Sportswashing and Gambling Are Reshaping the Business of Sports
From betting scandals to image-driven narratives, the modern sports industry faces growing credibility challenges that communicators can no longer ignore.
Editor’s Note: This commentary reflects the views and opinions of the author. CommPRO publishes op-eds to encourage thoughtful debate and does not necessarily endorse all perspectives expressed.
This is the time of year when pundits start weighing in on the best and worst moments of the past twelve months. In the sports world, it is hard for me to think of many “bests,” but plenty of troubling developments come to mind. One word sums it up. sportswashing.
What Am I Referring To? Examples Include:
Decades-loyal fans being priced out of attending games as ticket prices increase.
Hard liquor ads appearing during televised sports events.
Teams and leagues promoting gambling by allowing bookies into the homes of people watching sporting events.
If I had to choose the worst thing that happened in sports in 2025, I would have to flip a coin and hope that it would land upright. I cannot decide whether the worst development was the sports betting scandals, sportswashing, or all of the above.
When the subject is sportswashing, most people think of Saudi Arabia because the Kingdom is pouring enormous sums of money into global sports in an effort to reshape its image. But to paraphrase Shakespeare, a rose is a rose no matter what it is called.
The moguls who control American sports have practiced sportswashing for years, even if they do not use the term. They spend billions annually on feel-good activities such as fan appreciation days and military tributes. That is not to say teams do not care about fans. They do, because without fans, teams would not survive. But like any business, teams ultimately do what benefits them, not consumers.
When Steven A. Cohen paid $2.475 billion in 2020 to buy the New York Mets, he said he was doing it for the fans, according to The New York Times. He explained that he was not trying to make money and viewed ownership as an opportunity to build something special and make people happy.
Whether that qualifies as sportswashing is debatable. What is clear is that such messaging is self-serving, much like Saudi Arabia’s motivations for its sports investments. And nothing on the 2025 sports calendar felt more self-serving than FIFA awarding its peace prize to President Trump, a decision that drew widespread criticism.
Perhaps the most enduring examples of sportswashing date back many years to Olympic coverage. When NBCUniversal televised the Games from Russia and China, there was little discussion of the undemocratic nature of those governments. Even when the Olympics are held in democratic countries, controversies tend to be downplayed. Olympic coverage often feels closer to promotion than scrutiny of the International Olympic Committee. Viewers seeking a fuller picture must look elsewhere.
It is difficult to single out the worst sportswashing episodes of the year because there were so many. What they all had in common was gambling.
Sports betting scandals are not new. How many games have been fixed, and how many incidents were quietly buried by teams or leagues, will never be known. What is clear is that efforts to stop it have repeatedly fallen short.
That reality is corrosive. Every missed field goal now invites speculation about point spreads. Every errant pitch triggers accusations of intentional misconduct. Most of the time those claims are untrue, but occasionally they are not. Gambling has become embedded in American sports culture, and teams and leagues actively promote it.
Sports organizations have spent billions convincing the public that sports represent the purest part of American culture. They never were and never will be. There are good and bad actors in every profession, including sports.
In my view, the worst sports development of the year will not appear on most year-end lists. It is the steady reduction in the number of games available on traditional television. Fans increasingly must pay to watch what was once widely accessible. These games are not truly free anyway. Cable subscribers pay for sports packages whether they watch or not.
Years ago, the president of Gillette asked me to name factors that might shape the company’s relationship with sports in the future. I cited rising advertising costs, corporate logos on uniforms, and pay television. The first two arrived long ago. The third continues to expand.
The cost of watching sports rises every year. It is no longer experimental, but it has not reached its peak. I believe the future will require viewers to pay for individual events.
No matter what happens, fans will still find ways to cope with losses at the betting window. They will watch games while consuming beer and hard liquor sold in stadiums and advertised during broadcasts, despite the well-documented health risks.
One thing is certain as the new year begins. Sportswashing by both foreign and American sports moguls will continue.
Why?
Because you can now place a bet at any hour of the day without leaving your living room.
