Hard Liquor + Basketball = Revenue

Apparently the NBA has recently lifted an 18 year long ban on advertising hard alcohol during the games in an effort to raise revenues during this economic downturn.  It is following the lead of MLB, NHL, and NASCAR and  20 of the 30 teams have already signed with hard liquor sponsors. Since beer is already in use for advertising at the games, what's the difference of having hard liquor joining the campaign?   I think this could be positive for the NBA in attracting more sponsors for their games.  Let's face it, alcohol is everywhere now, and why not use it to your advantage? It's just advertisements.  But does that make it ok? Is it the right look for the NBA? Or for any sports teams for that matter.  Personally, I do not think it is a good idea to have sports teams promoting alcohol.  Many young kids watch these games and will see that the NBA supports this and will think its ok. If this happened 20 years ago, fans would be in an outrage against the any sports team for even thinking about advertising alcohol.  But i think that in today's day and age, these kinds of advertisements are inevitable and will ultimately be a positive campaign for the NBA in producing much needed revenue.

http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/61168