Beer and Circus (39 page)
Authors: Murray Sperber
2: College Sports Winners and Losers
The Frederick Rudolph quote is in his classic history of American higher education,
The American College and University: A History
(New York, 1982), p. 381. Thomas Ehrlich's memoir is
The Courage to Inquire: Ideals and Realities in Higher Education,
with Juliet Frey (Bloomington, Ind., 1995); the quotes on the Bob Knight “rape” incident are on pp. 137â39. Many accounts of this incident exist, newspapers and magazines having covered it exhaustively. The best account between book covers is by Joan Mellen in
Bob Knight: His Own Man
(New York,
1988). She quotes Professor Robert Byrnes on “Ehrlich spoke of Knight as if he were a member of a different social class,” p. 272.
The American College and University: A History
(New York, 1982), p. 381. Thomas Ehrlich's memoir is
The Courage to Inquire: Ideals and Realities in Higher Education,
with Juliet Frey (Bloomington, Ind., 1995); the quotes on the Bob Knight “rape” incident are on pp. 137â39. Many accounts of this incident exist, newspapers and magazines having covered it exhaustively. The best account between book covers is by Joan Mellen in
Bob Knight: His Own Man
(New York,
1988). She quotes Professor Robert Byrnes on “Ehrlich spoke of Knight as if he were a member of a different social class,” p. 272.
The higher education writers who commented on the “three things” that can happen to a college president dealing with college sports were John R. Thelin and Lawrence L. Wiseman in
The Old College Try: Balancing Academics in Higher Education
(Washington, D.C., 1989), p. 66. Oddly, they do not explain what the three things are; therefore, I take full credit, or blame, for the three items in the text here.
The Old College Try: Balancing Academics in Higher Education
(Washington, D.C., 1989), p. 66. Oddly, they do not explain what the three things are; therefore, I take full credit, or blame, for the three items in the text here.
Ira Berkow's comments came in a column in the
New York Times,
5/21/90. My book
College Sports Inc.
:
The Athletic Department vs. the University
(op. cit.), has a section, “Toxic Waste,” on the scandals of the 1980s, pp. 205-307, including a discussion of the New Mexico scandal, pp. 294-95. David Whitford wrote
A Payroll to Meet: A Story of Greed, Corruption
,
and Football at SMU
(New York, 1989); Benjamin Rader in
American Sports: From the Age of Folk Games to the Age of Spectators
(Englewood Cliffs, N.J., third edition, 1990) wrote about the NCAA's non-reaction to cheating, p. 273; and the 1988 edition of
Don Heinrich's [Pre-Season] College Football
guide worked out the percentages on cheating (np). Of all publications, the
Chronicle of Higher Education
has covered intercollegiate athletics more thoroughly and thoughtfully than any other; for the last three decades, it has printed periodic articles listing athletic programs under NCAA sanctions and the nature of their violations, for example, “20 Institutions Under NCAA Sanctions,” 3/5/99. With these as a guide, the reader can go into the
Chronicle's
excellent database, as well as Lexis-Nexis or Dow Jones and find detailed articles about specific incidents.
New York Times,
5/21/90. My book
College Sports Inc.
:
The Athletic Department vs. the University
(op. cit.), has a section, “Toxic Waste,” on the scandals of the 1980s, pp. 205-307, including a discussion of the New Mexico scandal, pp. 294-95. David Whitford wrote
A Payroll to Meet: A Story of Greed, Corruption
,
and Football at SMU
(New York, 1989); Benjamin Rader in
American Sports: From the Age of Folk Games to the Age of Spectators
(Englewood Cliffs, N.J., third edition, 1990) wrote about the NCAA's non-reaction to cheating, p. 273; and the 1988 edition of
Don Heinrich's [Pre-Season] College Football
guide worked out the percentages on cheating (np). Of all publications, the
Chronicle of Higher Education
has covered intercollegiate athletics more thoroughly and thoughtfully than any other; for the last three decades, it has printed periodic articles listing athletic programs under NCAA sanctions and the nature of their violations, for example, “20 Institutions Under NCAA Sanctions,” 3/5/99. With these as a guide, the reader can go into the
Chronicle's
excellent database, as well as Lexis-Nexis or Dow Jones and find detailed articles about specific incidents.
A number of books exist on athletic department finances during the final decades of the twentieth century.
College Sports Inc.
