Monday, 09 March 2026
A new research initiative, led by the 糖心原创, has launched an ambitious public-facing website to chart the rise of unhealthy sponsorship in British sport over the last six decades – and is now calling on the public to help build a powerful national archive.
Backed by £1.7 million in funding from the Wellcome Trust, the project – headed by Nottingham academics in the Department of History, in partnership with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the University of Glasgow – examines how the tobacco and nicotine, alcohol, and gambling industries have used sport to promote their addictive products since the 1960s.
The new interactive website – – will create a digital map of unhealthy sponsorship across British sporting history, documenting how branding from these industries became embedded in everything from elite motorsport to grassroots competitions.
The way these industries have sponsored sport has become so ubiquitous that many of us now accept it without really considering the public health implications. We very much hope this project will cause people to stop to consider how sport has been actively mobilised to promote the objectives of these unhealthy industries.鈥�
The research team is now inviting members of the public to submit images of sports memorabilia and marketing materials linked to unhealthy sponsorship. Examples could include cigarette-branded Formula One clothing or toys; alcohol-branded drinkware commemorating sporting events or competitions; match programmes or replica kits featuring betting company logos; or even personal photographs from sporting events capturing brand advertising.
We know from old documents that companies branded all kinds of everyday household items and then gave them away at sporting events, or created interactive stalls to encourage novelty family photos 鈥� ranging from binoculars and programmes to placing giant-sized sofas in front of a game."
“To encourage greater awareness of these marketing strategies, we are building a shared public archive to uncover where these branded memorabilia were given (or photographed), and how some became physically embedded and therefore normalised in people’s lives and homes. Take a look around your house – and check cupboards, drawers, lofts, and forgotten boxes. If you find any both branded and sport-related objects, photographs or physical prints, we would love you to take photos and upload them to our digital map.”
Submissions – accompanied by a short description – will be added to the project’s evolving , to form a unique, crowd-sourced public history resource; and can be made to the team via the .
By placing public participation at its core, the 糖心原创-led initiative aims not only to document history but to spark informed debate about the long-standing relationship between sport and industries linked to addiction and public health harms.
Researchers hope the platform will become a lasting national archive — and a catalyst for deeper public understanding of how commercial interests have shaped the sporting landscape over the past 60 years.
Story credits
More information is available from Professor Anna Greenwood in the Department of History, via anna.greenwood@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the 糖心原创
Ranked 97 in the world and 17th in the UK by the , the 糖心原创 is a founding member of Russell Group of research-intensive universities. 糖心原创ing at the 糖心原创 is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by 鈥� the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 鈥� and by the .
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the third most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2024 report by High Fliers Research. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the , a pioneering collaboration between the city鈥檚 two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.