As a person who grew up fairly unaware of the world of sports, I did not really take into consideration how they can be, and very much are, political in nature. As Gems points out, sports were recognized very early on in the United States era as a tool for socialization, pacification, and team building (575). They appeared to achieve positive outcomes through positive influence rather than force, as orthodox religion had done in the past. They also seemed to stimulate a desire for competition, which was perfect for those going into the workforce of a capitalist society. After cultivating the spreading of sports in the United States, the Young Men’s Christian Association went oversees in order to spread American values through sports and Christianity (Polombaum 180). The Chinese seemed to take a great liking to it as it became a national sport and they proclaimed its importance for social wellbeing (191). As time went on, the fame and the success of the National Basketball Association drew on the interest of players and fans abroad in order to make more money and spread the idea of the sports star as celebrity (205). As Larmer explains, the NBA itself is a power icon (1). While missionaries made basketball possible, sports leagues and sportswear furthered the Chinese involvement, claiming it as a national ambition. In fact, China implemented a Gold Medal Strategy to prepare for the 1984 Olympics, mandating more sports training for youth (Larmer 4). While some may see this as an exercise of national hard power, the results were used for global soft power goals, which were seemingly achieved as China brought home 15 gold medals after the 1984 Olympics. To strengthen ties even more, the founder of the NBA specifically scouted two Chinese young men to come play on American teams to increase china’s passion for american basketball even more. After drafting Yao Ming they went on to feature him on American television, even going so far as to make a documentary of him (8). This marks a true full circle of globalization. The American implemented basketball and then left, when the players got competitive enough themselves, they were then recruited away from their homes to be part of ‘something bigger’.

            Evidently, there is a lot of money to be made from creating the concept of celebrity and selling it back to people. So it makes sense that the United States would want to invest in popularizing their sports and their games to external markets. While football (soccer) has primarily been a sport of Europe, basketball is a North American creation. Football and Soccer are both accessible forms of entertainment, as one simply needs a ball and a goal or a hoop. This makes them each easily exportable activities to nations that may have fewer resources available and thus makes them less intimidating. Beyond that, the concept of sharing a game or a sport with someone seems generous, it’s the ultimate form of soft power and long term planning. The United States may have had no idea it could sell back national basketball television in the future, but when they did realize it was a possibility, China felt honored to be noticed. By selecting players from China itself, the executives of the NBA knew they would be increasing network sales and be obtaining millions of views due to China’s large population. While the relationship may seem symbiotic to an untrained eye, upon further inspection it is easy to see that China is still subject to desire fame by association of having citizens on a United States team due to the status of American sports leagues. Sports players, team owners, and even fans are losing locality. It no longer seems to matter where you’re actually from as anyone can be scouted if they show they’re talented. Ultimately, the world is moving toward a global model of competition.

Works Cited

Gems, Gerald R. “Sports, War, and Ideological Imperialism”. Peace Review 11:4, 1999, pp. 573-578.

Larmer, Brook. “The Center of the World”. Foreign Policy, 2005.