5. Sports in the Middle East

On this week’s episode of the Bill Bradley Collective, the hosts discuss the state of professional sports in Saudi Arabia. We start by describing the financial incentives that resulted in the UFC and European Tour expanding their products to the Middle East to begin with, namely to Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Saudi Arabia is the focus, as we examine the entry of the WWE, prominent global golf professionals and a massive heavyweight prizefight into a country with manifest failings across a number of human rights considerations, all in the name of Western profit. We conclude by addressing the question of why it is we hold athletes to a higher standard than the government that exploits the same country for oil and aids their militaristic presence. But first the rants, where Andrew reckons the pros and cons of MLB entering the Nashville market, Ed weighs in on the broader picture fallout from the two-word “Woj-bomb” dropped upon Sen. Josh Hawley last week, and Zak puts NBA ignoramus Dwight Howard on blast after being exposed for not wearing a mask in the league’s COVID-19 bubble.