"A series of widely reported, high-profile, off-field incidents during the year involving past and current sportspersons may have had an overall impact on public enthusiasm about the use of sports stars to promote brands and organizations," Todd Deacon of Sweeney Sports said.
"Few times in the history of recording this have we seen a drop of this magnitude, but this year has been marked and all we can put it down to is maybe (the public is) starting to question the use of athletes in endorsing products," he said.
Deacon blamed the drop on increased media interest in players' off-field behaviour. "There has been heightened media coverage of off-field incidents ... It is something that has been building over the last 12 months."
"Obviously sponsors are not happy with that. One of the big dangers for sponsors is how do you protect their behaviour?”
"The implications for clubs - and therefore for brands - are huge," he pointed out.
One of the ways in which clubs have moved to counter-act this is by setting up education programs and insisting on accompaniment by security escorts on nights out.
