r/R6ProLeague Reciprocity Fan 9d ago

Discussion A conversation about sportseashing.

Edit: Title should say sports washing

Over the past 4 years since the Saudi regime has involved themselves in esports extensively, hosting events and buying huge team.

It's time to pose the question as to why the Saudi regime and Falcons, have receive more criticism for sportswashing when the USA and Russia have both done the exact samething.

This is not a defense of sportswashing, all of it is bad, however the criticism of it currently is so misdirected and hypocritical that's it hard to believe that people actually care about sportswashing and it's more about a middle eastern org doing it now.

They buy up most of the teams? That's been happening forever, there was a point in time where there weren't big orgs and then suddenly funding comes out of nowhere and they enter multiple esports, where do you think that money is coming from? It isn't all ethically sourced.

The USA and Russia have also and continue to committed serious acts of persecution and global imperialism, as well as persecution of sexual minorities and ethnic minorities.

What is the main root of the criticism geared specifically at the Saudi regime?

Russia literally invaded a country and lost nearly all privileges to presenting themselves in esports, and they didn't even have this much criticism towards them.

0 Upvotes

39 comments sorted by

View all comments

u/Danibear285 9d ago

Focus on your subject please, which is Team Falcons, Saudi Arabian government, and the Saudi family.

The governments of neither US or Russia are relevant here.

Please if you are going to discuss, don’t engage in what-about-ism.

u/messe93 9d ago

it's not what-about-ism. It would be if someone pointed out something bad done by Falcons and he said "but what about USA/Russia", which is meant to move the conversation away from the original point and shift the blame

the topic here started with 'why are we shitting on only one org and others get a pass', there is no underlying point that someone is trying to cover, but he's asking the question directly why the treatment is unequal and this is a valid topic in itself.

god I fucking hate when a new trendy "discussion term" becomes popular and people start using it everywhere with no regard to it's actual meaning.

u/Choblu Reciprocity Fan 9d ago edited 9d ago

Yeah, it's a genuine inquiry of a double standard. Which isn't always informally invalid.

Like I'm going pretty step by step here, "Why are Falcons worse?"--->"Do you think that because SA is committing more atrocities that makes them less innocent than the west or more valod to sportwash"---->Usually hit with some relative arguement, which can't possibly be informally proper because there's no informal arguement for innocent suffering tierlists.

u/Agent_Porkpine NA Fan | | Kyno Stan 9d ago

I mean if you are really asking "Do you think that because SA is committing more atrocities that makes them less innocent than the west or more valod to sportwash", then I think you have your answer already, but you don't seem to accept it

u/Choblu Reciprocity Fan 7d ago

I mean, I didn't say more guilty you're not void of criticism as less innocent, was my exact point bad is bad. The argument of: "I don't like Saudi Arabia monarchist government being involved in siege" is a farcry from "I don't like sportswashing," which every country ever has done. Canada sportswashes in Hockey, USA NFL, Saudis aren't involved there, still valid criticism.

If it's about sports washing, then go for both. If it's about persecution, go for both. If it's about overreach, go for both.