Level(s): Grades 4 to 6

Author: MediaSmarts

Overview

In this lesson, students explore the ways in which companies use sporting events and athletes to sell products and influence consumers – especially young people. The lesson begins, on Day One, with an "I love sports" show and tell that provides students the opportunity to discuss the sports they love to play and watch, and the values and attributes that make sports an important part of a person's development. After the show and tell, students integrate their feelings about sports into a classroom display of words, images and artifacts. On Day Two,students discuss words and images relating to sports and compare them with the ways in which advertisers – particularly alcohol advertisers – use these associations to sell products. Students also examine two case studies: beer advertising at the 2002 Winter Olympics and a controversial series of Molson commercials featuring the popular sports commentator Don Cherry. As an extension activity, students conduct a survey of ads that appear during a televised sporting event.

Learning Outcomes

Students will demonstrate an awareness of:

• the positive attributes associated with sports and athletes
• the ways in which advertisers use sporting events to influence consumer habits and attitudes
• how advertisers create positive associations with a brand by linking it to sports
• how alcohol companies use sponsorship of sporting events and athletes to promote products
• their own attitudes towards alcohol advertising during sporting events
• the negative consequences of drinking
• the regulations that govern alcohol advertising
• the issues surrounding the targeting of youth by alcohol companies

This lesson and all associated documents (handouts, overheads, backgrounders) are available in an easy-print, pdf kit version.