National Collegiate Athletic Association

Illegal use and abuse of alcohol is contrary to the mission of the NCAA and destroys such fundamental values as respect, fairness, civility, honesty and responsibility. The NCAA national office and each member institution and conference take seriously the responsibility to present participation in sports as a positive experience for participants and fans alike. This responsibility includes educating student-athletes about alcohol abuses and managing game facilities to ensure legal and responsible use of alcohol by fans associated with the event. To curb illegal and irresponsible use of alcohol, each member institution and conference must take individual local action.

The purpose of the NCAA alcohol policy is to:

· Advocate for only legal use of alcohol;

· Promote institutional initiative and responsibility to provide alcohol abuse prevention education;

· Establish and communicate parameters for the use of alcohol in advertising; and

· Encourage the development of resources and programming for intervention, assistance and education.

The NCAA supports the following values and general principles with regard to student-athlete use of alcohol:

· The NCAA is concerned about the health and safety of student-athletes.

· The NCAA takes seriously its responsibility to educate student-athletes.

· Illegal behaviors involving alcohol (e.g., underage drinking, manufacturing and distributing false identification, drinking and driving) are unacceptable.

· Abstinence, as an option, is supported and never discouraged.

· The NCAA has, for many years, banned sale of alcohol at NCAA championship events.

· The NCAA has taken a leadership role in developing educational programming in this area.

· Each NCAA member institution has a responsibility to control illegal and abusive drinking on its campus.

The NCAA Executive Committee recommends that all member institutions and conferences be encouraged to:

· Prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages during all preseason, regular season, conference and postseason intercollegiate athletic events.

· Prohibit on-site alcohol advertising during all preseason, regular season, conference and postseason intercollegiate events.

· Provide programs and resources for education, prevention and treatment of alcohol abuse.