Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff
130 Years of Basketball as a Global Movement

One hundred thirty years ago, the first basketball game played outside North America was held in Paris, France, the first step in a global movement recently celebrated with World Basketball Day—one that Philadelphia now has a unique tie into thanks to its very own Batman, the 76ers’ French swingman Nicolas Batum.

130 Years of Basketball as a Global Movement
Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff
Through the Hoop: Lessons from Basketball ...

Even though baseball is the dominant sport in Taiwan and its neighbors, basketball offers up interesting lessons in how sports diplomacy can be used to promote greater gender equality.

Through the Hoop: Lessons from Basketball Diplomacy
Basketball, Sports Diplomacy
Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff
Can Hoops Diplomacy Take-Over Africa?

That’s a bit of a provocative question, but one that lent itself well to a workshop I co-directed with Dr. J Simon Rofe last week at the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy, SOAS University of London.

Can Hoops Diplomacy Take-Over Africa?
Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff
Welcome: Our Interconnected (Sports) World

Hello there, and welcome! I’m glad you stopped by.

This space is designed as a general catch-all for my ideas and what inspires me across the international sports-, history-, and communications worlds.

Why focus on these three “hats”? Many people silo these off into individual industries. But in fact, from my professional experiences as well as what I’ve learned in the field, today’s sports, communications, and history worlds are in fact intricately intertwined.

Welcome: Our Interconnected (Sports) World

France's 2018 "World Cup Bump"

France's 2018 "World Cup Bump"

"Tonight, I want us to be remembered by all the French people who are watching," France's Paul Pogba urged his teammates, "by their children, their grandchildren and their great grandchildren, too."

The stirring locker room pep talk before the recent World Cup final served as a rallying cry for Les Bleus'4-2 win over Croatia, a victory that won more than just a second star for their collection.

The nationwide celebration unleashed that night capped more than two months of speculation over France's fate in Russia and the inevitable comparisons to the nation's 1998 World Cup-winning team. But following the July 16 victory parade and ceremonies, the French Football Federation (FFF) reminded people that, "after Russia, the next one is at our [house]."

Soccer players and NBA players are helping to spread the gospel of each others’ sports with their mutual admiration society

Soccer players and NBA players are helping to spread the gospel of each others’ sports with their mutual admiration society

After​ France​ won​ the World​ Cup,​ Les​ Bleus fans, including some​ of​ the​ country’s​ NBA players congratulated​ the​​ new champions on social media. The Charlotte Hornets’ Nicolas Batum, whose Twitter match commentary tracked the final’s ups and downs, chirped his solidarity and shared images of celebrations in Paris, from the Champs Élysées to the Tour Eiffel. Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot, recently traded from Philadelphia to Oklahoma City, photographed his support and joy, while the Knicks’ “French Prince,” Frank Ntilikina, starred in the team’s gleeful World Cup tributes.

Blaise Matuidi, France’s Soldier in the Shadows.

It may seem strange, but in addition to the headliners such as Kylian Mbappé,  Paul Pogba,  and  N’Golo Kanté—one of France’s key players at this World Cup is a player who has only started in three of the six games the team has played through the semifinal.

Read more at The Athletic or full pdf (here). 

 

France’s “Children of 1998” are united by belief (and relatively muted hair styles)

France’s “Children of 1998” are united by belief (and relatively muted hair styles)

France​ and​ Belgium​ have clashed​ on​ the​ field for​ more​ than​ 120​ years,​​ but on Tuesday, in the World Cup semifinal in Saint Petersburg, the stakes will be higher than ever before. Men who usually play side-by-side as professional teammates will instead be pitted against each other as internationals for one night. Then there’s the fact that Les Diables Rouges’ assistant coach Thierry Henry is one of France’s heroes of 1998 (alongside French head coach Didier Deschamps), infusing the match with additional tension as two veterans of the famous black-blanc-beur team square off on the touchline. Yet, for all that Titi has given Belgium—including a “taste for the attack,” in the words of French Football Federation president Noël Le Graët—France and Deschamps retain an advantage: the children of 1998.

Made in France: How 52 players born in a single country made it to the World Cup

Made in France: How 52 players born in a single country made it to the World Cup

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.

World Cup Kickoff: The Irony of Looking Backward to Celebrate the Future

World Cup Kickoff: The Irony of Looking Backward to Celebrate the Future

I’m back from a sports week in France ahead of the World Cup and am struck by the irony of nostalgia for the past—in this case, 1998—which very much celebrated the future.

The Sports World & May 1968

The Sports World & May 1968

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.

Joie des Hoops - Basketball Diplomacy Happens Where You Least Expect It

Joie des Hoops - Basketball Diplomacy Happens Where You Least Expect It

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.