(op. cit.) is available in most college and public libraries; Andrew Zimbalist's
Unpaid Professionals
(Princeton, N.J., 1999) updates many items in
College Sports Inc
. and projects athletic department losses well into the twenty-first century. In 1993, the National Association of College and University Business Officers published an excellent report on the subject,
The Financial Management of Intercollegiate Athletics Programs
; and every two years, the NCAA publishes its
Revenues and Expenses of Intercollegiate Athletics Programs
, revealing some of the acknowledged deficits of athletic departments. In recent years, the NCAA has divided the reports into one for Divisions I and II, and one for Division III, and it plans to continue this format in future.
College Sports Inc.
(op. cit.) is available in most college and public libraries; Andrew Zimbalist's
Unpaid Professionals
(Princeton, N.J., 1999) updates many items in
College Sports Inc
. and projects athletic department losses well into the twenty-first century. In 1993, the National Association of College and University Business Officers published an excellent report on the subject,
The Financial Management of Intercollegiate Athletics Programs
; and every two years, the NCAA publishes its
Revenues and Expenses of Intercollegiate Athletics Programs
, revealing some of the acknowledged deficits of athletic departments. In recent years, the NCAA has divided the reports into one for Divisions I and II, and one for Division III, and it plans to continue this format in future.
Isiah Thomas's quote was in Newsweek, 1/30/89. For a discussion on the NCAA's change from four-year guaranteed athletic scholarships to one-year renewable deals, see
College Sports Inc.
(op. cit.), pp. 207-10. For many chapters on this issue, see
College Athletes for Hire: The Evolution and Legacy of the NCAA's Amateur Myth,
by Allen L. Sack and Ellen J. Staurowsky (New York, 1998). An example of athletes being on one-year contracts based on athlete performance occurred at Auburn University in 1999. According to
USA Today
, new football coach Tommy Tubberville cut “players he didn't feel could help the team”; the unnamed reporter explained, in case the readers did not know, that “All NCAA scholarships are reviewed annually,” 5/3/99.
College Sports Inc.
(op. cit.), pp. 207-10. For many chapters on this issue, see
College Athletes for Hire: The Evolution and Legacy of the NCAA's Amateur Myth,
by Allen L. Sack and Ellen J. Staurowsky (New York, 1998). An example of athletes being on one-year contracts based on athlete performance occurred at Auburn University in 1999. According to
USA Today
, new football coach Tommy Tubberville cut “players he didn't feel could help the team”; the unnamed reporter explained, in case the readers did not know, that “All NCAA scholarships are reviewed annually,” 5/3/99.
Peterson's Guides, publishers of standard and non-controversial college guidebooks, commissioned two men inside the college sports world, Stephen K. Figler and Howard E. Figler, to write
Going
the Distance:
The College Athlete's Guide to Excellence on the Field and in the Classroom
(Princeton, N.J., 1991). Within this context, their comments are both reliable and startling; they commented on the “fifty hours or more each week,” p. 12; “The label of student-athlete says it all,” p. 1; “The team demands so much of your time,” and “Coaches arrange aspects of your life,” p. 95; and “WINNING VERSUS YOUR [ATHLETES'] WELFARE,” p. 13. For a discussion of coaches' annual incomes, and deals, see
College Sports Inc.
, Part Two, “Greed City: College Coaches' Salaries, Perks, Deals, & Scams”; in addition, the databases contain hundreds of articles on these subjects.
Going
the Distance:
The College Athlete's Guide to Excellence on the Field and in the Classroom
(Princeton, N.J., 1991). Within this context, their comments are both reliable and startling; they commented on the “fifty hours or more each week,” p. 12; “The label of student-athlete says it all,” p. 1; “The team demands so much of your time,” and “Coaches arrange aspects of your life,” p. 95; and “WINNING VERSUS YOUR [ATHLETES'] WELFARE,” p. 13. For a discussion of coaches' annual incomes, and deals, see
College Sports Inc.
, Part Two, “Greed City: College Coaches' Salaries, Perks, Deals, & Scams”; in addition, the databases contain hundreds of articles on these subjects.
