Humans are tribal by nature, and that's ok. Our tribal tendencies can come out in ways that threaten a diverse society or in ways that make game day such a blast. Throughout history, sports have provided both a healthy outlet for our competitive nature and a remarkably effective diplomatic tool. Consider the examples of sport's role in international diplomacy below. In this conversation, we'll talk about sports as healthy rivalry and diplomatic opportunity, especially as it relates to our current cultural crisis.

• 1972 Ping Pong Diplomacy opening up China via NCUSCR
• 1914 Christmas Truce; futbol/soccer as “international language”
• 1934 Baseball Diplomacy w/Japan
• 1995 Rugby used by Nelson Mandela to repair black/white relationship post-Apartheid
• 2018 Winter Olympics used to thaw relations on the Korean Peninsula

Those who RSVP will receive a Zoom video-conference link for joining the conversation the day before.