To listen to the moguls that control the business of sports in the U.S. and internationally, sports are much more than athletic events: It is an industry without blemishes that has united people regardless of country, race and ethnicity.

Nothing can be less truthful.

Since the 1936 Winter and Summer Games in Germany, which provided Hitler with his first worldwide platform, the Olympics and brands that sponsor the Games have been subjected to attacks by opposition groups in the cities awarded the Games and by members of Congress, which has faulted brands for supporting Olympics in totalitarian countries.

Saudi Arabia, a relative newcomer to the international sports scene, has been accused of using sportswashing to camouflage its human rights violations.

Arguably, the entities that have been attacked the most for unsportsmanlike conduct are the International Olympic Committee, which has been accused many times of putting sports above human rights and democracy, and the brands whose sponsorship money keeps the IOC functioning.

But inadvertently, President Donald Trump’s use of tariffs have provided a way for American brands to gain international praise by using sports promotions as a public relations and marketing tool that can........

© Sports Business Journal