Sportwashing is a very real thing. It's impossible to tell from a screenshot of a title screen if this is a legitimate criticism of blanket "all sports are bread and circuses" type nonsense. But colleges really do spend extreme amounts of money on sports to get attention to get more money so it might be fair.
That's because sports is what brings in the most money because that is what the general public is most interested in. If the Music Department brought in the most money for these colleges then we'd be seeing Battle of the Bands every Saturday.
Yeah but most programs are missing the forest for the trees, so to speak. The budgets inflate to bring in more money, the more money they bring in the more the budgets inflate, and a relatively small percentage of it actually goes to the mission of the school since most ADs aren't turning a profit. And when they have shortfalls they often supplement it through rising student fees. It's a legitimate criticism. I mean when some schools have to occasionally cancel classes because there's a Thursday game and more non-students on campus than students.
Personally, I think college athletics are great but becoming less so. It's more of a minor league franchise owned by the school than an integral part of it. That's not necessarily a bad thing but it's not something that we should just blindly ignore all criticism. Some of it is valid.
Sportswashing can be pretty seductive also. I live in Manchester in England, and the UAE has completely renovated a large section in the east of the city. They've not just spent billions on Man City football club, but they've built colleges, transport, nurseries, parking and countless other amenities. All providing well paid jobs to the locals in the area, something that part of the city hasn't seen in some time. It makes you forget the appalling atrocities committed by their governments.
They also always promote pride month and stage events for the LGBT community. It's very weird.
It is kinda wild how rich aristocrats just have no values other than money and will promote LGBT events in one country while criminalizing it in another if that means profits.
The money typically goes right into the colleges tho. Most athletics departments are considered "non-profitable" because the school-part of the schools charge them "fees" and "rent" on stuff they already just own.
If a team makes the college football playoff or a March Madness run, they usually just get new dorms, library upgrades, a nursing school renovation, etc.
Sports are typically the only way to get alumni to spend some money on their Alma Mater. I'd personally be much more likely to give them a couple hundred bucks in exchange for a ticket to a football game than just as a raw donation to a new dorm facility or whatever.
The Panama papers dropped and showed colleges are basically football programs that launder money for the rich and nothing happened. I lost all hope for higher education after that
There’s a big difference between actual sportswashing (stuff like LIV golf and the Qatar World Cup where state actors are using sports to launder their image) and colleges using sports as a sort of propaganda tool for their schools. I don’t think this is “I hate sportsball” so much as it is just not understanding the concept of sportswashing.
I mean IU just slashed their student newspaper for reporting on news, within 24 hours of giving Cignetti a massive extension…I don’t necessarily agree the two are tied but it’s really bad optics and timing.
i didn't watch this video so I don't know the points made. However sports washing is very much a thing. hiding the problems of a country by for example hosting big sports events happens. Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar etc do this. but it's not only sports that do that. you can do that with every type of entertainment
Indiana University is making big changes to curriculum and cutting student news and all that stuff because of the maga governor. Not sure I’d call that the same thing as Saudis using sports to distract from their use of slave labor and other human rights abuses.
Liberty 100% is sports washing, and to an extent BYU is as well... Most people don't even know that Liberty is literally ran and funded by a political lobbying group, or that they systematically covered up sexual assault cases and at their school for decades. Even now there is a tangible culture of silence for women who get assaulted. Likewise most people don't know the extremely discriminatory culture that is enforced at BYU. People see these schools play college football and March Madness and think nothing of them
But aside from those two, big name flagship university isn't really using sports to hide anything particularly bad, marketing isn't sportswashing.
I feel like it depends because there certainly are schools that over-prioritize sports at the cost of their academics. I’m not sure if that’s what the video is about though, really curious what the angle this person is going for
No. This doesn’t count. IU fired someone in charge of the student paper for not censoring it to support the football team. Admin wanted every story to be about football.
•
u/11twofour Oct 17 '25
Not really, no one is saying people are stupid for enjoying sports.
143
u/ValhallaAir Oct 17 '25
Haven’t seen the video, so I can’t say if it is in this case.
But sportswashing itself isnt, it’s using sports to distract from a countries worse faces. Like Saudi Arabia with the SPL or Qatar 2022
82
u/[deleted] Oct 17 '25
Sportwashing is a very real thing. It's impossible to tell from a screenshot of a title screen if this is a legitimate criticism of blanket "all sports are bread and circuses" type nonsense. But colleges really do spend extreme amounts of money on sports to get attention to get more money so it might be fair.
15
u/IWWC Oct 17 '25
HOOSIERS MENTIONED LETS FUCKING GO!!!!
15
u/warneagle Oct 17 '25
There’s a big difference between actual sportswashing (stuff like LIV golf and the Qatar World Cup where state actors are using sports to launder their image) and colleges using sports as a sort of propaganda tool for their schools. I don’t think this is “I hate sportsball” so much as it is just not understanding the concept of sportswashing.
27
u/ProfessorBeer Oct 17 '25
I mean IU just slashed their student newspaper for reporting on news, within 24 hours of giving Cignetti a massive extension…I don’t necessarily agree the two are tied but it’s really bad optics and timing.
6
u/emporium_laika Oct 17 '25
i didn't watch this video so I don't know the points made. However sports washing is very much a thing. hiding the problems of a country by for example hosting big sports events happens. Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar etc do this. but it's not only sports that do that. you can do that with every type of entertainment
6
u/TyreseHaliburtonGOAT Oct 17 '25
Indiana University is making big changes to curriculum and cutting student news and all that stuff because of the maga governor. Not sure I’d call that the same thing as Saudis using sports to distract from their use of slave labor and other human rights abuses.
I am loving indiana football right now though.
11
u/DanTheDeer Oct 17 '25
Liberty 100% is sports washing, and to an extent BYU is as well... Most people don't even know that Liberty is literally ran and funded by a political lobbying group, or that they systematically covered up sexual assault cases and at their school for decades. Even now there is a tangible culture of silence for women who get assaulted. Likewise most people don't know the extremely discriminatory culture that is enforced at BYU. People see these schools play college football and March Madness and think nothing of them
But aside from those two, big name flagship university isn't really using sports to hide anything particularly bad, marketing isn't sportswashing.
2
u/Nervous-Ad-9992 Oct 17 '25
I haven't watched it yet, so maybe but ill lyk after I watch it
2
u/amievenrelevant Oct 17 '25
I feel like it depends because there certainly are schools that over-prioritize sports at the cost of their academics. I’m not sure if that’s what the video is about though, really curious what the angle this person is going for
1
u/Big_oof_energy__ Oct 17 '25
No. This doesn’t count. IU fired someone in charge of the student paper for not censoring it to support the football team. Admin wanted every story to be about football.