garyt1957 didn't some lesser school just steal some players from Sanan by offering $1 million NIL deals

Haven't heard that. But Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Clemson and Virginia lost out to Texas for the number 1 recruit of 2023 in Arch Manning. The son of Cooper Manning and nephew of Peyton and Eli. The 18 year old high school QB could make millions before he sets foot on a college football field.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/34136486/qb-arch-manning-no-1-recruit-2023-class-commits-texas

    scotts33 - excellent perspective from Bob Ley. I appreciate the link because I had planned to read up on the NBA - China connection myself. What wasn't mentioned was I thought there was an NBA GM outspoken about playing in China so China canceled some NBA telecasts/games until they retracted their statements?

        scotts33

        Nice article. Bob Ley is bringing up something that isn't as well known or covered as much as LIV has / is. I must admit while basketball was my sport growing up (co-captain of the Harwich Rough Riders lol), I don't follow the NBA nearly as much as I used to. Shining a light on these things is always a good thing. Also, while the NBA has a business relationship with China, LIV Golf is solely funded by Saudi Arabia.

        I did appreciate what was said below.

        "The difference between NBA players and the athletes joining LIV Golf is that these golfers are choosing to go to a league backed by a country with human rights issues. In LIV Golf, it’s the individual players that are serving as a tool for sportswashing. Because of that, the media is going to continue asking those golfers about their decision. Basketball players, however, don’t have another top-level option, so the media is less inclined to ask them about the NBA’s dealings with China. The NBA is it, regardless of whether or not you agree with the league’s business relations.

        What I appreciate about Ley’s call for action is that he didn’t criticize James or other NBA players for their social initiatives in the United States. NBA players understandably prioritize issues within their community, and they can’t be expected to address every human rights issue around the globe. It would be great if James calls attention to the issues in China, but his lack of doing so should not take away from his philanthropy and social awareness in the U.S."

          Sadly it's never going to be fair and equal criticism because of how big China's economy is. Look at Cuba and China for a good example of that. I did read in a related article that was linked to Ley's that the NBA stood behind a player who criticized Turkey's president, but Turkey's economy (like Cuba's) pales in comparison to China's.

          Again, unfortunately this is the messy and many times ugly geo-political world we live in.

          sdandrea1 The way we play, who the fuck would pay for that? 😲

          "Here's your up-front money, Steve. No, you can't get chips with that Diet Coke!" 😅

              Par4QC "Here's your up-front money, Steve. No, you can't get chips with that Diet Coke!"

              Fuck that deal. I'm contacting Greg Norman! 🤣

                  sdandrea1

                  Again, we must remember that not everyone has a working bullshit meter in their brain.😏 I could give you a perfect example, but would be chastised for being political. People are willingly fooled everyday.

                  Lincoln was right in that the problem with common sense is that it’s not all that common.😉

                  And the real issue with sportswashing is that it’s the countries that do it think it’s working. Whether it actually works is really a non issue.

                  Yes for the working bs meter crowd it’s a waste of money. It’s like a guy is a known wife beater. So he starts sponsoring women’s sports leagues in town to soften his image.

                  For most people they’d see it for what it is. For some though they’d fall for it and say he can’t be that bad a guy, look what he’s doing for women’s sports.🙄

                  Bottom line is PT Barnum was right.

                      Stu1961 Finally some common sense regarding the sportswashing smokescreen.

                      [https://www.fastcompany.com/90765385/liv-golf-saudi-arabia-sportswashing-backlash]

                      Great article. How anyone thinks sports washing works is beyond me.

                      A point I've made many times, seems beyond refute to me:
                      But in the context of modern geopolitics, there’s actually not much evidence that this strategy works. “I don’t know who’s looking at China any differently now than they did six months ago, and there’s been an Olympics in between,” sports commentator and television host Bomani Jones told Freakonomics. “I don’t think there’s a single person in the United States who, between the 2008 Olympics and the 2022 Olympics, has changed their opinion of China based on what they’ve seen on television [Olympics coverage].”

                        Sneakylong And the real issue with sportswashing is that it’s the countries that do it think it’s working. Whether it actually works is really a non issue.

                        Whether it works or not is the WHOLE issue. Who cares what they think? If it doesn't work it doesn't work. If they want to make certain athletes mega rich by paying them I'm all for it. Let them blow their money AND they get nothing for it. That's actually a win/win.

                        Sneakylong Yes for the working bs meter crowd it’s a waste of money.

                        Anybody so stupid to fall for sports washing BS already has no clue that SA is a bad place They don't need convincing otherwise because they have no clue.

                              Sneaky & Gary ....... It appears from all this 'sportswashing' etc. discussion here and elsewhere,
                              that it may actually have the opposite effect - generating even more highly negative views. Ironic.
                              I know that it has pushed me even more in that direction. YMMV

                                garyt1957 Whether it works or not is the WHOLE issue. Who cares what they think? If it doesn't work it doesn't work. If they want to make certain athletes mega rich by paying them I'm all for it. Let them blow their money AND they get nothing for it. That's actually a win/win

                                We're never going to agree on this. Let's try this. It's working for some of the ex PGA players. They're saying all kinds of flattering things about the Saudi's getting into golf and how it will grow the game and how they're letting women play golf for free to grow the game blah, blah, blah.

                                And even if they're being disingenuous and just parroting what they think they need to say to justify taking the Saudi money, it's doing just what the Saudi's want. It's the effort to soften their image. And if it backfires more than helps that's great. But some are buying it I'm sure.

                                An well know actor gets caught with a prostitute. His image goes in the toilet. He hires a public relations outfit to clean up his image. Does all kinds of good deeds to try and get peoples minds off his bad behavior. Does it work?

                                For many they'll see thru it. For the gullible it will work.

                                And where the money comes from makes a difference for many. Would you work for someone knowing that the money they paid you came from drugs, human trafficking or any other illegal gain?

                                Some would and some wouldn't I'm sure. I guess we'd have to stand outside on the street and ask people how can countries with human rights issues change their image in the world? And have a list, with one being getting into sports on a large worldwide scale and letting women play golf for free.

                                The letting women play golf for free may work better than sponsoring LIV. lol