Sport and advertising. Sometimes it works, sometimes not, but it almost always has an emotional aspect. Advertising for the Sport newspaper from the 1980s. — **Sport and advertising. Sometimes it works, sometimes not, but it almost always has an emotional aspect. Advertising for the *Sport* newspaper from the 1980s.** Swiss National Museum

Sport and advertising: uncomfortable bedfellows

In today’s (sporting) world, money is king. It wasn’t always like that, although it has been for a long time...

Michael Jucker

Michael Jucker is a sports historian, head of Swiss Sports History and co-director of the FCZ Museum.

Asian airlines, Chinese financial products, mail order companies or sticky sweet drinks: wherever there’s sport, you’ll find advertising. Sports photographs, TV coverage and sportswear are awash with sponsors’ names. Instagram and TikTok have taken the streams of advertising to a whole new level. Advertising generates massive revenues and has done for years.

These days, it’s impossible to see a photograph of elite level sport without taking in the advertising hoardings, or the logos on the shirts, helmets, trousers or finishing tape. Granted, due to its ubiquity most people don’t really notice sports advertising anymore; it has blended quietly into the background. By contrast, we are quick to recognise photography of amateur sports or coverage of events from a relatively long time ago. They stand out through the absence of sculpted bodies as well as in many cases the lack of large advertising hoardings, shirt sponsors or logos. Older photographs also often display brand names long since consigned to the past.

**Aarau vs. Servette, April 1985.** Swiss National Museum / ASL

Advertising and sport have been inextricably linked for many years. But it wasn’t an immediate connection; it has been more of a hesitant rapprochement beset by turbulence. The relationship dates back to the 19th century, when American company Kodak sponsored the first modern Summer Olympic games held in Athens in 1896. That was a good move, benefiting from the burgeoning symbiosis of photography and sport. 1912 in Stockholm, advertising contracts running into the millions were signed.

Large-format advertising at sporting events did not feature until later, but Kodak was the first to closely associate product advertising with sport. From Ovomaltine as a performance-enhancing drink in skiing or cycling to cameras or watches for timekeeping: the products always had at least an indirect connection to the sport in question.

Cyclist André Brulé “swears” by Ovomaltine. The Tour de Suisse in 1949. — **Cyclist André Brulé “swears” by *Ovomaltine*. The Tour de Suisse in 1949.** Swiss National Museum / ASL

Sport advertising for bicycles, footballs, tennis rackets or sports attire also quickly became a feature in the print media, especially the new sports magazines.

The advertisements section of Schweizer Sportblatt, March 1898. — **The advertisements section of *Schweizer Sportblatt*, March 1898.** e-periodica

The advent of sports broadcasting in the TV age and the awarding of television rights from 1960 marked a real advertising and media boom with a momentum all of its own. What started as a chaotic relationship between sport and advertising morphed into a close, symbiotic marriage of convenience. The screen transported an endless array of company names and sponsors into our living rooms at a previously inconceivable rate. The public broadcasters were not impressed as it allowed companies to advertise indirectly on television, which at the time was largely advert free. In those days, there was a strict ban on advertising at televised sporting events in Switzerland and in many other European countries.

FC Zurich was the first Swiss football club to display advertising on their shirts in 1976. — *FC Zurich* was the first Swiss football club to display advertising on their shirts in 1976. Museum of FC Zurich

In 1976, the dispute over advertising in Swiss football caused a stir. Agfa, having seemingly by chance reemerged as a film and camera manufacturer, was the first shirt sponsor of FC Zurich. Edi Naegeli, tobacconist, relentless businessman and Club President, signed the first advertising contract with the German-Belgian company, a post-1945 offshoot of the controversial IG-Farben. The blue, sometimes red diamond shape with its distinctive logo was emblazoned on the team’s white shirts. The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG opposed this on the grounds that it was surreptitious advertising. As a result, there were no televised matches or highlights of games involving FC Zurich, who were Swiss champions at the time. A confrontation ensued and the advertisers emerged victorious. FC Zurich did not remove the logo and other teams, such as FC Basel, Young Boys and Lausanne followed suit in the same season. The Swiss broadcaster had no option but to soften its stance as almost every team shirt in Swiss football had a logo of some description. Only Grasshoppers Zurich resisted the trend: the classy club simply didn’t need to change.

Cheap cigars and whiskey: the advertising hoardings for the 1973 cup final between FC Zurich and FC Basel. — **Cheap cigars and whiskey: the advertising hoardings for the 1973 cup final between *FC Zurich* and *FC Basel*.** Dukas

Television thus brought advertising on shirts, sponsorship, and advertising hoardings into the mainstream. Growth was initially unregulated with no restraints on advertising cigarettes and alcohol, but that changed as restrictions were introduced for health policy reasons and to protect young people. Nonetheless, beer advertising is still a permanent fixture in stadiums, albeit with the qualifier “alcohol free” in the small print.

Advertising, whether on jerseys or hoardings, must still be approved by the governing bodies. Acting without their approval can be expensive, for example when UEFA found the advertising print too large at European club competitions. Going ahead without prior authorisation can also be costly, as FC Zurich discovered during a referendum campaign for the construction of a new stadium. The players sported a “JA zum Stadion” (yes to the stadium) on their shirts, resulting in a 20,000 Swiss franc fine from the Swiss Football League disciplinary committee, as the club had not been given authorisation.

**The Swiss national team ski suits from 1992 to 1998.** Keystone

Clubs, sportspersons and even the governing bodies need advertising in sport. It’s not only the Swiss ski team’s iconic cheese racing suits or SKA caps that stay in the memory. Individuals are also featuring more as advertisers and icons. What started with Bernhard Russi, then Cristiano Ronaldo and recently Roger Federer in the TV age, has moved up a notch with social media channels. Gender equality is also lacking in sports advertising. When Swiss female footballer Alisha Lehmann promotes products, they are seen by over 13 million followers. That’s more than Federer and Shaqiri combined; but that doesn’t stop her getting paid less than her male colleagues when playing for the national team. However, this has historically been overlooked for the most part, as have other inequalities and dependencies.

Logos on shirts and advertising hoardings are an omnipresent reflection of the times, an emblem of the interplay between two partners. They are also often unwanted aids for sporting historians when dating collector’s items or photographs and placing them in the right context. Who remembers when FC St. Gallen advertised dog food or FC Luzern players ran out with an advert for the LNN newspaper emblazoned on their chests?

Swiss Sports History

This text was produced in collaboration with Swiss Sports History, the portal for the history of sports in Switzerland. The portal focuses on education in schools and information for the media, researchers and the general public. Find out more at sportshistory.ch

More of: Modern Age 20th / 21st century Sports Football Swiss Sports History

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