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Fox News’ Role in FIFA Corruption Trial

Fox News’ Role in FIFA Corruption Trial

Brief #167 – Foreign Policy
By Reilly Fitzgerald

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association, more famously known as FIFA, is the global face of football (or soccer, for Americans). They make the rules of the sport, they can sanction players and teams for misconduct on the pitch, they decide the when and where of major tournaments, they decide the TV rights for tournaments, and they also decide where to take bribes from.

Corruption and global sports have always been entwined; just as sports and politics have been. In regards to the most recent world cups in Qatar (2022), Russia (2018), and Brazil (2014), there has been a consistent documented pattern of corruption in which individual executives and corporations have been banned, imprisoned, sanctioned.

Morocco and the World Cup

Morocco and the World Cup

Brief #158 – Foreign Policy
By Reilly Fitzgerald

The tournament is set for an intriguing and compelling final few matches. The last time a South American nation won the World Cup was Brazil in 2002; and the last time Argentina has won a World Cup was 1986. Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi will lead his team into their semi-final match tomorrow against Croatia, a team that has never won the World Cup, but finished in second place in the last World Cup hosted in Moscow in 2018.

Brittney Griner’s Sentencing in Russian Trial

Brittney Griner’s Sentencing in Russian Trial

Brief #154 – Foreign Policy
By Reilly Fitzgerald

WNBA star Britney Griner is one of several American citizens wrongfully detained in Russia. Her arrest took place within about one week of the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine. She was arrested on trumped up charges of ‘drug smuggling’ while traveling to Russia to play on a team during the WNBA off-season. She was convicted of drug smuggling, due to her carrying a small amount of cannabis oil into Russia, which she was prescribed by her doctor in the United States.

The Ukraine Crisis; Situation Update #15

The Ukraine Crisis; Situation Update #15

Brief #152 – Foreign Policy
By Abran C

At nearly eight months of war the threat of nuclear weapons continues to grow. Putin has repeatedly threatened that use of nuclear weapons was a possibility should he deem their use necessary. On October 13, 2022 EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned that Russia’s army would be “annihilated” by the West’s military response if Vladimir Putin used nuclear weapons against Ukraine.

Is Saudi Arabia a Gulf State … or a Golf State?

Is Saudi Arabia a Gulf State … or a Golf State?

Brief #149 – Foreign Policy
By Reilly Fitzgerald

This summer has seen the ongoing disagreement and to some degree ‘war’ between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour. The traditional American viewing experience for generations has been the PGA Tour. Millions of viewers tune into individual tournaments throughout the season to see the worlds’ top golf professionals compete on American television. Now, a Saudi-backed challenger has stepped into the arena and has started to offer a significant challenge to the traditional golf watching, and competing, experience around the world.

Powder Keg – How the War in Ukraine Could Disrupt the Global Skiing Industry!

Powder Keg – How the War in Ukraine Could Disrupt the Global Skiing Industry!

Brief #144 – Foreign Policy
By Reilly Fitzgerald

The war in Ukraine has had an impact on global markets. Ukraine is a mass producer of wheat and other food items. They also are a manufacturing hub for alpine and cross country skis with a factory in Mukachevo, Ukraine, owned by Austrian-based company, Fischer Sports. Fischer is one of the leading manufacturers of skis and other skiing-related items such as ski boots and ski poles.

According to the Cross Country Ski Areas Association, based in Vermont, Ukraine produces half of the skis sold globally each and every year; globally there are around four million skis manufactured each year. This is not just a problem for Fischer but for most major ski companies who allow Fischer to manufacture at least some of their skis for them, these brands include Rossignol, Alpina, and Scott.

Brittney Griner’s Trial in Russia

Brittney Griner’s Trial in Russia

Brief #141 – Foreign Policy
By Reilly Fitzgerald

The WNBA is the premier basketball league in the world for professional female basketball players and has been at the center of American media attention due to the trial of Brittney Griner in Russia. Brittney Griner, an American basketball player, who plays for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury.

Griner was arrested quickly after the Russian invasion into Ukraine; with critics of the Putin regime and war suggesting that she was arrested as a political pawn, however, her charges are regarding the use of hashish oil which is illegal in Russia.

Vive Le Tour de France … Femmes!

Vive Le Tour de France … Femmes!

Brief #139 – Foreign Policy
By Reilly Fitzgerald

The Tour de France is the pinnacle of professional cycling. It is the highest level of competition on the biggest stage in the world, in one of the toughest endurance sports out there. Until now, it has been strictly for men. This 21-day stage race has taken place almost every summer since 1903 – with some breaks in competition for the two world wars which devastated much of France. Like many other major sporting competitions, the Tour de France is a 21-day period of time for France to show off its many glorious features.

TV viewers and spectators alike are treated to dazzling images of the Alps and Pyrennees mountains, views over the Atlantic and Mediterranean, mass celebrations and French heroics on Bastille Day, and to end it all – a massive sprint finish down the Champs Elysees in the heart of Paris at dusk with views of the Seine, the Eiffel Tower, and the Arc de Triomphe.

Qatar, Human Right, and the World Cup

Qatar, Human Right, and the World Cup

Brief #136 – Foreign Policy
By Reilly Fitzgerald

The intersection of sports and politics have largely focused on this winter’s Olympic Games in China, and also the banning of Russian athletes globally. However, one gargantuan sport competition is set to take place this fall, and the controversy surrounding it has been to a large degree overshadowed by other parts of the world.

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