Spectators at major Division I sporting events have grown accustomed to corporate advertising and promotions, from halftime contests awarding free dinners at local restaurants to ads placed strategically on scoreboards.

Recently, corporate advertising during athletic events has become commonplace in the Ivy League as well.

Men's hockey fans at Dartmouth's Thompson Arena are showered during intermissions with coupons for local businesses.

One lucky fan at each Brown hockey game is given a chance to shoot the puck across the ice. Score a goal, and he or she wins a prize donated by a local establishment.

The one exception is Harvard University, which has steadfastly refused to allow any corporate sponsorships or advertising during its athletic events.

"We're very different from every other university in the country," says Stephen Staples, Harvard's assistant director of marketing and promotions.

Harvard and the other Ivy League schools disagree strongly over the necessity and effectiveness of sports advertising.

Harvard has always frowned on corporate sponsorship, and with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) gigantic coffers, the athletics department can afford to be coy.