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 A 2021 example of the tabloid's satirical headlines | |
| Type | Sunday newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Owner | David Sullivan |
| Publisher | Sunday Sport (2011) Ltd[1] (original publisherSport Newspapers) |
| Editor | Nick Appleyard |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Headquarters | City View House 5 Union Street, Ardwick, Manchester, M12 4JD, United Kingdom |
TheSunday Sport is a Britishtabloid newspaper that was founded byDavid Sullivan in 1986. It mainly publishes images oftopless femaleglamour models, and is well known for publishing sensationalised, fictionalised, and satirical content, alongside celebrity gossip and sports coverage. It has changed from including legitimatejournalism throughout its history.[2] A sister title, theDaily Sport, was published from 1991 to 2011, when it ceased publication and went online-only, under separate ownership.[3]
As of June 2025[update], the tabloid publishes three times a week as theSunday Sport (Sundays), theMidweek Sport (Wednesdays), and theWeekend Sport (Fridays). The tabloid was previously available in mainstream retailers such asTesco andThe Co-op. However following the decline oflads' mags andPage 3 from the late 2000s, it has since only become available in independent newsagents, and remains the only remaining British tabloid to feature glamour models and nudity.[4][5]
Founded by David Sullivan, theSunday Sport first appeared on newsstands on 14 September 1986.[6] It quickly became known for its outlandish and farcical content, with headlines such as "Adolf Hitler Was A Woman", "Aliens Turned Our Son Into A Fish Finger", and "Donkey Robs Bank".[7] Its editors have included Michael Gabbert,Tony Livesey, Paul Carter, and Nick Appleyard. A sister daily title, theDaily Sport, launched in 1991. Livesey's 1998 bookBabes, Booze, Orgies and Aliens: The Inside Story of Sport Newspapers offers an insider's perspective on the tabloid's first decade.
TheSunday Sport capitalised on the popularity ofThe Sun'sPage 3 feature by making sexualised content its primary focus. Topless glamour models were printed across multiple pages and a "nipple count" was published to highlight how many exposed breasts the issue featured.[8] The tabloid courted controversy by featuring 15-year-old aspiring glamour models in scantily clad poses, counting down the days until it could legally show them topless on their 16th birthdays, as it did withLinsey Dawn McKenzie andHannah Claydon,[9] among others.
TheSunday Sport's circulation reached an all-time high of 167,473 in 2005,[10] and Sullivan sold hisSunday Sport andDaily Sport titles in 2007 for £40 million.[11] Circulation declined markedly thereafter, with the new owner, Sport Media Group, withdrawing the titles from the newspaper industry's monthly circulation audit in 2009. In the same year, Sullivan stepped in to save Sport Media Group with a £1.68 million loan. The company enteredadministration on 1 April 2011, at which point publisherRichard Desmond refused to continue printing the titles because of outstanding debts.[12][13][14] TheSunday Sport returned to newsstands several weeks later on 8 May 2011, after Sullivan reacquired it for £50,000.[14] The Daily Sport was sold off separately to Grant Miller.[15]
Sullivan's new company, Sunday Sport (2011) Limited, continued to publish theSunday Sport as a single weekly title until 2013, when it added a Wednesday edition, theMidweek Sport.[1] As of June 2025[update], the paper appears three times a week as theSunday Sport (Sundays), theMidweek Sport (Wednesdays), and theWeekend Sport (Fridays).
In late July 2025, the Website and online-version of the paper was taken down indefinitely due to the passing of theOnline Safety Act and the requirement for sites similar to the Sunday Sport to provide Age Verification for its users accessing the online service.[16]
The tabloid contains extensive advertising for sexual services, mainly adult telephone chat lines.[17] In 2016, theAdvertising Standards Authority banned sexually explicit advertisements for chat lines from the back page of theSunday Sport over concerns that children could easily see them.[18]
