Sir, Last Saturday I watched the TV coverage of the latest Grand Prix motor race and could not fail to notice how much advertising there was. In particular, the leading car (and the one that eventually won) was almost constantly on the screen; it was painted to look like a packet of well-known cigarettes. Not only that, but the car was, on more than one occasion, referred to by the commentator not by the name of the driver or the motor company, but by the name of the product. However, the football team that I support is not allowed to wear shirts advertising anything when their matches are being televised.     The rule preventing sportsmen and sportswomen from carrying advertisements on television is a good one. Keep it and do it. To take one example, what is the effect, I wonder, on the young and old, of the apparent connection between cigarette smoking and an exciting sport like motor-racing?                                                           L. H. Gray, London Sir,     What a ridiculous situation our television companies find themselves in with regard to sport and advertising!     I watched a televised football match in which the players did not carry any advertisements on their shirts, and yet there was advertising all around the ground. (Do the TV producers think we viewers are blind or something?) And when a well-known international player was interviewed after the match, both he and the interviewer referred by name to the make-ups firm! And as if that were not enough, the sports item that followed was the National Bank Golf Tournament.     Advertising is all around us every day. Long live advertising, I say, and let the television companies recognize it and allow football players, athletes, racing drivers and others to wear sponsors' advertisements. At least we would all know where we were!                                                     Mrs. R. P. Laing, Bristol L. H. Gray would like to see   _  .
advertising officially forbidden from televised sport cigarette advertisements made illegal football teams wear shirts advertising certain products the law forbidding commercials will come into effect soon