World Corrupt Episode 1: A Toxic Love Affair between Politics and Sports
Pod Save the World
00:00
Why Qatar Shouldn't Host the World Cup
Sports washing is when an individual or a state uses sports to burnish their reputation. The term is relatively new, but the concept has been around for a long time. It doesn't matter if you're a Russian oligarch or an authoritarian country. Buying a team or hosting a major sporting event is an easy way to get everybody talking about what's happening on the field instead of your problems off of it. I'm probably going to watch an international change and enjoy a World Cup that shouldn't be happening there. I don't know what that says about me as a human being, but it's not great. We've all felt that. There has never been anything more complicated than balancing
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