Sudan, Sportswashing and UAE
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John Ashworth
Jul 22, 2026, 6:02:42 AMJul 22
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A Question I’d Ask Jalen Brunson About the Patch on His Jersey
If I had the good fortune of meeting Jalen Brunson, I would urge him
to learn about what the UAE is doing in Sudan, to educate others about
it, and to ask the Knicks owner, James Dolan, to end the UAE deal.
John Prendergast
Jul 21, 2026
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/jalen-brunson-uae-sudanCommon Dreams
A funny thing happened on the way to the NBA Championship Finals this
season. Despite being die-hard Celtics fans, my six-year-old son and I
fell in love with Jalen Brunson of the rival New York Knicks. We’ve
risked excommunication from Celtics Nation for this sacrilege.
But let me state our case. First, and obviously, Brunson is one of the
most fearless basketball players to have ever played the game. Driving
the lane repeatedly in the face of Victor Wembanyama, the 7’4“
consensus NBA defensive player of the year, was a wonder to behold.
The guy has ice in his veins.
Second, we love the kind of humble teammate Brunson is: deflecting
praise, not spending his time on social media battling critics like a
certain ex-Celtic, being forever encouraging of his teammates, and
living out his faith in God.
Third, perhaps strangely, we love Brunson’s dietary habits. My son is
a carb and treat monster (wonder where he got that from?), but when we
learned about Brunson’s incredibly healthy meals, we both got on
board. Even Celtics like John Havlicek and Paul Silas couldn’t do that
for me as a kid.
Fourth, since I’m always drilling my son to share his toys and be
generous with those less fortunate, we were inspired to learn that
Brunson took a pay cut so that there would be more money to—wait for
it—win a championship.
Fifth and relatedly, Brunson has used his wealth to better the lives
of others through his Second Round Foundation. He received an NBA
Cares award for his community work, something we have prioritized with
our son from a very early age.
Sixth, as on-and-off New York residents ourselves, Brunson is
quintessential New York City. The comebacks, the underdog, the grit,
the discounted. For all those who are doubted and dismissed, he is the
patron saint.
Seventh, by every account, Brunson is an amazing father to his
daughter Jordyn, a devoted husband to his wife Ali, and a loving son
to his mom Sandra and dad Rick.
I could go on. The guy is the real deal, the kind of role model the
sports world—and frankly, this country—needs right now for so many
reasons.
But there is one problem, one outlier in this litany of goodness. It
isn’t his fault by any stretch, but just maybe he could do something
about it.
If I ever met Brunson, after telling him how much my son and I have
admired and been inspired by him, I would raise this one uncomfortable
truth with him: Right above his heart on his and his teammates’ Knicks
jerseys is a patch with the words “Experience Abu Dhabi.” The New York
Knicks have a marketing deal worth $30 million with Abu Dhabi, the
capital of the United Arab Emirates. It is one of the most expensive
uniform patches in the NBA.
Seems innocuous enough. There are lots of these kinds of ads all over
uniforms and arenas throughout the sporting world globally. But this
ad carries enormous baggage, and it’s unlikely that Brunson and most
people even know why. Through this marketing deal, the Knicks are
connected to the people of Sudan. But the Sudanese are not
experiencing Abu Dhabi in the same way the tourists the UAE is wooing
might be. The people of Sudan are experiencing Abu Dhabi through the
killer drones the UAE government has been delivering to a deadly
militia amid one of the most destructive wars globally this century.
The United Nations and the US government have said the militia that
the UAE supports is committing genocide, which is the deliberate
killing of people on the basis of their identity, in this case, racial
and ethnic.
If I had the good fortune of meeting Jalen Brunson, I would urge him
to learn about what the UAE is doing in Sudan, to educate others about
it, and to ask the Knicks owner, James Dolan, to end the UAE deal. The
Knicks and Brunson have been the good news story of the sports world
this year. Imagine the good news and hope the team could bring to the
suffering people of Sudan if the team cut its connection to such
horrific violence.
