00:00According to the Oxford English Dictionary, sportswashing seems to be a term typically used to promote a positive public image
00:08associated with authoritarian regimes, distracting attention from other activities considered to be unethical, illegal or otherwise controversial.
00:17Alan McDougall, a professor at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, says
00:22sportswashing is the practice of using sport to launder a state's reputation on the international stage,
00:28typically by hosting major international sports events like the Olympics or World Cup,
00:34and more recently by investing large sums in prestigious sports clubs or organizations.
00:40Victor Matheson, an economics professor at College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, continues,
00:45the washing part makes it a little more specific in that the sporting events are supposed to clean up a
00:51country's image
00:52that has been brought low by some other factor.
00:54The relatively new term appears to be indicative of recent events in the world of professional golf.
01:00The PGA Tour will merge with the controversial Saudi-funded LIV golf.
01:06HuffPost reports,
01:07The controversial merger is occurring after nearly two years of acrimony between the rival organizations,
01:14emphasized with legal disputes, tensions among players and serious ethical debates.
01:20Heated responses to the agreement, if finalized, already include mention of the hypocrisy and greed among tour leaders.
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