If you have consumed alcohol in your lifetime (which I'm sure you haven't unless you're of legal age, right?) and are a rambunctiously loyal student or faithful alum of a school with athletic prowess, you might be excited to learn that Bud Light is going to look a lot more, dare I say, "cooler" soon.

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The folks at Anheuser-Busch, who have crafted humorous commercials and radio spots in the past, are betting you will like Bud Light cans emblazoned with your school colors instead of the traditional blue and silver. A new marketing campaign has led to the creation of 27 color schemes, specific to certain colleges, which will be sold in corresponding markets. The so-called "Fan Cans" are Anheuser-Busch's efforts to boost sales of Bud Light, the nation's best-selling beer, which is facing its first sales decline in its 27-year history. Brewers around the globe announced this week they will hike the cost of a cold one to compensate for declining sales and higher commodity costs.

College administrators around the country aren't feeling the buzz, however. Some schools, like the University of Michigan, have claimed the cans are a copyright infringement and have threatened legal action. Not all students like the idea, either, including a graduate student at Stony Brook University in New York who says the company is "trying to make money by exploiting students." Claims are flying that promoting the new cans near campuses will contribute to underage consumption and binge drinking, and that the cans invite assumptions that the beer maker is endorsed by the college.

The campaign targets only legal-age consumers, according to Anheuser-Busch, which has committed to remove the cans near any college that makes a formal complaint. The brewer began rolling out the cans, which it points out do not include any logos or school names, earlier this month.

Despite colleges' concerns with ethical and legal implications, no one knows if the campaign will actually work. Bud Light in Michigan's maize and blue is going to taste just the same as Bud Light in Ohio State's scarlet and gray. But if you're a fan of college football or live anywhere in either state, you know there's nothing shared by the two rivals except an uncanny passion for beating the other.

In Ohio, fan hysteria seems to be a social norm. So much so that GQ recently named Ohio State to its "Top 25 Douchiest Colleges," and gave it top honors as the "Home of: The Excessive-School-Pride Douche." GQ listed "Dressing for class each morning as if you were the offensive-line coach" as one of the school's affectations, so needless to say, Fan Cans might do well in the Buckeye state.

Tanner Nelson, an Ohio State senior, said he has seen the scarlet and gray packs for sale around campus and while he thinks more people might be prone to buy a can with their colors, the impact will end there.

"I really don't care what's on the can, but it is something different," Nelson told me. "It's a pride thing. Do I think it will lead to more drinking? No. Most of the people that will buy these cases of beer were going to buy beer regardless. If someone plans on drinking, they are going to drink no matter what. They can either choose a can with their school's colors or they can choose an average can."

Underage and binge drinking are certainly less laughable issues nationwide. The perception of massive consumption has been shown to be a key contributor in leading others to binge. Between 1993 and 2001, 18- to 20-year-olds showed a 56 percent jump in the rate of heavy drinking episodes. Underage drinkers consume 90 percent of the alcohol during binges, and underage drinking kills some 5,000 young people and contributes to around 600,000 injuries and 100,000 cases of sexual assault annually, according to an article in The Atlantic by a professor who advocates for more education and a lowered drinking age.

What does all this have to do with a can of beer wrapped in home team colors? Potentially a lot, administrators say. But then again, who cares what the can looks like? Are the colors of the cans really going to attract more people, specifically students who are underage, to drink? And not just drink, but drink more and drink faster? That assumption seems far-fetched.

Beer is beer and drunk is drunk no matter how you color the can. But the concern with irresponsible consumption on college campuses is real. Cans might not be the problem that colleges claim they are, but they sure don't help. Besides, I prefer bottles anyway.

Follow Joshua on Twitter @JoshuaChaney.



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