The Big 12 Conference recently inked a deal with Monster Energy to feature the energy drink company’s logo alongside the Big 12’s for the 2026 season and beyond. Fans have come to hate the deal because they think the logo combo looks ugly. But doctors have a very different reason for disliking the deal.
USA Today reported that a group of doctors and scientists have petitioned the Big 12 and the NCAA to pause the sponsorship rollout out of concern that energy drinks pose a health risk to children.
Cardiologist John Higgins spoke to USA Today and explained that the audience reach of the Big 12 has “particularly strong exposure among younger fans” and reiterated the long-held stance that energy drinks pose health risks to children.
“The reason for focusing on the Big 12 is primarily the scale and demographics of its audience,” Higgins said. “Big 12 games can reach roughly 10–18 million viewers per weekend, with particularly strong exposure among younger fans. That makes the conference an especially important environment to examine when considering the marketing and consumption of energy drinks among young people.”
The petition reportedly seeks three things:
- It asked to pause the youth-facing activation of the sponsorship, including branding on player uniforms, fields, courts, student sections, and conference-controlled media likely to reach minors.
- It wants to commission an independent health review, including pediatrics and cardiovascular medicine.
- It also asked to bring the matter to the Big 12 board before this branding becomes embedded across football and basketball.
The Big 12 and Monster Energy Respond
Both the Big 12 and Monster Energy provided statements to USA Today. The Big 12 said that energy drinks are “not new to collegiate athletics” while Monster Energy maintained its stance that its drinks have less caffeine than coffees of the same size.
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“The energy drink category is not new to collegiate athletics,” the Big 12 said in a statement. “Category leaders in the space continue to be active and aggressive in seeking opportunities to partner with and engage college sports fans.”
“Mainstream energy drinks have been marketed worldwide for more than 30 years and more than 100 billion energy drinks have been sold and safely consumed globally. The ingredients in Monster Energy and other mainstream energy drinks — which include caffeine, B vitamins, and other functional ingredients — are found in a broad range of familiar food products that have a long history of safe consumption. Monster Energy contains about half the caffeine found in a similarly sized coffee-house coffee.”
