No, I Don't Want a Beer After My Marathon

The Correlation Between Alcohol and Sports is Disappointing, Dumb, and Dangerous

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Two weeks ago, The Today Show showed a massively disappointing clip of Savannah Guthrie and Ashton Kutcher going head to head in a beer chugging contest of sorts. It was all in the name of Ashton’s “carb loading” before the NYC marathon. I’ve posted the clip and my reaction on social media if you haven’t seen it yet.

(I also read a conspiracy theory that Savannah wasn’t drinking beer, but faking it. Savannah later addressed the rumor by doubling down that it was, in fact, real beer).

Alcohol and sports, athletes, and sporting events is nothing new. In my research for my upcoming book, I learned that at one point, Anheuser-Busch sponsored 23 out of 24 Major League Baseball teams.¹ The alcohol industry makes up 20% of all sport sponsorships, and research shows this constant connection between sports and alcohol leads to higher binge drinking rates, rise in youth drinking, and the overall normalization of alcohol culture.²

Personally, I am hard pressed to participate in an organized run without alcohol either being served or even handed out at the finish line, despite the increasing information we are learning about just how dangerous and unhealthy drinking is — YES, even in moderation.

This whole predicament came full circle when an email arrived in my mailbox this morning from Michelob Ultra announcing they are sponsoring women to participate in next year’s NYC Marathon (a race that’s been on my bucket list for ages). On their website the company shows a video of the renowned Katherine Switzer, who snuck into the Boston Marathon in 1967, despite the men-only rule. I love the cause, and gosh I’d love to run that race.