Sports sponsorship and children’s health: Who is the true winner
This week, Australian children and their parents were able to watch some of the country’s top athletes show amazing feats of skill, strength, and endurance during the Australian Football League (AFL) and National Rugby League (NRL) grand finals. A lot of young athletes will have been motivated to follow the example and achievements of their heroes.
What viewers and spectators would be able to see was the eerie advertisement of Carlton beer breweries as well as Mcdonald’s through commercials during the game. Sites for the NRL, and AFL show an identical image of marketing and sponsorship by unhealthy food and beverage businesses like Coca-Cola or Red Bull.
We’ve also seen recent TV ads of Coles and Cadbury’s, where Adam Goodes, the captain of the winning Sydney Swans, and player Dale Thomas promote products that are not the mainstay of champions.
It’s accepted and assumed that adults will take a couple of beers and perhaps a few pub meals at these annual occasions (and surely, during post-match celebrations for players). However, the effect of constantly-present advertisements for alcohol and junk food on children of more than a certain age is a matter of concern.
Children’s effects of advertising
Children’s exposure of food and drink advertising can affect the food and beverages they enjoy, request to purchase, and consume. In the case of alcohol, it is alcohol is a major factor. World Health Organization (WHO) has been warning that children must be protected from the dangers of alcohol-related promotion for a number of years.
Recent statistics reveal that about one in four Australian children are overweight or overweight. Also, very few consume enough appropriate foods or perform enough physical exercise to ensure healthy development.
It is also known that sports sponsorship (financial or in-kind support given in exchange for promotion opportunities) is effective. The research conducted from The University of Sydney and the Cancer Council NSW has shown that youngsters aged between ten and 14 are in the grip of food and beverage sponsorships in sports and have a high brand recognition and positive attitude towards sponsors. Nearly half of participants can recall the sponsors of their favorite athletes.
The research also uncovered concerns by kids and parents, sports club officials, sport body governing organizations as well as the elite athletes about sponsorship of sports that involves unhealthy food and drink businesses.
It’s not just elite sport that’s advertising unhealthy foods and drinks. Children are also exposed to this kind of marketing in their clubs, which can last up to 2.5 hours a week. An research study of the 108 junior community sports teams within NSW in NSW and ACT discovered one-third of 347 patrons were food and drink businesses, with 50% of which were considered to be unhealthy.
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Change is in the air.
Despite levels of physical exercise in Australian children not meeting suggested guidelines, community level sporting clubs remain an important location for participation, with 63% of children aged five to 14-year-olds participating in organized sports.
It is imperative to change the focus from the visible presence of unwholesome sponsorship, and to ensure that the clubs’ commercial viability. Many organizations view this type of sponsorship as a necessity to their business. But it is only a small portion of their revenue, and yet it provides businesses a lot of opportunities to promote their business.
Over the last 10 years, Victoria and Western Australia have successfully implemented alternate ways to fund community sports by utilizing the foundations for health promotion. The foundations are able to provide funds for community sporting clubs based on the assumption that funding from sources that are unhealthy will not be permitted. The national expansion of these state-wide successes is the best solution.
Another alternative is to set up a public-private collaboration that is that is funded by corporate and philanthropic support. Organizations can contribute funds to an established independent body, which would is then responsible for the distribution of money to sports clubs in accordance with the need and other principles that are agreed upon.
