Inspiration: I mostly reside in NS Sports after all, and there are some good issues about sports and economics, but I haven't encountered an issue covering this topic specifically.
Title: Sportswashing or Sportslaundering
Validity: no limitations
Description: Your favourite sports club, the @@CAPITAL@@ @@ANIMALPLURAL@@s, had its owner sell the club. Weighing their options, the team almost went with the biggest name in @@NAME (Adjective/demonym)@@'s @@MAJORINDUSTRY@@, @@RANDOMLASTNAME@@ Inc., until Althaniq's rich royal family offered a bag of @@CURRENCY@@ the club can't refuse.
Option 1: "Can you envision it? 'Visit Althaniq' across the chest of the best @@ANIMAL@@ball players in @@NAME@@?" the passionate young prince asks you, without waiting for an answer. "It's great for your club, and it's such a natural, organic link between both of our nations! If there's a legal barrier towards foreign ownership of clubs, I'm sure I can offer you some, uhh, 'paperwork' to look the other way. We have a long @@ANIMAL@@ball tradition as well, of course. Remind me, what's offside again?"
Effect: clubs change their colours to match foreign flags all the time
Option 2: "Old friend!" @@RANDOMFIRSTNAME@@ @@RANDOMLASTNAME@@, scion of the extremely rich company owning family, spots you. "Hey, about that sponsorship. It's an obvious choice. We're both local kids, we're a local brand, it's a local club. The fans won't bat an eye. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. Hey, I'll stop hounding you over tax breaks, at least until the rest of the month. Can you ask the club chairman to please choose us?"
Effect: supporting your local team means giving money to the local upper class
Option 3: The chairman of the fan club of the @@ANIMALPLURAL@@s waits for the prince to walk off, and then approaches you, invading your personal space perhaps a little more than you'd like, and then talks in a volume louder than you'd like. "Ownership by the fans, for the fans! Don't let the ultra rich ruin the most important thing in life! Let's go @@ANIMALPLURAL@@s!"
Effect: a lack of business acumen has never stopped fans from making multi-million decisions
I'm still looking for: something in the description that gives the leader an option to block the contract, through (for example) a law forbidding foreign ownership of clubs/companies.
'paperwork' in option 1 should refer to money (bills), I'm looking for a better term to cover both 'money' and 'legal documents'.