Episode 189: Has Sportswashing Failed?

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of sportswashing in light of LIV Golf's rumored collapse and various sports events.

With the rumored collapse of LIV Golf, we reexamine whether the Saudi sportswashing program is ending. We also talk about the increased prices of transportation for the FIFA World Cup, Rory McIlroy winning another Masters, and … Coachella? All that and more on a new episode of Crunching Tackles. Link to our previous episode about Saudi Sportwashing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW14ugEJvy4&t=2175s Link to David French and Chris Christie debate about sports gambling: https://youtu.be/cAmVu4WVG7Q?si=LdWt_mzteH_ZiJ6h 00:00 - Intro and Chad's 2 minutes on Coachella 04:54 - Are celebrity fights on Netflix sport or spectacle? 10:26 - The Premier League Title Race 22:23 - Tottenham's Disastrous Season 30:38 - Rory McIlroy's Masters Repeat 32:50 - NBA and NHL Playoffs Storylines 39:46 - The Cost of the FIFA World Cup Continues to Rise 55:40 - The Decline of Saudi Sports Investments

People in this episode

Host: Chad

Topics covered

• sportswashing
• FIFA World Cup
• LIV Golf
• Rory McIlroy
• celebrity fights
• Premier League
• NBA and NHL playoffs

Keywords

• sportswashing
• LIV Golf
• FIFA World Cup
• Rory McIlroy
• Premier League
• NBA playoffs
• NHL playoffs

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: LIV Golf

Places: Saudi Arabia

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• Episode 191: 2026 World Cup Preview Show · May 20, 2026 · 1h 31m
• Episode 190: The Sports Gambling Debate · May 6, 2026 · 1h 28m
• Episode 188: A Sports Gambling Deep-Dive · April 6, 2026 · 1h 30m
• Episode 187: March Madness 2026 and How to Make a Bracket · March 18, 2026 · 1h 19m
• Episode 186: Sports and the War in Iran · March 4, 2026 · 1h 13m