Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: New Books Network
Host: Caleb Zakrin
Guest: Bruce Berglund, author of The Moscow Playbook: How Russia Used, Abused, and Transformed Sports in the Hunt for Power (Triumph Books, 2026)
Air date: January 10, 2026

Theme:
This episode explores Bruce Berglund's deeply researched book on how Soviet and Russian leaders strategically used sports for power, prestige, and political influence, from the post-WWII era through the doping scandals of recent years. Timed just ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics (from which Russian teams are banned), the conversation traces the "Moscow Playbook": a set of evolving tactics—ranging from bureaucratic maneuvering to outright cheating—used by Soviet and Russian officials to win medals, shape domestic morale, signal national strength, and manipulate global perceptions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

[03:18] Bruce Berglund’s Background and Motivation

• Berglund describes his early fascination with Cold War politics and sport, particularly the "Miracle on Ice" from the 1980 Winter Olympics.
  • "I was just a nerdy kid...particularly fascinated with the Soviet Union and the Soviet bloc. Ultimately led me when I went off to university to start studying Russian language...I did a book published with the University of California Press on the history of world hockey...After this book was published...people really suggested, hey, have you ever thought about writing a book on the history of Soviet and Russian sports..."
• Due to academic norms, Berglund only turned to sport history after getting tenure.

[07:33] What Is "The Moscow Playbook"?

• The “Moscow Playbook” is the term Berglund uses for the set of strategies Soviet (and later Russian) officials developed:
  • "The strategies that Moscow, that Soviet and then Russian officials have used in their dealings with...the International Olympic Committee, but also the other sports federations, such as the Hockey Federation, FIFA...and so forth." ([07:54])
• Core elements:
  • Manipulating rules, exploiting gray areas (e.g. athlete "amateurism")
  • Investment in overlooked sports/disciplines for medal advantage
  • Responses to international accusations that repeat across generations
  • A mix of skillful athlete development and outright deception

[11:10] Skirting the "Amateurism" Rules

• The Soviet system paid athletes (falsely listed as factory workers or military officers) while maintaining the façade of amateurism, creating a major Olympic advantage.
  • "Athletes would be on the payroll of that particular factory or...registered as an officer within the military...what their job was, was to be a full time athlete." ([11:37])
• The state directly paid and bonused top athletes; rule-bending continued even after the Soviets joined the IOC.
  • "The very best athletes were getting payments directly from the state...so the Soviet Union really set up the system where they were sending out professionals...to compete against amateurs." ([11:37])

[16:12] Nikolai Romanov and Fudging the Medal Table

• Romanov, a bureaucrat with no sporting background, led the first major Soviet Olympic effort and "mastered" point and medal manipulation:
  • "[Romanov] devised a different system...he gave only seven points for a gold medal, but then he gave more points for not just bronze...but those who came in fourth, fifth, and sixth place...we’re going to overwhelm the Americans with numbers." ([16:52])
  • "He also lied to his bosses and presented...bad math, but it worked to his benefit. [He got] the Pravda headline in, which is all that matters." ([24:03])
• This set a precedent for gaming both international perceptions and domestic politics.

[25:01] The "Miracle on Ice" Through Russian Eyes

• In the West, the 1980 defeat of the Soviet hockey team is a legendary upset; in Russia’s retelling, players suspiciously blame American "cheating" (doping) as the only plausible explanation.
  • "What comes out...is they all say, there's no way these American college students could have skated with us...the only way they did is that they were doping up." ([25:01])

[29:21] From Soviet to Russian Sport: Chaos in the 90s

• Archival research showed the collapse of both finances and morale in Soviet sports as the USSR dissolved.
  • "The Soviet sports program was completely...bankrupt financially, as was the Soviet state...They just needed...cash, they needed equipment...facilities were...in horrible condition." ([29:46])
• Athletes—aware of being exploited and undercompensated—began rebelling and demanding opportunities abroad.
  • "We are dedicating our lives to preparing for this sport. And we are treated terribly...We get no benefit...We’re impoverished compared to these people." ([29:46])
• Post-1991, Western sponsors and companies (e.g. Adidas) enabled athletes to compete, while corruption became rampant.

