Artificial Intelligence and Sports: An Overlooked Question in the Age of Capitalism – A Commentary on Rezgar Akrawi’s Book on Artificial Intelligence

Leftist Activist and Former International Football Player

Heartfelt congratulations to my dear friend Rezgar Akrawi on the release of his book: Capitalist Artificial Intelligence: Challenges for the Left and Possible Alternatives – Technology in the Service of Capital or a Tool for Liberation? I read it with great interest and benefited from its bold and profound arguments. As a comrade and close friend, we have shared over fourteen years of voluntary work together in the Modern Discussion Foundation and within the ranks of the left.
I greatly enjoyed the book’s treatment of the relationship between artificial intelligence and capitalism, and how this rapid technological advancement is being transformed into a tool in the hands of dominant forces, controlling the economy, knowledge, and labor markets. The analysis was realistic, directed toward all social strata—especially workers and the working class—and carried a logical vision in a time of increasing exploitation and class struggle.
However, as a leftist and an activist in the sports field, and as a former player in the Iraqi league, I felt that a very important axis was absent from the book’s discussion: the growing relationship between artificial intelligence and sports. Reality clearly shows that this relationship has become deep-rooted, and that the intersection between capitalism and the world of sports is far more profound than we imagine. Unfortunately, many on the left have not addressed this crucial topic in depth, despite the significant influence of sports on youth.
Artificial intelligence is no longer just a tool for performance analysis or fitness tracking—it has become an essential infrastructure for organizing tournaments, marketing, audience management, and market analysis. Athletic bodies themselves are now treated as data, analyzed, evaluated, and marketed within a strict capitalist logic. The major corporations behind sports clubs are now investing billions of dollars in this sector, not out of love for the game, but because they see it as a highly profitable market and a practical field for soft capitalist dominance.
From this point, I pose the question: where does the left stand on these transformations? How can we understand this new capitalist expansion into a domain traditionally associated with the body, play, and collective work? And where do social justice and sports stand when technology is used to deepen disparities between athletes in rich and poor countries, between men and women, or between those who have access to these tools and those who do not?
I believe this subject deserves deeper exploration in the future and should be part of upcoming discussions—not as a secondary issue, but as a vital and central topic.
With all affection and respect, I salute you once again for this remarkable intellectual effort.

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