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The Public Diplomacy Blog is intended to stimulate dialog among scholars, researchers, practitioners and professionals from around the world in the public diplomacy sphere. The opinions represented here are the authors' own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School.
SPORTS DIPLOMACY IS THE NEW COMEBACK KID
AUG 3, 2007 - 9:31AM PDT
Posted by Caroline Walters
Some of the greatest moments in sports are comeback narratives. Baseball fans still taunt each other about the Red Sox's 2004 AL Championship victory over the Yankees after a dismal start of losing three games to none. Others reminisce about the 1980 Olympics "Miracle on Ice" hockey match in which a young American team triumphed over the heavily favored Soviet Union, going on to win the gold medal. And just this past weekend, the ethnically divided Iraqi national soccer team knocked off three-time champion Saudi Arabia to win the Asian Cup, prompting the Associated Press to label the players a "beacon of hope for a nation divided by war." Now U.S. sports diplomacy is enjoying a comeback of its own. With strong support from Under Secretary Karen Hughes, the Department of State's budget for sports grants and sports programming has climbed from a lowly $600,000 to roughly $5 million in just five years. Why such an increase? In the wake of September 11, sports were suddenly viewed as a great way for the United States to engage with non-elite Muslim youth, prompting them to be used to reach 7 to 17 year olds across Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia -- a demographic that has remained relatively untouched by U.S. education and exchange programs until now. Those who contribute to State's athletic initiatives attribute their success to the universal nature of sport. Only certain cultures or segments of society show strong interest in speaking English, traveling to the United States, attending a classical music event, or participating in a discussion on human rights. "On the other hand" they note,"virtually all cultures and all citizens have an interest in and appreciation for sport. This makes it one of the best methods for exchange" -- especially for diplomats operating in an age when the opinions of foreign publics are so crucial for success. Interestingly, the United States is one of only a few countries that does not have an official Minister of Sport -- but this is also what makes our sports industry such a great resource. We do not publicly fund or run our National Olympic Committee; our professional sports leagues do not report to the government; and we do not provide money for the training of U.S. athletes. In other words, sports in the United States are formed from the bottom up and thus represent a microcosm of our country as a whole, both good and bad. Despite the recent string of scandals which have plagued U.S. professional sports leagues, our athletes still embody the American spirit of determination and hard work, and they show that there are opportunities to achieve success in our country no matter where one comes from or what one's ethnic background or gender might be. Their careers also suggest that the freedom to identify one's own path in life has very real rewards: not only is our sports industry thriving, but our athletes are considered some of the best in the world. For these…... FULL TEXT
Read Comments (6) | Add Your Own
 Read Comments:
Rodster on August 3, 2007 @ 12:31 pm:
What about the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, Boise State against Oklahoma? One of the best combacks ever.
Joe Witters on August 3, 2007 @ 12:32 pm:
Nice article. Sports diplomacy transcends the cultural differences we face with other nations. I look forward to future articles. One sports comeback story you forgot to mention was the Boise State - Oklahoma Fiesta game last year...great game.
?????? on September 20, 2007 @ 7:12 am:
whateva this is not making sense to me and i hope i make good grades
Chris Best on October 29, 2008 @ 10:05 pm:
Great article Carrie.
Simon Prahm on May 8, 2009 @ 12:17 pm:
Yes, it is a great article. Sports have a unique capability of empowering people all around the globe. In GAM3 we have a dream to promote this cause by staging a very special game of basketball between Barack Obama and Michael Jordan. If you'd like to help us make the dream come true, then please join us at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=67351162637
Panny on September 27, 2009 @ 1:43 pm:
It's nice if sport is paud attention. But not always our sportsmen have a good support from our authoritis. Once I heard an interview of a famous sportsman (downloaded from http://rapid4me.com) who decided to change the country she competes for because it doesn't pay for work that money that were promised. Is it possible to find here any way-out? A rethorical question.
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