The University of Louisville struck a $3 million deal with Sun Tan City. Cheerleaders and members of the Spirit Squad will be able to use Sun Tan City’s services free of charge.

Jonathan Banta writes at the The Courier-Journal:

Universities and tanning salons

In 2008, Sun Tan City, a chain of tanning salons based out of Elizabethtown, Ky., gave $3 million to the University of Louisville for the expansion of Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. As a result of the financial support bestowed upon the university by this local business, Sun Tan City became a partner of Louisville Athletics with advertisements at university sporting events. Furthermore, in their role as the “Official Tanning Center” for the University of Louisville Spirit Squad, members of both the Louisville cheerleading team as well the Lady Birds are allowed to use Sun Tan City services free of charge.

It is easy to understand how a $3 million donation benefits the University of Louisville. It is also easy to understand how Sun Tan City would benefit from the publicity that comes with a being a sponsor of a Division I school that frequently commands attention on the national stage.

However, what is not clear is how the community at large and the students of the university benefit from the promotion of a service that has been directly implicated as the single most influential cause for the rise of melanoma in young people today. According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, even minimal use of tanning beds before the age of 35 can increase one’s risk of developing Melanoma by 59 percent. Furthermore, indoor tanners are 2.5 times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma and 1.5 times more likely to develop basal cell carcinoma than non-indoor tanners.