Bluemoon Under The Cartel's Irish Academic Microscope?

[Corky]

I work in and around this area of research, and this has always been what has pissed me off about the term.

We know that countries use sport for soft power and image reputation. We also know that it rarely "launders" a reputation. No one came away from Beijing 2008 saying "wow, that Chinese government sure has a good human rights record" but they probably did think, if they didn't think it already, "wow, China has a lot of money, a lot of power, and is now a serious player on the world stage". If you want to make the world think you're a good country, I can't think of a worst thing to do than buy a football club where, by definition, most other people will have a longstanding and extremely passionate dislike of you. If you want to open up new trade possibilities, build brand ecosystems, diversify a stock portfolio, and show the world how powerful you are...well that's something else entirely. But are those things "laundering" your human rights records? Does the UAE care what the world thinks about its human rights records? I don't know.

The real sports washing was the eastern block countries pumping a load of money into sports to show the world how perfect their regimes were, whilst sections of the population were starving. Then punishing athletes if they didn't win.

 

[mattcity5]

I still think the whole notion of sportswashing when it comes to City is nonsense. The Abu Dhabi involvement with City has pushed UAE human rights issues far more into the media. Similarly would any major media outlet report on UAE’s involvement in Yemen as an issue if not for Sheikh Mansour owning City? If anything the issues are given far bigger media attention.

I don’t believe that ADUG bought City as a sportswashing exercise, I do think it’s part of a broad expansion of asset holdings for a country that knows that fossil fuels bring in big revenues now but the clock is ticking. They have deep cash reserves but those funds need to be invested now. Sheikh Mansour will ultimately be one of the few football club owners that make money from their investment.

Sportswashing as a term relating to football club ownership is total nonsense by the very nature of it.

If UAE wanted to look good because of City they very much depends on City doing well. If we were crap and being relegated, nobody would mention sportswashing and in fact, the term possibly wouldn't even exist (I'm not sure when it was first used, but it feels like after the London Olympics).

Are Sheffield United's owners sportswashing? Never been mentioned, because they're doing crap.

So basically it's a term we can thrown at very specific ownership models and only if they are doing very well. It's nonsense.

 

[mattcity5]

The real sports washing was the eastern block countries pumping a load of money into sports to show the world how perfect their regimes were, whilst sections of the population were starving. Then punishing athletes if they didn't win.

Countries hosting events do their best to look good to the world. As we did when hosting the 2012 Olympics. I still remember the opening ceremony celebrating how great the NHS was, before we then went on to serious underfund it, run it ino the ground and pay nurses by clapping them. Funny how these journalists never mention sportswashing about that.

 

[MCFC84000]

And despite all that waffle, needy Nicky Harris is still ignored.

 

[dickie davies]

do think it’s part of a broad expansion of asset holdings for a country that knows that fossil fuels bring in big revenues now but the clock is ticking. They have deep cash reserves but those funds need to be invested now. Sheikh Mansour will ultimately be one of the few football club owners that make money from their investment.

Without a doubt
Someone will have said to SM, that football is a booming industry and hugely undervalued
They may even have used utd as an example
In 2007 their gross T/O was probably in the region of £300m
A brand that is known around the world, that claims to have 1B followers and yet you divide the T/O by follower numbers and it's less than 30p per person a year

 

[bluemanchester]

"Sportswashing" is a hook, the same way it
is used in the most popular songs, nothing more, nothing less.
Name that tune;-)

 

[GaudinoMotors]

"Washing", such a lazy term.
Pepsi, Coke, McDonalds, Burger King, etc.
Is that junk food washing?
No it's seen as fking advertising and sponsorship to promote the sponsor.
It appears to be used as a racist term to target us. Emirates and other Arab companies have been involved in sport sponsorship for decades - but it is City that are sportswashing. Beggars belief.

 

[homerdog]

Gavin Cooney

Dipper, say no more. ****...

 

[lazerblue]

what about Chemical Ali, AKA jim ratcliffe, using the rags to clean his filthy polluting plastics monster

 

[Gingers Dad]

Looks like a right nonce. Probably get a job a the BBC