In a curious collision of soft power and fiscal reality, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have thrown their pom-poms into the ring of World Cup fever, with a slate of British sports stars queuing up to endorse the transatlantic friendship. From a financial editor’s perspective, this is less a story of sporting camaraderie and more a case study in the economics of national branding. The Americans are masters of monetising spectacle, from the Super Bowl halftime show to the cheerleading industrial complex.
The British, by contrast, are still learning to price their cultural exports effectively. When you see British athletes cosying up to the Cowboys brand, ask yourself: what is the return on investment? The real game here is not the World Cup; it is the battle for global attention in a low-growth environment.
Central banks may fret about inflation, but the inflation of celebrity endorsements is a more immediate concern. If the UK wants to compete, it needs to stop subsidising events through tax breaks for foreign talent and start developing its own high-value sports entertainment assets. Otherwise, we are just the supporting act in America’s blockbuster, paying for the privilege of appearing on the big screen.
The cheerleaders will smile, the athletes will wave, and the market will forget by halftime.