The interview with Fred Akers, former NCAA Division I-A head football coach, took place in Lafayette, Indiana, on March 11, 1991; I interviewed him for another project, but I'm pleased to use some of his comments in this book. NCAA PR director Jim Marchiony made his remarks about the “voluntary” rules to Art Rosenbaum of the
San Francisco Chronicle,
4/9/91. Jerry Eaves, the Howard coach, was quoted by Charles Farrell in
Basketball Times
, 10/15/92. The
Division I men's volleyball player was at Stanford and made his comments to me in Palo Alto, California, on 7/27/98; he asked to speak off the record because he was on athletic scholarship. David Leon Moore of
USA Today
wrote about U.S.C. football player R. Jay Soward, 10/5/99. Joe Abunasser, a former NCAA Division I assistant basketball coach, made his comments in an interview, 11/22/99.
San Francisco Chronicle,
4/9/91. Jerry Eaves, the Howard coach, was quoted by Charles Farrell in
Basketball Times
, 10/15/92. The
Division I men's volleyball player was at Stanford and made his comments to me in Palo Alto, California, on 7/27/98; he asked to speak off the record because he was on athletic scholarship. David Leon Moore of
USA Today
wrote about U.S.C. football player R. Jay Soward, 10/5/99. Joe Abunasser, a former NCAA Division I assistant basketball coach, made his comments in an interview, 11/22/99.
3: The NCAA, the Tube, and the Fans
Athletic director Gene Slaughter of Capitol University in Columbus, Ohio, made the remark about “Greed,” in the
Columbus Dispatch
, 9/16/82. William Atchley commented about the NCAA in an interview in Stockton, California, 6/10/88. Many books discuss the NCAA's self-interested rules and its manipulations of them; see Paul Lawrence,
Unsportsmanlike Conduct
(New York, 1987); also see former NCAA executive director Walter Byers' book of the same title (Ann Arbor, Mich., 1995); the Sack and Staurowsky book (op. cit.); and
College Sports Inc
. (op. cit.), Part Four, “The NCAA: The Fox in the Henhouse,” pp. 309â44, with specific material on the MAC and its football stadium problem, p. 312. ESPN executive Loren Matthews remarked, “The bottom line is money,” in an article by Rick Warner of the Associated Press, 8/22/90. J. A. Adande wrote about the importance of the 1979 NCAA final game in the
Los Angeles Times
, 3/25/99; Jack Craig discussed the broadcast history of college basketball in the
Boston Globe
, 7/14/91; Randy Minkoff commented on ESPN's role in popularizing the sport in the 1980s in a United Press International article, 11/15/86; and Richard Sandomir, who has covered the business of college sports extremely well over the years, outlined the TV revenue for the men's tourney in the
New York Times
, 9/10/99. Dana C. Caldwell of the
Tampa Tribune
discussed the NCAA's attendance requirement for Final Four games in the men's tourney, and also quoted John Wooden on playing in domes, 3/25/99; and Mal Florence of the Los
Angeles Times
quoted Jerry Tarkanian on the expanded field of sixty-four, 3/14/86.
Columbus Dispatch
, 9/16/82. William Atchley commented about the NCAA in an interview in Stockton, California, 6/10/88. Many books discuss the NCAA's self-interested rules and its manipulations of them; see Paul Lawrence,
Unsportsmanlike Conduct
(New York, 1987); also see former NCAA executive director Walter Byers' book of the same title (Ann Arbor, Mich., 1995); the Sack and Staurowsky book (op. cit.); and
College Sports Inc
. (op. cit.), Part Four, “The NCAA: The Fox in the Henhouse,” pp. 309â44, with specific material on the MAC and its football stadium problem, p. 312. ESPN executive Loren Matthews remarked, “The bottom line is money,” in an article by Rick Warner of the Associated Press, 8/22/90. J. A. Adande wrote about the importance of the 1979 NCAA final game in the
Los Angeles Times
, 3/25/99; Jack Craig discussed the broadcast history of college basketball in the
Boston Globe
, 7/14/91; Randy Minkoff commented on ESPN's role in popularizing the sport in the 1980s in a United Press International article, 11/15/86; and Richard Sandomir, who has covered the business of college sports extremely well over the years, outlined the TV revenue for the men's tourney in the
New York Times
, 9/10/99. Dana C. Caldwell of the
Tampa Tribune
discussed the NCAA's attendance requirement for Final Four games in the men's tourney, and also quoted John Wooden on playing in domes, 3/25/99; and Mal Florence of the Los
Angeles Times
quoted Jerry Tarkanian on the expanded field of sixty-four, 3/14/86.
Various writers have analyzed the NCAA's spending of the men's basketball tourney revenue; see
College Sports Inc.
