Turki Al-Sheikh and actor Jason Statham (left) at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Picture date: Saturday December 21, 2024. 78547435 (Press Association via AP Images)
Podcaster Katie Nolan called out American sports leagues for their willingness to partner with the Saudi Arabian government.
Over the last few years, the Saudis — using the nearly $1 trillion at their disposal through the Public Investment Fund — have made significant investments in the world of sports. In addition to the creation of the PGA Tour rival LIV Golf, the Saudis, led by General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Alalshikh, have gained a significant foothold in the world of combat sports. That was evident last weekend with highly-anticipated fight between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Terence “Bud” Crawford. In partnership with UFC president Dana White, Alalshikh promoted the fight and was seen ringside throughout the night.
A day later, Alalshikh found his way onto an NFL broadcast with former quarterback and current Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady. There, Brady announced he’d be participating in a flag football showcase in March. It will be held in Saudi Arabia.
Critics have accused the Saudis of “sports-washing” — or investing heavily in sports to clean up the country’s public image. On Tuesday’s episode of her new SiriusXM show Fan Service, Nolan called it “fucking embarrassing” seeing American leagues help the Saudis in their “sports-washing” endeavors.
Nolan also invoked the September 11 attacks in her rant, citing the fact that many of the plane hijackers came from Saudi Arabia and al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden was “born and educated” there.
“It’s embarrassing for this much Saudi Arabia,” Nolan continued moments later. “Between the boxing match, the announcement of WrestleMania, and Tom Brady’s announcement all happening this close to September 11, is fucking embarrassing for us as a country.”
