While NBA plays in Abu Dhabi, critics cry ‘Sportswashing’
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Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics autographs items for fans before a pre-season game against the Denver Nuggets at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
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ABU DHABI – Jaylen Brown, the Boston Celtics star, grabbed the microphone, ready to delight the crowd 6,600 miles (10,600km) from home. “As-salaam alaikum, Abu Dhabi!” he said, offering a common greeting in the region.
The crowd cheered. Brown introduced himself and thanked the crowd in Arabic to more cheers.
“I’ve been working on my Arabic,” he said later.
It was a festive beginning last week to the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) third annual trip to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, for pre-season games.
This time the league sent its past two champions, the Celtics and the Denver Nuggets, along with the championship trophy and several former NBA players, including Celtics great Kevin Garnett.
Abu Dhabi has become the NBA’s hub in the Middle East. The players visited cultural sites, league and team personnel met business partners, and the league showcased the work it has done with children, especially girls, in the region.
Abu Dhabi, in turn, presented its modernisation, luxury resorts, low crime rates and commitment to religious tolerance – a message displayed at its cultural sites.
But shading the edges of the event was the murky ethical space that companies enter when they do business in countries like the Emirates, which is ruled as an autocracy with limits to freedom of expression, speech and the press.
Criticising the government or its leaders is illegal and can lead to long prison sentences, and workers are often subject to inhumane or life-threatening conditions, according to human rights groups.
As the NBA expands globally, the league has confronted questions about which governments it chooses as partners.
Ms Shamma Al Jasmi, a 15-year-old admirer of Stephen Curry, participates in A Jr. NBA scrimmage in Abu Dhabi, on Oct 4.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
Human rights watchers have condemned its relationships in China, Rwanda and the UAE, saying they help repressive regimes distract from their bad acts.
It is a criticism levelled at many sports and entertainment attractions – from the World Cup and Formula One to Netflix and pop stars – that have done business in the region in recent years.
“They’ve done this incredible job of making the UAE and Emirates synonymous with sports,” Ben Freeman of the Quincy Institute, an American think tank that focuses on foreign policy, said of the country’s leaders.
“When you think of the UAE, they want you thinking about tennis. They would love for you to think about the NBA.”
Calling the effort a form of “rebranding” – it is sometimes known as “sportswashing” – Freeman said the UAE would “much rather have you thinking about that than all the bad things that are also part of their reputation”.
But Adam Silver, the NBA’s commissioner, said the league consulted the State Department before going into a new country and that the agency was supportive of its presence in the UAE.
“We believe we can lead by example here,” he said. “Our American values travel with us around the world when we’re on the ground.
“And ultimately, it’s a decision that engagement is positive for these communities and that we don’t believe we would benefit these markets by either divesting or disengaging.”
Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics coaches children during a youth event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, on Oct 3.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
The US ambassador to the UAE, Martina Strong, was “proud” of the NBA’s partnership in Abu Dhabi.
“We commend the NBA’s commitment to promoting universal values – teamwork, sportsmanship, partnership and diversity – that transcend borders and cultures,” she said.
She added that the league’s work “expanding access to basketball and encouraging greater female participation reflects the broader mission of the United States to support inclusivity and create opportunities for all”.
Although women still face some legal and economic discrimination, the UAE has made significant reforms to legislation regarding women in recent years.
Silver added the NBA looked at how the business community engaged with the country. New York University and Microsoft both have a presence in Abu Dhabi, while Warner Bros has a theme park.
He said the Emirati government did not impose any restrictions on the league’s operations in Abu Dhabi, and that if it did the league would not have come. He also disagreed that the NBA’s presence helped hide abuses.
The Middle East is a valuable market for the NBA for several reasons. As governments in the region have looked to diversify their economies away from oil and gas, they have spent billions of dollars on sports teams and leagues and major sporting events.
And the area’s riches can be a boon for the league. In addition to sponsorships from Emirati entities, sovereign wealth funds are allowed to buy small stakes in NBA teams.
Attendees at a preseason game between the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, on Oct 4.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
As it does in other markets, the NBA encourages participation in basketball as a way to build a fan base. It says basketball participation has grown 60 per cent in the Emirates and 54 per cent in the Middle East since 2022, when the league began playing games there.
Both the Celtics and the Nuggets wanted to be a part of the trip to Abu Dhabi, said Mark Tatum, the NBA’s deputy commissioner.
“We’re a global brand, the Celtics, just like the NBA,” added Rich Gotham, the team’s president. “This is a region of, sort of, exponentially growing fandom outside of the US.”
“From a business standpoint, the brand awareness is incredible that you can build coming over here,” said Josh Kroenke, the vice-chair of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Nuggets.
He declined to comment when asked about sportswashing concerns.
“We don’t look at it politically,” he said. “We look at it and say, ‘What is a good contribution that we can make’?” NYTIMES
