Abstract
Tobacco, alcohol and foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar generate much of the global burden of noncommunicable diseases. We therefore need a better understanding of how these products are promoted.The promotion of tobacco products through sporting events has largely disappeared over the last two decades, but advertising and sponsorship continues bycompanies selling alcohol, unhealthy food and sugar-sweetened beverage. The sponsorship of sporting events such as the Olympic Games, the men’s FIFA World Cup and the men’s European Football Championships in 2016, has received some attention in recent years in the public health literature. Meanwhile, British football and the English Premier League have become global events with which transnational companies are keen to be associated, to promote their brands to international markets. Despite its reach, the English Premier League marketing and sponsorship portfolio has received very little scrutiny from public health advocates. We call for policy-makers and the public health community to formulate an approach to the sponsorship of sporting events, one that accounts for public health concerns.
Highlights
Noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, cancers and type 2 diabetes, cause an estimated 41 million deaths per year globally, of which 15 million occur between the ages of 30 to 70 years
As evidence on the social determinants of health has become critical to the understanding of noncommunicable disease epidemiology, we need to consider the commercial determinants of health when developing risk reduction strategies.[2]
We suggest that policy-makers who wish to reverse the noncommunicable disease burden should consider how sport has been used to promote products that harm health and whether regulation may be required to control this marketing
Summary
Noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, cancers and type 2 diabetes, cause an estimated 41 million deaths per year globally, of which 15 million occur between the ages of 30 to 70 years. Sugar-sweetened beverages, and foods high in fat, sugar and salt, often market their products through professional sports leagues, in competitions and events across the world.[5] We know that consumption of these products contributes to the global burden of noncommunicable disease.[6] We need to better understand the role of corporate marketing and sponsorship strategies in their promotion of such products.
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