,” said John Higgins, a sports cardiologist with the Houston Rockets, told USA TODAY Sports. “Big 12 games can reach roughly 10–18 million viewers per weekend, with particularly strong exposure among younger fans. That makes the conference an especially important environment to examine when considering the marketing and consumption of energy drinks among young people.”
The Big 12 announced its partnership with Monster Energy back in July, which includes the energy drink's branding on player jerseys, football fields and basketball courts. Each member school would be paid over $1 million in the entitlement agreement. Monster isn't the first energy drink company to strike a partnership deal in college sports.
Red Bull has maintained an entire roster of college athletes, which includes this year's top NBA Draft pick AJ Dybantsa and Texas QB Arch Manning.
However, the scope of Monster Energy's deal with the Big 12 could be at play here. This comes down to exposure for the brand itself.
The group's letter to the Big 12 and NCAA includes various examples of how cardiac-related deaths have been attributed to energy drink consumption. There have been similar studies conducted outside the United States that have focused on the consumption of energy drinks by those under the age of 18. Based on the health risks, several governments have banned sales of products containing caffeine.
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What's important to note here is that the NCAA prohibits schools from directly providing energy drinks to athletes because it is a banned stimulant. The overuse could trigger a positive drug test if consumed in high enough quantities.
Monster Energy issued a statement after being contacted by USA TODAY Sports.
"Mainstream energy drinks have been marketed worldwide for more than 30 years and more than 100 billion energy drinks have been sold and safely consumed globally," the statement said. "The ingredients in Monster Energy and other mainstream energy drinks — which include caffeine, B vitamins, and other functional ingredients — are found in a broad range of familiar food products that have a long history of safe consumption. Monster Energy contains about half the caffeine found in a similarly sized coffee-house coffee."
Monster Energy and the Big 12 seem content having this agreement roll into the fall sports seasons. What's unclear is how the NCAA will respond going forward.
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