(op. cit.), pp. 309â44, and Andrew Zimbalist (op. cit.), pp. 173-87. Rick Bozich's comments appeared in
Basketball Times,
10/15/92 (no author given). For a discussion of the poll of college student attitudes begun in the 1980s, see above; the comment about “college culture today” also appeared as a student response to the first form of the questionnaire. The research of Dr. Robert Cialdini was quoted by Bob Andelman in
Why Men Watch Football
, (Lafayette, La., 1993), pp. 39â40. Allen Bogan, a psychology student at Indiana University, used the term “fandemonium” in an unpublished paper with that title, 12/12/93.
College Sports Inc.
(op. cit.), pp. 309â44, and Andrew Zimbalist (op. cit.), pp. 173-87. Rick Bozich's comments appeared in
Basketball Times,
10/15/92 (no author given). For a discussion of the poll of college student attitudes begun in the 1980s, see above; the comment about “college culture today” also appeared as a student response to the first form of the questionnaire. The research of Dr. Robert Cialdini was quoted by Bob Andelman in
Why Men Watch Football
, (Lafayette, La., 1993), pp. 39â40. Allen Bogan, a psychology student at Indiana University, used the term “fandemonium” in an unpublished paper with that title, 12/12/93.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching sponsored a number of studies on intercollegiate athletics in the 1920s, culminating in the
Carnegie Foundation Bulletin Number
Twenty-Three: American College Intercollegiate Athletics
, mainly authored by Howard Savage, New York, 1929. This study, the most comprehensive in the history of college sports, is popularly known as the “Carnegie Report.” The
Miller Lite Report on American Attitudes Toward
Sports was published by Research & Forecasts, Inc., New York, 1983. In discussing the findings in this report, I treat “almost always,” “often,” and “sometimes” responses as qualified affirmatives, and the “rarely” and “never” as qualified negatives. For readers who wish to see the full breakdown of responses, please consult the
Miller Lite Report.
Carnegie Foundation Bulletin Number
Twenty-Three: American College Intercollegiate Athletics
, mainly authored by Howard Savage, New York, 1929. This study, the most comprehensive in the history of college sports, is popularly known as the “Carnegie Report.” The
Miller Lite Report on American Attitudes Toward
Sports was published by Research & Forecasts, Inc., New York, 1983. In discussing the findings in this report, I treat “almost always,” “often,” and “sometimes” responses as qualified affirmatives, and the “rarely” and “never” as qualified negatives. For readers who wish to see the full breakdown of responses, please consult the
Miller Lite Report.
The student who explained his fascination with ESPN was Charles Barksy, in an interview in Bloomington, Indiana, 4/4/94. Rudy Martze of
USA Today
had an excellent article on the synergy between ESPN and college basketball in that newspaper, 3/15/90. Jim O'Connell, Associated Press basketball writer, wrote about the early history of “Midnight Madness,” giving Charles “Lefty” Dreisell credit for starting it, 10/13/94; and Will Parrish of McClatchy Newspapers Inc. discussed Joe B. Hall's 1970s open invitation to the University of Kentucky fans, 10/16/97. The late 1980s survey of how college students spent their time appeared in the
Chronicle of
Higher Education
in an article by Susan Dodge, 10/4/89. Jodi Glickman of Indiana University described undergraduate reactions to ESPN's
SportsCenter
in an unpublished paper, “College Sports and Current Student Life,” 2/1/94.
USA Today
had an excellent article on the synergy between ESPN and college basketball in that newspaper, 3/15/90. Jim O'Connell, Associated Press basketball writer, wrote about the early history of “Midnight Madness,” giving Charles “Lefty” Dreisell credit for starting it, 10/13/94; and Will Parrish of McClatchy Newspapers Inc. discussed Joe B. Hall's 1970s open invitation to the University of Kentucky fans, 10/16/97. The late 1980s survey of how college students spent their time appeared in the
Chronicle of
Higher Education
in an article by Susan Dodge, 10/4/89. Jodi Glickman of Indiana University described undergraduate reactions to ESPN's
SportsCenter
in an unpublished paper, “College Sports and Current Student Life,” 2/1/94.
