The apartheid regime in South Africa tried a similar strategy in the 1980s, spending lavishly to host international tennis events and boxing matches. The regime offered tennis stars John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg to play each other for what the Washington Post called the “gargantuan” sum of $ 1 million to the winner and $600,000 to the loser; Borg agreed, but McEnroe refused.
Many top boxers, including Muhammed Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard, refused to fight in South Africa. But other prominent fighters of that era, such as Greg Page and Mike Weaver, decided the money was more important than the cause. And famed boxing promoter Don King, one of the earliest supporters of the “Artists and Athletes Against Apartheid” group, jumped into bed with the apartheid regime when the price was right.
From Berlin to Riyadh, dictators can always find athletes prepared to turn a blind eye to atrocities if offered enough money. But the ultimate power rests with the fans. Suppose they refuse to patronize events sponsored by murderous regimes and ostracize athletes collaborating with them. In that case, it will become impossible for those regimes to continue exploiting sports for unsavory purposes.
[And not just in sports, either. Regimes like this spend money on entertainers as well. Google “Don’t Play Sun City” for a brief refresher course on the music-industry pushback on South Africa’s attempts to music-wash apartheid. — Ed]
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