Ep 81: Joshua Robinson on Diriyah Cup and the Ethics of Sports in Saudi Arabia

Jeff welcomes guest Joshua Robinson (@joshrobinson23), European sports reporter for the Wall Street Journal and co-author of the book The Club: How the English Premier League Became the Wildest, Richest, Most Disruptive Force in Sports. We hear from Josh in between his trips to the Gulf, just back from the boxing prize-fight at Diriyah Arena, where the first professional tennis tournament was played in Saudi Arabia. We talk about why oil-rich states use athletic spectacles to "sportswash" their reputations, and what it means for the sporting organizations and athletes that help them do it. We also consider the effect on fans, with what Josh calls "Qatar-ification"--events produced in oft-empty arenas for far-off audiences, in a climate wholly unsuited to the sport. It's easy to ignore this stuff during exhibition season, but these are important issues that transcend sport.