NBA Star Dennis Rodman has been in the news recently, not because of his basketball records or his hair color, but for his attempt at basketball diplomacy with North Korea. Rodman had some American politicians hopeful that basketball could be the opening up of a round of diplomatic relations between the two countries; however these hopes were quickly extinguished.
In honor of Kim Jong Un’s birthday Rodman organized a team of ten ex-NBA players to visit North Korea and play a game as a gift to Kim Jong Un, an avid basketball fan. While in North Korea, Rodman sang happy birthday to Kim Jong Un, turning thirty-one, and played both against the North Korean team and then later on a mixed team consisting of both Americans and North Koreans. During a CNN interview ex-NBA player Greg Anthony said basketball could be an important “stepping stone” to diplomacy by strengthening cultural ties. However, Rodman’s theory of basketball diplomacy was soon disproved after his most recent visit to North Korea.
In the past Rodman dubbed Kim Jong Un as “a friend for life” and promised to rescue Kenneth Bae (a Korean-American Christian missionary sentenced to 15 years of labor camp for anti-state crimes). Despite his promise, in the recent CNN interview with Chris Cumoco, Rodman, cursing and speaking incoherently seemed to suggest that Kenneth Bae deserved his imprisonment. Rodman then went on to defend the accusation that his visits were giving legitimacy to the brutal North Korean regime. Many analysts have speculated that the real win of “basketball diplomacy” is for North Korea, which can present a façade of openness through Rodman.
The idea of basketball diplomacy is not far-fetched. Rana Shahani’16 comments, “Basketball diplomacy is a good way to resolve differences; a similar tactic was used with Ping-Pong diplomacy in China. Diplomatic relations can start with people unifying in a sports aspect before a talking politics. But I personally think Rodman is the worst candidate to represent the U.S.” The American government also views Rodman as an unfit person to be facilitating better relations with North Korea and has refused to comment on Rodman’s trip and outburst so as to not legitimize his actions.
Rodman has had a long battle with alcohol abuse and is well known for his antics. Rodman famously wore a wedding dress to promote his auto-biography. Asha Krishnan’ 17 remarks on Rodman’s behavior by saying, “If we want diplomacy with North Korea we need someone who is more stable to be leading it.”
Rodman, since his interview on CNN, has apologized to both Cumoco and the Bae family for his comments saying that he was stressed and heavily drinking during the time of the interview. According to CBS News Rodman has checked himself into rehab for alcohol abuse.
Although Dennis Rodman’s comments and antics were offensive, his play at attention has focused the spotlight on North Korea’s horrific human rights abuses. Besides the imprisonment of Kenneth Bae, North Korea holds over 200,000 of its citizens in concentration camps, according to the NY Times. Maybe Rodman’s lack of empathy for the North Korean people can emphasize how much more needs to be done to combat the atrocities in that country.