financial doping

Meaning

Noun

• The situation in which the owner of a sports club or franchise invests his or her own personal wealth into securing highly talented players to better their chances of success, rather than relying on the revenue the franchise is able to generate for itself.
• The situation in which the owner of a sports club or franchise borrows heavily in order to contract and pay its personnel, thereby jeopardising its long-term financial future.

Origin

• "Doping" term borrowed from the taking of performance enhancing drugs. "Financial" in reference to purchasing power. Phrase popularised by football manager Arsène Wenger, in relation to Chelsea winning the Premier League championship in 2005. Also referring to subsequent cases of clubs winning significantly more prizes after a financial injection by wealthy benefactors. Outside of the Premier League, the term describes the process of buying success through financial might. In Ireland, the term has generally been associated with Dublin GAA.