[37:01] Vladimir Putin’s Embrace of Sports Power

• Putin’s personal identity and political brand are tied to sports and athletic displays.
  • "He used sport as a way to kind of demonstrate his...strength, but he also sees sport as a way to build Russia’s prestige." ([40:46])
• From the start, he was hands-on in sports policy and affairs—unusual for a Russian leader.
  • "Right from the start, Putin...dedicated his time, his attention to rebuilding Russia's strength in international sport." ([44:25])
• Putin on sport’s importance:
  • “Victories in sport do more to unite the nation than a hundred political slogans.” ([44:25])

[44:25] The 2014 Sochi Olympics: High Point and Turning Point

• Sochi symbolizes both Putin’s aspirations and Russia’s systemic corruption and rule-breaking.
  • Corruption: Cost ballooned from $12 billion to $51 billion; $25–30 billion lost to graft.
    • "They built a 30 mile highway...ended up costing $9 billion...three times more than what NASA spent to send the Mars rover to Mars." ([45:03])
  • Doping: A state-orchestrated program ensured medal success (as exposed by Rodchenkov and Icarus).
  • Crimea: The invasion began as the Games closed, signaling that domestic prestige, not international approval, was the key audience.
    • "The Sochi Games proved to Russians that Russia was a great nation, able to put on this show...at the same time, Russia was able to carry out an invasion...We have to view these as linked." ([45:03])

[53:16] Aftermath: Doping Ban, War, and Russia’s Sporting Isolation

• Even before Ukraine, systemic Russian cheating led to partial or full suspensions from international sport.
  • "The extent...not just the extent, but the brazenness of Russian attempts to cover up...wiping computer files and so forth." ([53:16])
• Russia’s doping apparatus was unique in its systematization.
  • "Yes, there are individual athletes in different countries who cheat. In Russia you had a system...built to help find the best concoctions of chemicals...and then help them to pass the anti doping test." ([53:16])
• The IOC and sports federations are torn: some push for reinstatement, but many world athletes and governing bodies remain opposed, viewing issues as unresolved.
  • "There's still strong opposition from world athletes and...from...sport federations...The Russians never admitted they had a state-run doping problem." ([53:16])

[57:46] The Olympics as Geopolitics

• The host and guest agree: Olympic competition is always "a war without shooting".
  • "When you're watching the Olympics, you're not just watching athletes...you’re watching a war without shooting...frightening too." ([57:46])
• Despite corruption, politics, and scandal, both admit the Olympics remain deeply compelling.

[58:53] Notable Quotes & Closing Thoughts

• Berglund reflects on the tension between sport’s inspiration and its corruption:
  • "I just find one instance after another where I think, ah, this is just so corrupt and rotgut and, and awful...Yet it’s still just so compelling and I’m always drawn to watch." ([58:53])
• He concludes his book by noting the success of the Paris Games—unclouded by the Russian doping saga—as evidence of what clean competition can offer fans and the world.

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• "The Miracle on Ice wasn’t so miraculous. It was instead...devious American doping. That’s the only explanation for how these American college kids could beat the Soviet juggernaut." (Bruce Berglund, [25:01])
• "Victories in sport do more to unite the nation than a hundred political slogans." (Vladimir Putin, as cited by Berglund, [44:25])
• "So in Russia you had a system where athletes, top level athletes were expected to cheat, their coaches expected them to cheat...this entire apparatus...was built to help find the best concoctions of chemicals...and then help them to pass the anti doping test." (Bruce Berglund, [53:16])
• "When you're watching the Olympics, you're not just watching athletes competing, you're watching like an entire, you're watching a war without shooting." (Caleb Zakrin, [57:46])
• "I go to the archive and I feel like I have to take a shower afterwards...it’s, it’s, but yet it’s still just so compelling and I’m always drawn to watch..." (Bruce Berglund, [58:53])

Important Segments by Timestamp

• [03:18] – Berglund’s sports and Cold War fascination; path to writing on Soviet/Russian sports
• [07:33] – Unpacking “The Moscow Playbook”—its evolution and methods
• [11:10] – How Soviet athletes gamed the amateur/professional divide
• [16:12] – 1952 Olympics, Nikolai Romanov, and deliberate point manipulation
• [25:01] – Russian interpretations of the “Miracle on Ice”
• [29:21] – Collapse and chaos of sports post-USSR
• [37:01] – Putin’s sporting self-image and return to state-driven sports grandeur
• [44:25] – The Sochi Olympics: cost, corruption, doping, and the Crimea annexation
• [53:16] – Ongoing fallout: bans, denial, and the unresolved cheating legacy
• [57:46] – Sport as “war without shooting”—the inevitable politicization of the Games
• [58:53] – Reflections on sport, politics, and why the world remains transfixed

Summary Conclusion

Berglund’s interview tells the dramatic, often troubling story of how Russia has leveraged sports for national glory, regime legitimacy, and geopolitical power, tracing from the Stalinist 1950s through Putin’s flagrantly corrupt Sochi Olympics and beyond. The “Moscow Playbook” is revealed not as a static manual, but as a living tradition of creative, coercive, and at times criminal rule-bending and image management—one that brings both inspiration and disillusionment to athletes and fans worldwide.