One of the more talked-about commercial deals in college football this summer the one the Big 12 agreed to with Monster Energy, reportedly worth $20 million. Conference teams will feature a co-branded Monster Energy and Big 12 Conference logo on football and basketball jerseys in addition to other playing surfaces. The $20 million price tag drew much of the confusion when the deal was first announced, as it seemed cheap at the time.
Not long after, Ohio State signed a $17 million deal with JPMorganChase for patches on its athletic teams. The Monster Energy deal was for all 16 Big-12 programs. More News: Kirk Herbstreit Calls Out Notre Dame for ‘Embarrassing’ Schedule More News: Three Teams That Can Win the Big 12 The backlash didn't stop with the price.
Per Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today, a "group of doctors and scientists" petitioned the Big 12 and NCAA to halt the conference's partnership with Monster Energy. Those doctors and scientists are making the argument that energy drinks are a health risk to young fans. A member of the group, John Higgins, a sports cardiologist with the Houston Rockets and Rice Athletics, told USA Today that the Big 12 should reconsider the advertising, which will reach many young people.
"That makes the conference an especially important environment to examine when considering the marketing and consumption of energy drinks among young people.” In a statement to USA Today, the Big 12 defended the deal, saying the energy drink category is "not new" to college sports. Monster Energy defended its brand in a statement to USA Today. "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 reads.
"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." The Big 12 entered into the deal knowing what Monster Energy was selling. The conference is hardly the only entity in college sports selling advertisements that doctors might find objectionable.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
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