Peak Wembymania?
Basketball, Sports Diplomacy, France Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff Basketball, Sports Diplomacy, France Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff

Peak Wembymania?

Ahead of the NBA Draft 2023, learn more about the intergenerational story told in Basketball Empire: France and the Making of a Global NBA and WNBA for, contrary to some media analysis, over the past 25+ years France has become a main pipeline for talent into the North American leagues.  This didn’t happen overnight, nor is it a “new” phenomenon this year.

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France and the UEFA Euro at 60
France, Les Bleus, Football Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff France, Les Bleus, Football Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff

France and the UEFA Euro at 60

France begins its UEFA Euro 2020 campaign against Germany at the Munich Football Arena. The symbolism is rife this year, and this edition is still known as Euro2020, a nod to the competition’s 60th anniversary and celebration of an integrated “Europe” that's had the French as a driving force in the post-1945 era.

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Resumption of Rivalries: Women's Football in France a Year After the World Cup
Football, France, Les Bleues Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff Football, France, Les Bleues Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff

Resumption of Rivalries: Women's Football in France a Year After the World Cup

Yesterday the world’s most dominant football club returned to square-off against its biggest rival in a grinding match, delayed by a power outage but finally won at the nail-biting end on penalties. The footballeuses of Olympique Lyonnais (OL) Féminin clenched their ninth Coupe de France title, eeking past Paris Saint-Germain Féminine as the rain streamed down in Auxerre, and earning their 30th championship trophy, according to L’Équipe’s statisticians. But has the pandemic pause negatively impacted women’s football in France, stunting the momentum of last summer’s FIFA World Cup?

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Basketball Is Back
Basketball, Sports Diplomacy, France Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff Basketball, Sports Diplomacy, France Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff

Basketball Is Back

When we last saw the NBA in action 141 days ago on March 11, the international spotlight fell on Utah Jazz All-Star center, French international Rudy Gobert, whose positive coronavirus test result effectively shut down the league. Tonight is a very international restart. Eighty-nine players from 34 different countries will participate in the 22-team bubble in Orlando, and according to NBA International, some of the players have opted to wear social justice messages on their game jerseys in their native languages.

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🏀The IRIS Interview🏀
Basketball, Sports Diplomacy, France Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff Basketball, Sports Diplomacy, France Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff

🏀The IRIS Interview🏀

Recently, I spoke with with Estelle Brun of the Sport and International Relations Programme, IRIS Geostrategic Observatory on Sport, on basketball. At hand was the question of how the sport’s globalization—and especially the NBA’s worldwide growth since 1984—has impacted international relations, the ripple effects in the WNBA, and how #hoopsdiplomacy gains attention, whether its via Dennis Rodman, the NBA-China “events” and beyond.

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