📣 Fridays 👉 #SportsDiplomacy Spotlight NBA All-Star Edition

On Sunday Victor Wembanyama makes history as the first Frenchman to be an NBA AllStar Game starter. But his story is just the latest in the longer history of Franco-American ties that have helped make France 👇

How have remnants of empire shaped basketball?

In Basketball Empire, @lempika7.bsky.social argues that the sport is rooted in France’s colonial history and close, albeit complicated, relationship with the United States.

🏀👟🏆 Find out more: https://bit.ly/4jZ0Drl

Celebrate SuperBowl Sunday with a little #FranceAndUS knowledge

🏈  The first Frenchman to play in the NFL was Richard Tardits, who played 27 games with the New England Patriots www.franceussports.com/voices/015-r...

Yes, we smashed our initial goal of $10K. Y'all are incredible. We are in shock but also dreaming big. We are (somehow) currently at $19,518 (WTF!?!).

We'd love to make it above $21K today.

That will get us a monthly episode from June to the end of 2026!!

In 1966, Bill Russell became the NBA's first-ever Black head coach, while continuing to start for the team. He'd lead them to two more championships as a player-coach.

See more Black History Month spotlights here: #bbrights#bbr" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400 no-card-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-link="bsky">https://info.sports-reference.com/bhm-spotlights#bbr

🤩 Wow, goosebumps!

What an incredible way to kickstart my NYU Olympics & Global Sports Events class, where we are also contemplating connections between sports diplomats and leadership: a guest talk with F.C. Barcelona legend Xavier Vilajoana !

Lots of insights from on and off the pitch.

If you have a particular insight or story you want to tell about the increasing omnipresence of gambling (especially interested in how it’s affecting underage kids), get in touch. Email and signal in bio

The first Winter Olympics weren’t originally called that. The 1924 Paris Olympic organizers planned an International Winter Sports Week earlier in the year in Chamonix. Afterwards the IOC called them the 1st Winter Olympics. #olympics #sporthistory #skystorians 🗃️
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

The 2026 Olympic Games in Milan Cortina start in 10 days! I’ll share historical facts & related history
scholarship about the Olympic Winter Games daily until the opening ceremony 🧵
#olympics #sporthistory #skystorians 🗃️

⏱️ D-1️⃣ until @MeridianIntl's first-ever #SportsDiplomacy Forum

I cannot wait to join the amazing lineup of speakers scheduled for an engaging, informative Thursday afternoon January 29th. Don't miss it!

Info, schedule & livestream diplomacyforum.meridian.org/sports

An excellent example of when boycotts work within sports

Senegal win the Africa Cup of Nations. Pape Gueye's stunning extra-time strike proved the difference.

Does that tell the full story? Not even slightly.

A questionable penalty decision in Morocco's favour, Senegal's walk-off and fury, Brahim Diaz's failed panenka.

That just scratches the surface.

Happy Friday @soccerpolitics.bsky.social via L’Equipe 🙌

📣 Fridays 👉 #SportsDiplomacy Spotlight

This week’s Player-to-People Diplomacy event delved into a critical aspect of sports diplomacy: that of the athlete.

Great perspective from NFLPA's Don Davies, NFL's Troy Vincent Sr, Stimson Center's Evan Cooper -- and me!

www.stimson.org/event/player...

Am pleased that The Athletic is having wall to wall coverage today of the CAN semis (and yes I’m pulling for Morocco Senegal final).

Join me January 13th for the Stimson Center’s “Player-To-People Diplomacy” event as we unpack what sports diplomacy looks like from the athlete perspective.

This will be in-person in Washington D.C. and live streamed online. Information and registration www.stimson.org/event/player...

Thanks @kevinmkruse.bsky.social, a great idea!

Here are two digital sport archive gifts for #skystorians & others to kickstart a sporty year:

1️⃣ FranceAndUS featuring athletes, diplomats, coaches & others within the transatlantic sportsworld past, present and nextgen www.franceussports.com

There’s a lot of #sportsdiplomacy in 2026

But what is Sports Diplomacy, historical blueprints, & how do athletes, coaches & non-govt sports stakeholders engag in it today?

Thanks NYU News for the chat on how sport is a 21st century Swiss Army Knife for int'l relations www.nyu.edu/about/news-p...

RIP MTV. I clearly remember when we finally got cable and I was able to watch it in my living room. And discovery if how different European MTV was during my study abroad. A total game changer.

So well said, 💯 concur. Plus the nuance of those many communities and how it wasn’t always an easy partnership.

Grumpy Professor here: students, realize it’s super painful and takes an extraordinary amount of time to read and grade work submitted that’s genAI produced…and really offensive too, when it lacks key aspects covered in class and stipulated on the submission checklist.

Here's me for TIME's Made By History on the long history of U.S. sports diplomacy, how its more impactful varieties have been sportsworld-driven, and why it's time for the US to create a sports diplomacy strategy (like France, Australia, New Zealand, Wales, have done).

time.com/7339500/us-s...

Here's me for TIME's Made By History on the long history of U.S. sports diplomacy, how its more impactful varieties have been sportsworld-driven, and why it's time for the US to create a sports diplomacy strategy (like France, Australia, New Zealand, Wales, have done).

time.com/7339500/us-s...

Sports is all about resilience, and love of a comeback story.

This brought me joy.

Plus: could Pogba be a boost for the game back home à la Wemby 2022-23?

www.nytimes.com/athletic/684... Paul Pogba’s comeback means French football’s ‘stolen prince’ is home at last

@soccerpolitics.bsky.social

🚨We’re looking for editors to join our team at The International Journal of the History of Sport @ijhs.bsky.social - if you work on sport history in Latin America or Asia (any countries) please apply for these 2 roles by Dec 3 #sporthistory #skystorians 🗃️

think.taylorandfrancis.com/editor_recru...