The 1998 World Cup & Nike: Is it a CT?

The Conspiracy: The 1998 World Cup & Nike
The conspiracy is straightforward Nike forced Ronaldo, the biggest Brazil player to play at the 1998 World Cup against France and Brazil, after a gradual fit he had before the game. Ronaldo’s name magically appeared on the team sheet, after supposuley Nike added him for the desire of financial attribution. If you want to analyze or want a more detailed summary you can read this page: [2]

According to Mandik’s Definition of Conspiracy Theory
Coady states, “ A conspiracy theory is a proposed explanation of a historical event, in which conspiracy (i.e., agents acting secretly in concert) has a significant causal role. Furthermore, the conspiracy postulated by the proposed explanation must be a conspiracy to bring about the historical event which it purports to explain. Finally, the proposed explanation must conflict with an “official” explanation of the same historical event (Coady, 2003, 201). [1]Through this definition Coady highlights the important arguments that conspiracy theory suggest, such as:
1 explanations of
2 historical events in terms of
3 intentional states of multiple agents (the conspirators) who, among other things,
4 intended the historical events in question to occur and
5 keep their intentions and actions secret.

Lining the Conspiracy Theory and Definition
In order to consider the theory that, “the 1998 World Cup & Nike” as a conspiracy theory, we will compare it to Mandik’s criteria through his definition.

  • explanations of: The first element states that an explanation is an efficient cause of an event. I believe this element is met, because it does give a possible explanation Ronaldo’s name appearing in the team sheet.
  • historical events in terms of: The second element states that the event is a past event. I believe this element is met, because the event took place in 1998 and it became historical to soccer history.
  • intentional states of multiple agents (the conspirators) who, among other, Things: The third element states that the agent have an intentional desire and belief. I believe this element is met, because Nike’s desire is financial attribution, making a profit for their company since Ronaldo is the face of Nike it was more profitable having him play.
  • intended the historical events in question to occur and: The fourth element again states that the conspiracy is an event that is in the past. This element is met, since this event took place in 1998.
  • keep their intentions and actions secret: The fifth element is that they are secretive, keeping everything away from the public eye which they do because of their reputation as a multimillionaire company.

So, Is it A Conspiracy Theory?

Given that the theory does in fact meet all the elements, I believe that this theory would be considered a conspiracy theory.

Bibliography
1. Pete Mandik (2007). Shit Happens. Episteme, 4, pp 205-218 doi:10.3366/epi.2007.4.2.205
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