Arizonans tuning into their favorite radio stations may soon hear the voice of UA men's basketball coach Lute Olson, encouraging them to drink responsibly.
In a news conference yesterday, Olson announced he has teamed with the National Beer Wholesalers Association and Arizona beer wholesalers to make a public service announcement encouraging those under 21 not to drink alcohol, and those 21 and older to drink responsibly.
The 60-second announcement is part of an ongoing alcohol awareness campaign by NBWA featuring sports celebrities, elected officials and entertainment figures.
Golden Eagle Distributors and Finley Distributing Co., the city's two largest wholesalers, had representatives at the conference.
"Local beer wholesalers recognize the critical role communication can play in discouraging irresponsible consumption of alcohol," said Kimberley Clements, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Golden Eagle Distributors.
"If it can make a difference in a few cases even, for me, why that's worthwhile," Olson said of the PSA.
Olson briefly referred to the UA's initiatives to regulate underage drinking, calling it a difficult problem and a tough issue.
"I know the temptation is out there, especially on college campuses," Olson said. "But I also know that parents and teachers and respected role models can make a difference in the lives of young adults by having a direct discussion with them about · underage drinking, about honoring the law and about not doing things before their time."
The UAPD and Tucson Police Department "party patrols" and semester party raids have caused stirs and discussions in the student body regarding law enforcement tactics.
"We want all our fans, obviously, to enjoy Wildcat basketball, but if you're under 21, you should never drink," Olson said.
The hard copy of the PSA was shipped to 75 radio stations across Arizona, said Craig Purser, NBWA vice president. He said he is hoping the stations will see the value in the announcement and rotate the PSA on the air.
Purser added that if any stations outside Arizona showed interest and had a following of Wildcat fans, he would make sure they received a copy of the PSA as well.
When he was an undergraduate at Minnesota Augsburg College, Olson said there were no fraternities or sororities and that alcohol was highly controlled. He said that his interest and support for the NBWA announcement came from viewing statistics about drinking.
"I've seen there's been a lot of progress made ·, but it's still obviously a problem," Olson said. "I think it's important that people are out there talking about it rather than pretending it's not happening. I think it's important that it's coming from (the NBWA), saying that 'Hey, this is not right.' "
The NBWA advocates before government and the public on behalf of more than 2,200 licensed independent beer wholesalers with operations located in every U.S. congressional district and state.
According to the NBWA Web site, the United States ranks number one in world beer production and beer represents an 88 percent volume of all licensed beverages sold in the United States.