‘If you’ve got it shown to you from a young age, it’s going to be more hardwired into your brain’: young people’s views on alcohol sports sponsorship

Abstract

Background Alcohol sports sponsorship is a prominent marketing strategy that links alcohol with athletic success, celebration, and fandom. Sponsorship has been associated with harmful drinking behaviors, yet little is known about how young people interpret these messages. This study explores how young people understand and evaluate alcohol sports sponsorship, including perceived contradictions and processes of normalization. Methods Ten online focus groups were conducted with 44 young people aged 11–17 years in Scotland. Groups were stratified by age and sex and analyzed using qualitative content analysis to explore awareness, interpretations, and attitudes toward alcohol sponsorship. Results Participants reported frequent exposure to alcohol sponsorship, particularly through televised sport and social media. They demonstrated a clear understanding of sponsorship as a marketing strategy and often viewed alcohol’s presence in sport as incongruous with its health-oriented values. However, these views co-existed with more permissive attitudes in spectator and leisure contexts, where alcohol consumption was seen as normative, particularly for adults. Participants also expressed concerns about the potential influence on younger audiences. Conclusion Young people critically yet contextually interpret alcohol sports sponsorship, reflecting both skepticism and normalization. These findings highlight the need to consider how marketing is embedded across youth-accessible contexts when developing policy responses.