My book
Onward to Victory: The Crises That Shaped College Sports
(New York, 1998) has lengthy discussions on “Gee Whiz” and “Aw Nuts” sports journalismâsee the index for
the pages under those entries. The
New York Times
ran an article on the ESPN sports announcers and their favorite sayings, 11/1/98 (no author given); some of the quotes in the text are from that article and some are from my own viewing of the program. Bill Jeakle and Ed Wyatt wrote
How to College in the 1990s
(New York, 1989); the quote beginning “Come game time” appears on p. 106. The issue of
ESPN The Magazine
analyzed in the text appeared 11/02/98; Nick Bakay wrote the piece on “Halloween vs. Midnight Madness,” p. 33; and Anne Marie Cruz did the one on the Tulsa recruit, p. 116. Michael Hiestand of
USA Today
discussed the marketing survey that charted the generational split, 12/10/91.
Onward to Victory: The Crises That Shaped College Sports
(New York, 1998) has lengthy discussions on “Gee Whiz” and “Aw Nuts” sports journalismâsee the index for
the pages under those entries. The
New York Times
ran an article on the ESPN sports announcers and their favorite sayings, 11/1/98 (no author given); some of the quotes in the text are from that article and some are from my own viewing of the program. Bill Jeakle and Ed Wyatt wrote
How to College in the 1990s
(New York, 1989); the quote beginning “Come game time” appears on p. 106. The issue of
ESPN The Magazine
analyzed in the text appeared 11/02/98; Nick Bakay wrote the piece on “Halloween vs. Midnight Madness,” p. 33; and Anne Marie Cruz did the one on the Tulsa recruit, p. 116. Michael Hiestand of
USA Today
discussed the marketing survey that charted the generational split, 12/10/91.
4: Corporate Beer-and-Circus
Of all mass-market college guidebooks in the 1980s and early 1990s, Lisa Birnbach (op. cit.) aimed hers most directly at prospective college students, informing them in detail about extracurricular life and the social scene at different schools. Birnbach's guidebooks were controversial within the higher education community, particularly in admissions offices. Dennis Drabelle of the
Washington Post
quoted one higher-education consultant: “âShe says all the things the respectable [guide] books are afraid to get into'” (11/1/87). Her comments, although sarcastic at times, reflect student opinions at the schools visited; in addition, they usually parallel the comments in another non-standard guidebook, the
Insider's Guide to the Colleges,
published by the staff of the
Yale [University] Daily News
, as well as other sources, including my own research in this period. As a result, Birnbach's comments seem accurate, and I have used them to illustrate various points in the text. Her comments about the University of Arkansas appeared in the 1992 edition, pp. 17-19; as did her remarks about the University of Southern California, pp. 73â77.
Washington Post
quoted one higher-education consultant: “âShe says all the things the respectable [guide] books are afraid to get into'” (11/1/87). Her comments, although sarcastic at times, reflect student opinions at the schools visited; in addition, they usually parallel the comments in another non-standard guidebook, the
Insider's Guide to the Colleges,
published by the staff of the
Yale [University] Daily News
, as well as other sources, including my own research in this period. As a result, Birnbach's comments seem accurate, and I have used them to illustrate various points in the text. Her comments about the University of Arkansas appeared in the 1992 edition, pp. 17-19; as did her remarks about the University of Southern California, pp. 73â77.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest booklet,
Last Call
(op. cit.), discussed the brewers' 1980s marketing campaign, pp. 4â11. The departure of Arkansas from the Southwest Conference, and the influence of that school's athletic department prompted many articles, including a lengthy analysis by Bob Boerg of Arkansas AD Frank Broyles's role in the move (St.
Louis Post-Dispatch,
9/20/90). Diane Alters's piece in the
Boston Globe
appeared 6/25/89; she also quoted industry experts James Mosher on the “life-and-death battle,” and Robert V. Shear, “Advertising doesn't create cultural trends.” The
New York Times
described Bubba Smith's experiences at the Michigan State Homecoming, and his resignation from the Miller Lite ads, 9/18/86 (no author given). Beth Ann Krier wrote about the genesis and growing success of the Spuds MacKenzie advertising campaign in the
Los Angeles Times
, 7/16/87; she also noted that Spuds “quickly became a cult figure on college campuses.” In reality, Spuds was a female bull terrier named Evie, owned by a Chicago suburban couple,
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
, 10/6/93 (no author given). The MacKenzie brothers were Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, and their skit appeared on various TV shows and commercials; they also made a film appropriately named
Strange Brew
(1983).
