Revealed: David Sullivan’s Sunday Sport sold sexualised images of 15-year-old girls
The Guardian · 2026-06-08 · archive
Sunday Sport’s ‘Countdown to 16’ used revealing photoshoots with young girls to trail topless pictures published after their 16th birthdaysIn 1987, the tabloid press in Britain was at the peak of its powers. The Sun newspaper, with its brash celebrity scoops and strident support for Margaret Thatcher – who won her third general election that year – was selling almost 4m copies a day.Competition for stories and readers was relentless, resulting in ever more salacious and lurid editorial devices to win a slice of the readership from rivals on the newsstand. The Sun stood atop the tabloid market, its topless...
The Story So Far
West Ham United co-owner David Sullivan’s historical business ventures have faced renewed attention regarding past editorial practices at the Sunday Sport. During the late 1980s, the publication, which Sullivan established, reportedly featured sexualised imagery of fifteen-year-old girls. A specific segment called the "Countdown to 16" used revealing photographs of young girls to preview topless content scheduled for release once they reached legal age. These methods emerged during an era of intense rivalry in the British tabloid market, where newspapers often utilized highly provocative material to secure readers. The findings provide context regarding the chairman's professional background within the competitive media industry of that period.
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