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Nothing wrong with UI/Lottery TV commercials

Editorial

Iowa City Press-Citizen

February 5, 2007

[Note: This material is copyright by the Press-Citizen, and is reproduced here as a matter of "fair use" for non-commercial, educational purposes only. Any other use may require the prior approval of the Iowa City Press-Citizen.]

At the same time that Sen. Chuck Grassley is urging Congress to re-evaluate whether quid pro quo donations to university athletic departments should be considered tax deductible, the University of Iowa Presidential Committee on Athletics plans to discuss the university's involvement with the Iowa Lottery at its next meeting Thursday ("UI to examine its lottery ties," Feb. 2).

Although UI has a longstanding relationship with the Iowa Lottery, the partnership has received some public criticism recently after the Iowa Lottery began a promotion to give away a customized Hawkeye Dodge Caliber SXT. Some fans and university alumni are shocked that UI would allow the Iowa Lottery to use treasured icons of UI sports -- the inside of Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa logos and the Iowa Fight Song -- in television commercials about the promotion.

But the partnership between UI and the Lottery is hardly new. Over the past four years, the Iowa Lottery has offered trips to the Hawkeyes' bowl game, Big Ten men's basketball tournament and Maui Invitational. Likewise, one year ago the Iowa Lottery gave away a Hawkeye Chopper, and this winter the Iowa Lottery gave away a Cyclone Chopper.

Although people should start paying attention whenever sports and gambling start working together, the promotionals, in this case, seem to involve two state institutions working together for each others' benefit.

Those critical of the Lottery as an institution obviously have their own concerns about the relationship. But there is nothing unseemly about using Carver-Hawkeye as the setting for commercials in which fans discover that they are winners.