By Phil Hickey
A new study reveals almost half of WA sporting teams have at least one "unhealthy" sponsor supporting them, with Aussie Rules footy the biggest culprit.
Experts say children as young as five are associating team sports with the products and messages certain clubs promote through sponsorship.
The West Coast eagles used to be sponsored by Hungry Jack's.
New research from the Curtin University based Public Health Advocacy Institute of WA found 47.5 per cent of WA sporting teams had at least one unhealthy sponsor on board.
The study, carried out in the first six months of this year, analysed 61 clubs in WA including Aussie Rules, baseball, basketball, cricket, field hockey, netball, rugby union and soccer teams.
Kids watching their favourite sporting team are constantly getting bombarded with an alcohol message, says Dr Stoneham.Credit: Chris Brignell
There were 93 unhealthy sponsors identified, most of whom (64) sponsored a footy team.
Nineteen unhealthy sponsors associated themselves with basketball, nine with cricket and one with soccer.
Alcohol was the most common unhealthy sponsor identified followed by food and drink sponsors and gambling groups.
But there is also some good news to come from the study.
Of the 93 unhealthy sponsors identified, most sponsored a footy team.Credit: Vince Caligiuri
Out of 1045 sponsors identified, 91 per cent were not classed as being unhealthy food, alcohol or gambling companies.
Baseball, netball, field hockey and rugby union clubs analysed as part of the study were found to have no unhealthy sponsors at all.
Dr Melissa Stoneham, Director of the Public Health Advocacy Institute of WA, said when sponsors associate themselves with sport, it normalises their message.
"What we found was that just under half our West Australian teams had unhealthy sponsors...its pretty rampant out there," Dr Stoneham said.
"Kids watch their favourite sporting team and they are constantly getting bombarded with an alcohol message, a fast food message or a gambling message and that is a concern for us.
"We know why they (the sponsors) do it, it makes sense from a business point of view.
"But from a health point of view, we have kids getting the wrong messages constantly and that it is OK to associate alcohol and fast food with a healthy activity like sport."
Dr Stoneham said she hoped the study findings would prompt the bigger sporting codes to seek out more healthy alternatives.
"We need to make the bigger sports that have a higher association with unhealthy sponsors more aware of the effect that it is having on their audience," she said.
An estimated 63 per cent of adults and 27 per cent of children in Australia are overweight or obese, costing the economy $8.6 billion annually.
And figures released by the Queensland Government Statistician's Office recently showed Australians lose more than $22 billion annually in gambling.