The ''Daily Sport'' was a tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom by Daily Sport Ltd., which specialised in celebrity news and softcore

pornographic Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolved from cave paintings ...

stories and images. The daily paper was launched in 1991 by David Sullivan, following its former Sunday sister title, ''

Sunday Sport The ''Sunday Sport'' is a British tabloid newspaper that was founded by David Sullivan in 1986. It mainly publishes images of topless female glamour models, and is well-known for publishing sensationalised, fictionalised, and satirical con ...

'' (first published in 1986). It ceased publication and entered

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. ** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...

on 1 April 2011. Following the purchase on 7 June by the telecom, travel and internet entrepreneur Grant Miller, the new online ''Daily Sport'' was relaunched on 17 August 2011 with sports coverage plus

classified advertising Classified advertising is a form of advertising, particularly common in newspapers, online and other periodicals, which may be sold or distributed free of charge. Classified advertisements are much cheaper than larger display advertisements use ...

for the first time in its twenty-year history. There are not thought to be any plans for a print relaunch; however, ''Midweek Sport'', ''Weekend Sport'' and ''Sunday Sport'' are still published by Sunday Sport (2011) Ltd.

Focus and content

The ''Daily Sport'' did not normally include news, although in 2008 Lembit Öpik (then a Liberal Democrat MP) began a regular weekly political column. Instead, its coverage indulged more in

tabloid journalism Tabloid journalism is a popular style of largely sensationalist journalism, which takes its name from the tabloid newspaper format: a small-sized newspaper also known as a half broadsheet. The size became associated with sensationalism, an ...

, with an emphasis on

celebrities Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group due to the attention given to them by mass media. The word is also used to refer to famous individuals. A person may attain celebrity status by having great w ...

, bad behaviour and

toilet humour Toilet humour or potty humour is a type of off-colour humour dealing with: defecation (including diarrhea and constipation), in which case it is called scatological humour (compare scatology); urination; flatulence, in which case it is called f ...

. The ''Daily Sport'', like the ''Sunday Sport'', was known for ridiculous headlines to entirely fabricated stories. Later editorial practice meant an end to such stories and an increased focus on celebrity news and sexual revelations. ''Daily Sport'' often published fake nude pictures of celebrities and also

paparazzi Paparazzi (singular form paparazzo) are independent photographers who take pictures of high-profile people, such as actors, musicians, athletes, politicians, and other celebrities who go about their daily life routines. Paparazzi are known f ...

upskirt Upskirting or upskirt photography is the practice of taking photographs or videos under a person's skirt or kilt, capturing an image or video of the crotch area, showing underwear such as panties, and sometimes genitalia. An "upskirt" is a photo ...

' and '

downblouse Cleavage is the narrow depression or hollow between the breasts of a woman. The Superior (anatomy), superior portion of cleavage may be accentuated by clothing such as a low-cut neckline that exposes the division, and often the term is used to de ...

' or nipple slip pictures. The fake nude pictures were published with the appropriate disclaimers and captions, although the front cover image was often accompanied by a titillating caption, like "Tender tips make tastier tea". In September 2008, ''The Sport'' was criticised by the

Press Complaints Commission The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) was a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC closed on Monday 8 September 2014, and was replaced by the Ind ...

for glamourising

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

by publishing a "Top yourself tourism list". A large portion of advertising was for adult goods and services, such as phone-sex chat lines and Internet chat and sexually intimate sites. A feature of the paper was the classified advertisements, which in reality were a series of short advertisements for massage parlours and

escort service An escort agency is a company that provides escorts for clients, usually for sexual services. The agency typically arranges a meeting between one of its escorts and the client at the customer's house or hotel room (outcall), or at the escort' ...

s across the country. In later years, the classified adverts had also become a place for swingers to advertise. The ''Daily Sport'' pioneered the football crossword in the United Kingdom. The crossword positioned in the back pages alongside the football journalists reports was unique in the fact that the clues were solely devoted to questions which related to the sport. After two years of his work appearing in the ''Daily Sport'' the grid also became a regular feature in the ''Sunday Sport'' editions. The ''Sport'' claimed to have launched the careers of numerous models, among them Louise Hodges who modeled throughout the 1990s Linsey Dawn McKenzie, who began posing topless for the newspaper in 1994, and Cherry Dee who began posing topless for them in 2003 when they were both 16 (the legal age for such activity in the United Kingdom at the time). Among recent popular ''Sport'' models were Kelly Bell, Hannah Claydon and Lauren Pope; however, very few ''Sport'' models also appeared in the other tabloids which the paper regarded as its rivals. The ''Daily Sport'' and ''Sunday Sport'' were sold by David Sullivan to Sport Media Group in 2007. The papers were relaunched in April 2008 under the editorial leadership of Barry McIlheney and

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

, the founder of '' Loaded''. In October 2008, Pam McVitie was appointed the first female editor of the ''Daily Sport''. In 2009, SMG had to be bailed out by David Sullivan and Gold Group International, after having been put up for sale by its owners. Publication was suspended from 1 April 2011 after Sport Media Group ceased trading and was broken up by administrators. Entrepreneur Grant Miller acquired the rights to the ''Daily Sport'' and relaunched it online through a new company Daily Sport Limited. Sullivan now publishes the ''Midweek Sport'' (Wednesdays), ''Weekend Sport'' (Fridays) and ''Sunday Sport'', through his company

(2011) Limited.

Circulation

Circulation levels in 2009 were 84,000 and rising, but they then fell sharply with the company's financial difficulties. The publication now only exists online.

References

External links

"''Daily Sport'' shares plunge"
Roy Greensalde, ''The Guardian'' 22 April 2008
"''Daily Sport'' unveils £1m redesign"
''The Guardian'', 21 April 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Daily Sport National newspapers published in the United Kingdom Newspapers established in 1991 1991 establishments in the United Kingdom Defunct newspapers published in the United Kingdom Daily newspapers published in the United Kingdom Nudity in print media Softcore pornography Nude photography showing women

Focus and content

Circulation

See also

References

External links