The sound of tennis balls whizzing through the summer air can only mean one thing: the Australian Open is back.
Every January, millions of Australians are glued to their seats as the best tennis players in the world vie for the first grand slam title of the year in Melbourne.
It should be a time when physical activity and healthy lifestyles are championed.
Especially when you consider the millions of families who watch the event – at Melbourne Park, on their couches or on social media.
That’s why we need to talk about the wall-to-wall alcohol advertising that saturates the Australian Open.
When alcohol and sport intertwine, it creates an environment where harms grow – which has a particularly concerning impact on the sport’s youngest fans. The Australian Open’s heavy alcohol promotion exposes millions of young Australian tennis fans to alcohol, associating it with their favourite sport and favourite players.
Why Australian Open alcohol sponsorships are a major fault
Compared to the other tennis grand slam events on the calendar, the Australian Open takes the prize for courting the most alcohol sponsors, with eight (the US Open has six, Wimbledon three, and the French Open two).
These deals are auctioned off to give brands prime placements on courtside advertising banners, the naming rights to a showcourt, and multiple courtside bars and installations to sell a product that is both harmful and addictive.
When eight alcohol companies spend millions to partner with major sporting events like the Australian Open, it can feel like alcohol is everywhere you look.
If you attend the event, you may notice physical advertising dotted around the courts and prominent branding in dining precincts. If you’re watching at home on television or social media, you’ll likely see alcohol ads during commercial breaks, athlete collaborations and influencer marketing on social media.
Reminiscent of the tobacco industry playbook, alcohol companies present their harmful products as all part of a good time at the sport.
This normalises a link between sport and alcohol and reinforces a culture of drinking, which millions of Australian children are exposed to from a young age.
Why is this a major problem? Because study after study has drawn a close link between children’s early exposure to alcohol advertising and alcohol harms later in life.
Alcohol advertising exposure increases the likelihood they will start drinking earlier in life than they may have otherwise – and at high-risk levels.
Other studies have shown that rates of alcohol-related domestic and family violence increase around major sporting events.
The intertwining of sports and alcohol is even having an impact on the event itself.
Last year, players Novak Djokovic and Danielle Collins both linked the presence of alcohol to poor fan behaviour at the tournament.
Game, set and match: What needs to change
In 2018, a survey found nine in 10 Australian parents reported that they don’t want their children and young people exposed to alcohol advertising while watching sports like tennis, a clear signal that families are tired of alcohol companies using sport to reach young audiences.
The survey also found that two in three parents want alcohol advertising removed from sport altogether, highlighting growing community demand for stronger protections to keep our children safe.
Australia’s free-to-air television code of practice has rules to prevent alcohol advertising during children’s viewing hours – except when it comes to sports broadcasts.
Closing this loophole is one way to start putting the health and wellbeing of children, who just want to watch their sporting idols, above the profit-driven alcohol industry.
This is something that national media regulator ACMA is set to look at this year as part of its review of the current rules around sports broadcasts.
But there is also more that governments can do in terms of laws, policies and programs that prioritise communities’ health and wellbeing.
And more our iconic sporting events, teams and athletes can do too, to unshackle from partnerships with harmful and unhealthy products, and be true health champions.
