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A Public Health Initiative Addressing Energy Drink Marketing to Youth Through College Sports
WHY THIS MATTERS
Fertitta Center adds a new logo on the floor for UH basketball as part Big 12 deal with Monster Energy
- Houston Chronicle, August 10, 2026
- Houston Chronicle, August 10, 2026
If your kids watch Big 12 football or basketball this fall, they'll see their heroes wearing Monster Energy.
If your kids watch Big 12 football or basketball this fall, they'll see their heroes wearing Monster Energy.
Kids look to elite athletes as role models. Do you want your child reaching for an energy drink to play like them?
Kids look to elite athletes as role models. Do you want your child reaching for an energy drink to play like them?
If not, sign now.
If not, sign now.
Energy drink consumption by children and teens is rising despite medical experts advising to avoid them entirely.1,2 More than 80% of youth are exposed to energy drink marketing, yet fewer than one-third see warnings about the health risks of these products.3 Caffeine-related emergency department visits have doubled among children and teens since 2017, according to an Epic Research analysis.⁴ Rare but fatal cardiac events have been reported in young Americans and athletes linked to energy drink consumption—including 14-year-old Anais Fournier, 16-year-old Davis Allen Cripe, and 17-year-old Larissa Rodriguez.5-9 U.S. poison-center surveillance documented 10,588 energy drink exposures over three years, including 14 life-threatening outcomes and an adolescent arrhythmic death.10
THE BIG 12-MONSTER ENERGY PARTNERSHIP RAISES HEALTH CONCERNS FOR YOUNG FANS
BIG 12 ANNOUNCES MONSTER ENERGY AS ENTITLEMENT PARTNER OF FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL REGULAR SEASONS
- Big 12 Conference, July 7, 2026
- Big 12 Conference, July 7, 2026
On July 7, 2026, the Big 12 made Monster Energy the entitlement partner of its football and basketball seasons — a first in college sports.11 This stimulant brand will appear on jerseys, courts, and social media.
The Big 12 is a youth-facing organization: field days at elementary schools, Kids in Sports Day — and Monster Energy now presents its game-day student sections on national television.11-13 Studies show that young fans see sports-themed energy drink advertising as encouraging them to use energy drinks during sports, and exposure to such advertising is linked to greater energy drink use among them.14-18 This partnership pairs a concentrated stimulant with elite college athletes. Young impressionable fans may perceive energy drinks as part of peak athletic performance and as safe for hydration and training.9,19-22 This public health initiative addresses broad concerns about youth-facing, sports-themed promotion within the energy drink category and does not allege wrongdoing by any one company or organization.
What Leading Medical and Sports Organizations Say:
What Leading Medical and Sports Organizations Say:
"Energy drinks containing stimulants should never be consumed by children and adolescents."
"Energy drinks containing stimulants should never be consumed by children and adolescents."
— The American Academy of Pediatrics20,21
"Energy drinks should not be marketed to nor consumed by... those younger than 18 years."
"Energy drinks should not be marketed to nor consumed by... those younger than 18 years."
— The American College of Sports Medicine9
"Our AMA supports a ban on the marketing of "high stimulant/caffeine drinks" to children/adolescents under the age of 18, including opposing commercial advertising, sponsorships, and promotional practices that target or appeal to children and adolescents."
"Our AMA supports a ban on the marketing of "high stimulant/caffeine drinks" to children/adolescents under the age of 18, including opposing commercial advertising, sponsorships, and promotional practices that target or appeal to children and adolescents."
— The American Medical Association19
“Advertisements that target young people are contributing to the confusion rather than effectively distinguishing between sports and energy drinks.”
“Advertisements that target young people are contributing to the confusion rather than effectively distinguishing between sports and energy drinks.”
— The American Academy of Pediatrics20
"Energy drinks are not sports drinks."
"Energy drinks are not sports drinks."
— The National Federation of State High School Associations22
"Although data on energy drinks are limited, available studies generally suggest cardiovascular harm.”
"Although data on energy drinks are limited, available studies generally suggest cardiovascular harm.”
— The American Heart Association23
Universities are home to medical and scientific experts who understand the health implications of energy drinks and youth marketing. Youth-facing, sports-themed promotion through college athletics deserves thoughtful consideration by university leaders and scholars.
After energy drink consumption, there is a measurable rise in blood pressure and heart rate, and prolongation of the heart's electrical recovery between beats (the QT interval), which can predispose to abnormal rhythms. Irregular heartbeats, serious heart rhythm disturbances, severe anxiety, seizures, and deaths have been reported after energy drink consumption, most often in young people.24-26 Energy drink use has also been linked to sleep disruption, depression, suicidality, worse academic performance, and increased substance use and risky behaviors among children and teens.27 Energy drinks contain more than caffeine, including guarana and ginseng, whose combined stimulant effects may differ from caffeine alone.28 For student-athletes, the NCAA classifies caffeine and its sources, including guarana, as stimulants under its banned-substances policy.29 Manufacturers are not required to disclose the amount of every ingredient, and the FDA does not set a caffeine limit for energy drinks.30 Children aren't small adults — the same can is a far larger dose for a smaller body. These highly caffeinated stimulant drinks are sold in candy and fruit flavors that children and teens love, yet there is no U.S. federal age restriction on their sale.31,32
ReferencesWe're not asking to ban energy drinks or restrict adults.
_________
We ask Commissioner Brett Yormark and the Big 12 Board of Directors to put the health of young fans first and end this partnership with Monster Energy.
We're not asking to ban energy drinks or restrict adults.
_________
We ask Commissioner Brett Yormark and the Big 12 Board of Directors to put the health of young fans first and end this partnership with Monster Energy.
HEALTHCARE & SPORTS PROFESSIONALS SPEAK OUT
Healthcare and sports professionals are invited to endorse the following statement concerning youth-facing promotion of energy drinks through college athletics."We respectfully request that the NCAA, college athletic conferences, and universities prioritize the health of children and adolescents rather than promote energy drinks that have well-documented health risks [1-3]. Studies show that youth perceive sports-themed energy drink advertising as encouraging them to use energy drinks during sports, and exposure to such advertising is associated with greater energy drink use among young people [4-9]. Such youth-facing promotion can also blur the important distinction between sports drinks and energy drinks, creating the impression that energy drinks are appropriate for athletic performance or hydration [9-10].
- Children and adolescents should not consume energy drinks and should never use them for hydration or “performance” in sports. For hydration, water is appropriate for most activity; sports/electrolyte drinks may be used for prolonged or intense activity or in significant heat.
- Parents, coaches, athletic departments, and educators should distinguish energy drinks from sports drinks and discourage youth use.
- Seek emergency care for palpitations, chest pain, fainting, or seizures after consumption of energy drinks [9-10]."
This petition was developed by physicians and public-health advocates using peer-reviewed medical literature and recommendations from leading pediatric, cardiology, and sports-medicine organizations. It is intended to encourage responsible sponsorship policy and is not individual medical advice. It does not allege wrongdoing or improper conduct by Monster Energy or any other person, company, or organization. Rather, it addresses broader public-health concerns about youth-facing, sports-themed promotion within the energy-drink category.
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