Much of the mainstream reception to the inaugural Enhanced Games held on May 24 in Las Vegas was so hostile and antagonistic that Christian Angermayer, one of its chief funders, said that they received opprobrium from their opponents and proponents alike. Even though the Guardian wrote that the prevailing emotion after the event was relief, […]

This presentation was delivered at the Play the Game 2025 conference in Tampere, Finland. It builds on my earlier analysis ‘Stadiums, Statecraft and the Diaspora Surge in African Football.‘ The script published below extends that analysis by adding China as another decisive player that becomes essential when African states cannot meet the demands of an