Freakonomics Radio Extra: What Is Sportswashing — and Does It Work? (Update)
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Mar 4, 2024 
Victor Matheson, an economics professor, discusses the complex relationship between sports and a nation's reputation, particularly through the lens of sportswashing. Alan Shipnuck, a sports journalist, sheds light on the riveting LIV Golf saga and its clash with the PGA Tour. Jodi Balsam, a clinical law professor, provides a legal perspective on these controversies. Together, they explore how countries use sporting events to reshape their image while confronting the ethical dilemmas and possible backlash surrounding these tactics.
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Episode notes
Sportswashing vs. Reputation Laundering
- Sportswashing uses sporting events to mask a country's problems.
- It's similar to other reputation laundering tactics, like Carnegie's libraries.
Bread and Circuses
- Governments have used distractions for centuries, dating back to ancient Rome.
- Juvenal's "bread and circuses" highlights how food and entertainment appease citizens.
Thai Soft Power
- Thailand uses "gastro-diplomacy" as soft power.
- They've opened thousands of Thai restaurants globally to boost their image.