Last Call
(op. cit.), discussed the brewers' 1980s marketing campaign, pp. 4â11. The departure of Arkansas from the Southwest Conference, and the influence of that school's athletic department prompted many articles, including a lengthy analysis by Bob Boerg of Arkansas AD Frank Broyles's role in the move (St.
Louis Post-Dispatch,
9/20/90). Diane Alters's piece in the
Boston Globe
appeared 6/25/89; she also quoted industry experts James Mosher on the “life-and-death battle,” and Robert V. Shear, “Advertising doesn't create cultural trends.” The
New York Times
described Bubba Smith's experiences at the Michigan State Homecoming, and his resignation from the Miller Lite ads, 9/18/86 (no author given). Beth Ann Krier wrote about the genesis and growing success of the Spuds MacKenzie advertising campaign in the
Los Angeles Times
, 7/16/87; she also noted that Spuds “quickly became a cult figure on college campuses.” In reality, Spuds was a female bull terrier named Evie, owned by a Chicago suburban couple,
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
, 10/6/93 (no author given). The MacKenzie brothers were Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, and their skit appeared on various TV shows and commercials; they also made a film appropriately named
Strange Brew
(1983).
The “Education Life Supplement” of the
New York Times
, 11/2/97, had an informative article by Linda Lee on the relationship between filmmakers, including those working for advertising agencies, and colleges and universities. The article discussed how USC and UCLA “have entire offices devoted to scheduling shooting of films, television pilots, and commercials.” An inquiry to the USC office, 10/28/99, turned up the facts on the 1980s beer commercials. Cecelia Reed of
Advertising Age
discussed Spuds's and Budweiser's success at sports events, 4/27/87; and Matt Kilgore of the St.
Petersberg Times
described Spuds's appearance at a minor-league baseball game, 6/26/87. Paula Span of the
Washington Post
analyzed Spuds's sports connections, and discussed Spuds's “crossover appeal” to women, 1/7/89. The Associated Press ran an article by Skip Wollenberg about Miller Beer's clay figure animals, 12/8/88;
Last Call
(op. cit.) discussed the 1990 “Special Edition Coors Light Beer Can, Commemorating the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers' Championship Football Season,” p. 9; and Melanie Wells of USA
Today
quoted Bob Lachky, Vice President of Brand Management for Anheiser-Busch, announcing Spuds's retirement, 7/21/99. In the late 1990s, Anheiser-Busch based another highly successful advertising campaign around a number of gravel-voiced frogs; according to an article by Seth Schiesel of the
New York Times
, 3/10/97, the brewer's website contained a biography
of the lead frog, “Budbrew J. Budfrog ⦠elected president of his college fraternity, and he likes to hang on the beach with a hot babe, a cold Bud and a folio edition of the Kama Sutra in the original Sanskrit.”
New York Times
, 11/2/97, had an informative article by Linda Lee on the relationship between filmmakers, including those working for advertising agencies, and colleges and universities. The article discussed how USC and UCLA “have entire offices devoted to scheduling shooting of films, television pilots, and commercials.” An inquiry to the USC office, 10/28/99, turned up the facts on the 1980s beer commercials. Cecelia Reed of
Advertising Age
discussed Spuds's and Budweiser's success at sports events, 4/27/87; and Matt Kilgore of the St.
Petersberg Times
described Spuds's appearance at a minor-league baseball game, 6/26/87. Paula Span of the
Washington Post
analyzed Spuds's sports connections, and discussed Spuds's “crossover appeal” to women, 1/7/89. The Associated Press ran an article by Skip Wollenberg about Miller Beer's clay figure animals, 12/8/88;
Last Call
(op. cit.) discussed the 1990 “Special Edition Coors Light Beer Can, Commemorating the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers' Championship Football Season,” p. 9; and Melanie Wells of USA
Today
quoted Bob Lachky, Vice President of Brand Management for Anheiser-Busch, announcing Spuds's retirement, 7/21/99. In the late 1990s, Anheiser-Busch based another highly successful advertising campaign around a number of gravel-voiced frogs; according to an article by Seth Schiesel of the
New York Times
, 3/10/97, the brewer's website contained a biography
of the lead frog, “Budbrew J. Budfrog ⦠elected president of his college fraternity, and he likes to hang on the beach with a hot babe, a cold Bud and a folio edition of the Kama Sutra in the original Sanskrit.”
Edward Fiske wrote about “a favorite indoor sport among educational pundits” in the
New York Times,
9/7/88.
New York Times,
9/7/88.
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