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/jalen-brunson-uae-sudan
END
______________________
John Ashworth
ashwor...@gmail.com
+254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile, WhatsApp and Signal)
PO Box 403 - 00206, Kiserian, Kenya
If I had the good fortune of meeting Jalen Brunson, I would urge him
to learn about what the UAE is doing in Sudan, to educate others about
it, and to ask the Knicks owner, James Dolan, to end the UAE deal.
John Prendergast
Jul 21, 2026
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/jalen-brunson-uae-sudanCommon Dreams
A funny thing happened on the way to the NBA Championship Finals this
season. Despite being die-hard Celtics fans, my six-year-old son and I
fell in love with Jalen Brunson of the rival New York Knicks. We’ve
risked excommunication from Celtics Nation for this sacrilege.
But let me state our case. First, and obviously, Brunson is one of the
most fearless basketball players to have ever played the game. Driving
the lane repeatedly in the face of Victor Wembanyama, the 7’4“
consensus NBA defensive player of the year, was a wonder to behold.
The guy has ice in his veins.
Second, we love the kind of humble teammate Brunson is: deflecting
praise, not spending his time on social media battling critics like a
certain ex-Celtic, being forever encouraging of his teammates, and
living out his faith in God.
Third, perhaps strangely, we love Brunson’s dietary habits. My son is
a carb and treat monster (wonder where he got that from?), but when we
learned about Brunson’s incredibly healthy meals, we both got on
board. Even Celtics like John Havlicek and Paul Silas couldn’t do that
for me as a kid.
Fourth, since I’m always drilling my son to share his toys and be
generous with those less fortunate, we were inspired to learn that
Brunson took a pay cut so that there would be more money to—wait for
it—win a championship.
Fifth and relatedly, Brunson has used his wealth to better the lives
of others through his Second Round Foundation. He received an NBA
Cares award for his community work, something we have prioritized with
our son from a very early age.
Sixth, as on-and-off New York residents ourselves, Brunson is
quintessential New York City. The comebacks, the underdog, the grit,
the discounted. For all those who are doubted and dismissed, he is the
patron saint.
Seventh, by every account, Brunson is an amazing father to his
daughter Jordyn, a devoted husband to his wife Ali, and a loving son
to his mom Sandra and dad Rick.
I could go on. The guy is the real deal, the kind of role model the
sports world—and frankly, this country—needs right now for so many
reasons.
But there is one problem, one outlier in this litany of goodness. It
isn’t his fault by any stretch, but just maybe he could do something
about it.
If I ever met Brunson, after telling him how much my son and I have
admired and been inspired by him, I would raise this one uncomfortable
truth with him: Right above his heart on his and his teammates’ Knicks
jerseys is a patch with the words “Experience Abu Dhabi.” The New York
Knicks have a marketing deal worth $30 million with Abu Dhabi, the
capital of the United Arab Emirates. It is one of the most expensive
uniform patches in the NBA.
Seems innocuous enough. There are lots of these kinds of ads all over
uniforms and arenas throughout the sporting world globally. But this
ad carries enormous baggage, and it’s unlikely that Brunson and most
people even know why. Through this marketing deal, the Knicks are
connected to the people of Sudan. But the Sudanese are not
experiencing Abu Dhabi in the same way the tourists the UAE is wooing
might be. The people of Sudan are experiencing Abu Dhabi through the
killer drones the UAE government has been delivering to a deadly
militia amid one of the most destructive wars globally this century.
The United Nations and the US government have said the militia that
the UAE supports is committing genocide, which is the deliberate
killing of people on the basis of their identity, in this case, racial
and ethnic.
If I had the good fortune of meeting Jalen Brunson, I would urge him
to learn about what the UAE is doing in Sudan, to educate others about
it, and to ask the Knicks owner, James Dolan, to end the UAE deal. The
Knicks and Brunson have been the good news story of the sports world
this year. Imagine the good news and hope the team could bring to the
suffering people of Sudan if the team cut its connection to such
horrific violence.
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/jalen-brunson-uae-sudan
END
______________________
John Ashworth
ashwor...@gmail.com
+254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile, WhatsApp and Signal)
PO Box 403 - 00206, Kiserian, Kenya
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