Rams, Clippers sign deals to promote Rwanda
Mark Fainaru-Wada
The Los Angeles Rams and LA Clippers announced sponsorship agreements Monday with the Rwandan government, which for several years has been expanding its international sports presence while facing accusations of trying to whitewash its decades-long record of human rights abuses.
As part of the deals, the Rams and Clippers will promote tourism to the East African country. "Visit Rwanda" -- the marketing slogan for the Rwanda Development Board -- will be the exclusive jersey patch for the Clippers, while "Visit Rwanda" will be advertised in the Rams' home, SoFi Stadium.
The Rwanda Development Board described the deals as "multiyear" without offering specifics on the lengths of the contracts or the amount of money the country is paying the teams. Neither the Clippers nor the Rams provided details.
Rwanda, one of the poorest countries in the world, has had a similar deal with Arsenal, and it reportedly pays the soccer powerhouse at least $12 million per year.
Last year, ESPN published a report detailing how the NBA's relationship with the Rwanda government and President Paul Kagame was central to its expansion in Africa -- even as the league looked past human rights abuses far worse than those it and its players actively oppose in the United States. The abuses include reports of imprisonment, torture and murder of political opponents, as well as the funding of child soldiers in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.
Neither the Rams nor Clippers responded to questions about the deal Monday. An NBA spokesperson also did not immediately respond.
An NFL spokesperson said the Rams "made the league aware of this sponsorship, which is not prohibited by NFL policy and complies with federal law."
In a statement announcing the sponsorship deals, Jean-Guy Afrika, CEO of the Rwanda Development Board, said, "This engagement enables us to export Rwanda's unrivaled natural beauty and extraordinary biodiversity to the people of Los Angeles as well as NBA and NFL fans everywhere."
The "Visit Rwanda" slogan also will be promoted at the Intuit Dome, the Clippers' arena, and at Hollywood Park, a 300-acre mixed-used development being built by Rams owner Stan Kroenke. SoFi Stadium, the Intuit Dome and Hollywood Park are located in the same area of Inglewood. Kroenke also owns Arsenal, and that relationship helped spark the discussions with the Rams.
In 2021, at a new, $104 million arena built in Rwanda's capital city of Kigali, the NBA launched the Basketball Africa League, its first league outside North America. The NBA has said the U.S. government encouraged it to do business in Rwanda. Deputy commissioner Mark Tatum told ESPN last year that the league's focus is on helping the country develop and on improving the lives of its people.
As part of a five-year contract extension signed in 2023, Rwanda pays the NBA's business entity in Africa $6 million to $7 million annually in exchange for teams displaying "Visit Rwanda" on their jerseys and the Kigali arena hosting some playoffs. Rwanda's national airline, RwandAir, also is the league's official travel partner. Rwanda receives more than $1 billion in annual foreign aid, including more than $150 million from the U.S.
Earlier this year, the Democratic Republic of Congo called on the NBA, Formula 1 and several major international soccer clubs to end multimillion-dollar deals with Rwanda's autocratic government.
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