It's a fall weekend afternoon in America, and families are watching their favorite baseball teams race for pennants -- or the start of the NFL season. Our kids take away great lessons from major league sports: teamwork, fair play, dedication, good sportsmanship. But do they also need to know that beer is better when a bottle turns blue? Or that certain burgers or vodkas improve the sports experience? Explaining an umpire's call to our children is one thing -- explaining erectile dysfunction is another. Families squirm when age-inappropriate ads run in the middle of a weekend game. Sex, alcohol, and junk food ads simply don't belong in the seventh inning stretch or at halftime.
What we found
We've heard from parents across the country that inappropriate advertising during sports broadcasts is a key concern. In response, Common Sense Media decided to conduct a study similar to the one we did last fall, Broadcast Dysfunction: Sex, Violence, Alcohol, and the NFL, to see exactly what ad content our kids were seeing during daytime Major League Baseball games on TV. Here's a sampling of what we found:
42 percent of the games included ads for Viagra® and Cialis®. In other words, your 8-year-old couldn't miss one.
Baseball showed twice the number of junk food ads as football. 1 out of every 10 ads showcased unhealthy products.
More alcohol ads were featured in MLB advertising than in NFL advertising. 1 out of every 11 ads featured drinking of some kind.
Some good news: There are far fewer violent ads and promotions during MLB games than during NFL match-ups. Maybe that's because the fall shows aren't previewing yet, and all the summer blockbuster movies are over.
What can you do?
Luckily, several parenting tips can help minimize the impact of inappropriate ads.
Use a DVR to record the game. Turn it on after 40 minutes, and you'll be able to zip through most of the ads.
If you can't wait, turn the ads into teachable moments (erectile dysfunction aside. That's what the "mute" button is for.)
Point out how humor is used to sell beer -- or how close-up shots of juicy hamburgers really showcase more than 1000 calories of fat.
Talk about consequences and responsibilty. Many ads are for artery-clearing medicine. Draw a connection between the burger ad in the bottom of the third inning and the heart medication ad at the top of the fifth.
Put in your two cents. Talking back to the TV is a time-honored tradition in sports. Extend your opinions to the ads. Point out what you like and what you don't like -- what's healthy for your kids or what's inappropriate. Say why you feel that way. Remember that these ads impact kids profoundly and exist to stimulate desires and expectations. Don't let ads be "the other parent."
Stand up for your kids
Common Sense Media has already contacted the commissioners of both the MLB and the NFL urging them to make America's sports fun and appropriate for every family. "The good news is it wouldn’t take too much effort to cut out the inappropriate content in commercials,” says James Steyer, Founder and CEO of Common Sense Media. “Families can have a real voice here and ask the networks and the league to show a little bit of self-restraint and common sense.”
Here's what you can do:
Contact the commissioners: allan.selig@mlb.com or roger.goodell2@nfl.net
Contact the MLB and NFL advertisers. It's easy. Go the brand/company Web site and click on "contact us" (often buried at the bottom). Tell them that your kids are watching, and it's better to advertise at another time.
