France​ nearly​ stumbled​ against Australia,​ leading​ some​ people to worry that​ a terrifically​ gifted​ team​ might not​ fulfill​​ its potential at In Russia. But in another regard, France is clearly dominating this World Cup regardless of on-pitch results. Some 52 players across five teams at the tournament in Russia are French-born, and nearly a third of them come from Paris and its surrounding suburbs. What some call the greatest concentration of soccer talent in Europehas become a strong quadrennial presence. Since 2002, France has supplied more players and coaches for World Cup rosters—218 in total—than any other country, according to RunRepeat. As a result, the country’s soccer influence extends well beyond its own 23-man squad.

1968 was a year that shook the world as protests rocked the United States, Mexico, Brazil, France, Italy, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Tokyo, and points in between. By mid-May in France, workers joined student protesters in a nation-wide strike that shut down much of daily life. Often overlooked was the role of the sports world during the “Events of May,” as the movement is still referred to.

Unofficial people-to-people diplomacy occurs daily in places where you least expect it, including on the basketball court and in cyberspace. Take the French NBA players or Boston Celtics Bill Russell for example.

This week, I had the honor of discussing basketball's early origins in snowy Springfield, Massachusetts to how the game spread in France - and shattered stereotypes - with the WW1 Centennial News Podcast.

The calendar says printemps but Mother Nature has different ideas. While I haven’t yet hung up my ski boots for the season, I’m ready to think spring. And April kicks off an active month on the sports side.

Sixty years ago, Gonzaga recruited the tallest college basketball player in the country from France, a nation not known for basketball. Over the years, the Zags have helped change that. 

I learned more on women's football at the Upfront and Onside #HiddenHistory conference in 48-hours than you can possibly imagine. And I'm struck by many similarities and differences to both the men’s game as well as other global sports like basketball. Here are a few key take-always as I continue to process the vast quantities of information and ideals downloaded:

Instead of suffering the post-Olympics blues, I’ve been crazily inundated with global sports. From the second window of FIBA World Cup qualifiers, where France secured their berth in the next round of playoff competition, to the start of the She Believes Cup, it’s been a big week, one that’s not yet over! Sunday Les Bleues play the USWNT here in the New York area, conveniently setting my mood to finish a paper I’m giving next week—more on that soon. But before I dial back into women’s football, I’m eyeing the West Coast Conference in Las Vegas today and its 2018 Hall of Honor inductees, including one French basketteur, Ronny Turiaf (congrats!).