The Case for Sports Diplomacy
Good sportsmanship, long the foundation of global sport, appears increasingly frayed and calls into question the merits of sports diplomacy.
The ugly behavior of USA fans at the Ryder Cup as they heckled and threw things at the European team and their fans during the competition left a sour taste. Golf great Rory McIlroy decried the conduct as the antithesis of golf’s values and what it teaches — etiquette, sportsmanship and playing by the rules. Former U.S. player and Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson issued an apology to the Europeans on social media; "as a former player, Captain and as an American, I am ashamed of what happened,” he wrote. The incidents did not reflect well on Team USA fans.
Meanwhile, India’s cricket team initially refused to accept their hard-won Asia Cup trophy because it was to be presented by a Pakistani official. Even as the tool of cricket diplomacy historically helped forge better ties between the two countries, it is more recently a source of tension.
These events come after a summer that featured incidents where the limits of sports diplomacy were similarly laid bare.
“I was inspired by sporting idols. Muhammad Ali certainly, Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar], and Kipchoge Keino. In my country, especially for me, it was our women’s national basketball team that was a big source of inspiration in terms of team sports in Africa. I used to know the names of all those ladies on the team through listening to national radio broadcasts. Those names remain legendary to this day. They were winning African Championships... seven, eight in a row. ”
For example, when the U.S. denied visas to the storied Senegalese women’s national basketball team to enter the United States for a series of training camps, it contradicted the image and reputation of American investment in and support of that sport–particularly amidst another record season for the WNBA. Senegal is a historic African hoops powerhouse, and just like its U.S. counterpart, its women’s team has positively influenced generations of African sports fans and executives alike—including NBA BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall.
Yet, in an environment increasingly reverberating from geopolitical, economic and social upheaval, now is the time to double-down on how sports diplomacy can be smartly deployed. While it cannot solve the world’s problems, nor can it magically conjure up peace, sports diplomacy can help tackle some of the thornier conversions and issues faced today.
Sports diplomacy may sound like a wonky, elitist term, but it is in fact anything but that. With roots in Ancient Greece, sports diplomacy is part of the modern sportsworld’s DNA. It occurs when people communicate, represent, and negotiate with and among each other through the sporting prism, engaging in cultural, technical or knowledge transfer that has a multitude of benefits. But it is also part of a longer-term, sustained discussion, for sports diplomacy convenes people and facilitates conversations.
It is a people project, a two- or multi-way exchange that’s also an investment in individuals, teams, and nations alike. Sports diplomacy is often portrayed in the media as one undertaken by government credentialed representatives such as heads of state, diplomats, and elite athletes who represent their country in elite international competition. But thanks to our globalized, Internet-connected sports world, sports diplomacy is also engaged in by sportsworld stakeholders, such as leagues, teams, athletes, coaches, the media, sponsors, fans, and others. Its conduct has democratized. As just one example: think about how professional or collegiate teams with international players or staff engage in a variety of conversations to better understand and find ways to work together for the larger team goal–even as they may not agree or have differing viewpoints on certain issues. That’s a type of sports diplomacy.
U.S. fan behavior at the Ryder Cup was another type of sports diplomacy. Their conduct communicated, represented, and negotiated certain messages and images about the United States and its golf fans to the European team, their fans, the media, and those around the world who tuned in for this seminal event. And it is not one representative of the larger people and sports culture. That’s why it is vital as the United States prepares to co-host FIFA 2026 next summer that sportsworld stakeholders, media, and fans step up.
Greater understanding of sports diplomacy and learning how to be a better sports diplomat are key parts of the recipe for better harnessing its promise. These are some of the components involved in our new sports diplomacy track at New York University’s Tisch Institute for Global Sport. But they’re also critical for U.S. sports organizations, fans, and FIFA2026 host cities to grasp. Finessing these skills and knowledge can help better prepare sports industry professionals and citizens alike, enable us to better understand and engage with others, and make us better hosts for the forthcoming U.S. sports mega decade.