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- Title
'Best run club in the world': Manchester City fans and the legitimation of sportswashing?
- Authors
Kearns, Colm; Sinclair, Gary; Black, Jack; Doidge, Mark; Fletcher, Thomas; Kilvington, Daniel; Liston, Katie; Lynn, Theo; Santos, Guto Leoni
- Abstract
The term sportswashing has been discussed and analysed within academic circles, as well as the mainstream media. However, the majority of existing research has focused on one-off event-based sportswashing strategies (such as autocratic states hosting major international sports events) rather than longer term investment-based strategies (such as state actors purchasing sports clubs and teams). Furthermore, little has been written about the impact of this latter strategy on the existing fanbase of the purchased team and on their relationship with sportswashing and the discourses surrounding it. This paper addresses this lacuna through analysis of a popular Manchester City online fan forum, which illustrates the manner in which this community of dedicated City fans have legitimated the actions of the club's ownership regime, the Abu Dhabi United Group – a private equity group operated by Abu Dhabi royalty and UAE politicians. The discursive strategies of the City fans are discussed, in addition to the wider significance of these strategies on the issue of sportswashing and its coverage by the media.
- Subjects
ABU Dhabi (United Arab Emirates); VIRTUAL communities; SPORTSWASHING; PRIVATE equity funds; SPORTS events; ATHLETIC clubs; MASS media
- Publication
International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 2024, Vol 59, Issue 4, p479
- ISSN
1012-6902
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1177/10126902231210784