Guest Post: Mongolian Hoops Dreams — Creation of Soft Power Through Basketball

Posted on September 17, 2024 by Julian Dierkes

By Benjamin Nuland

Basketball was introduced to Mongolia in the 1960s by the Russians and Chinese.  More recently, basketball has become Mongolia’s most popular sport, but Mongolians’ associations are primarily American. This fascination lives under the halo of the NBA and its associations with American pop culture – NBA jerseys and streetwear define “cool” and passion around NBA games resembles levels in the US.  The cultural impact pays huge dividends to America’s soft power among Mongolia’s young population.  How then can all three stakeholders – Mongolia, the US and the NBA benefit from this undeniable cultural trend

Mongolia does not have much of a history with team sports, but it seems that basketball could be a sport that breaks this pattern; since 2017 Mongolia’s men’s teams have medaled five times at the FIBA 3×3 Asian Cup. Furthermore, the Mongolian women’s 3×3 basketball team qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for the first time. With three Mongolian players playing in the American NCAA, including Mike Sharavjamts, who hopes to be the first Mongolian drafted by the NBA when he graduates from the University of Utah in  2026, it seems that basketball in Mongolia will only gain further momentum over the next few years. (For more insights, check out this piece by Zorigtkhuu Bat-Erdene: Mongolia’s Success in Team Sports.)

In 2024 Mongolia hosted the 3×3 basketball world tour, but it has never been able to attract an NBA team or secure a visit from an NBA star. Nevertheless the demand is there. This leaves an interesting gap that the United States could fill with an unconventional foreign policy initiative.


Why Basketball Works

 On a macro-level, basketball appeals to what expert Tuvshinzaya Gantulga calls the real strength of American-Mongolian relations, “the philosophical underpinning of democracy.” Basketball initiatives would not be perceived as a support for American corporate advantage, but rather, a celebration of ideals that Mongolia also celebrates – perseverance, hard work, teamwork, and opportunity. China and Russia would likely perceive this type of influence as benign, borne from the same cultural forces that popularize basketball in their own countries rather than a seeping US influence. Even if China does see Mongolian basketball in competitive terms, it would focus on “upping its game” on the court, to the benefit of both countries.

The successes of Basketball Diplomacy can be portrayed as a local Mongolian success story. A rise in the quality of local basketball leagues would increase domestic revenue, and represent a new form of economic diversification into sports. By cultivating local talent, Mongolia would also have the opportunity to send students overseas for education in American universities. From the US perspective, an initiative which can hook an entire generation to embrace American culture would be a major victory

By cultivating its talent to showcase internationally, Mongolian basketball would bolster national pride through sport patriotism. Success in international competitions can also amplify Mongolia’s status on the world stage. In this sense, the US would not only be bolstering Mongolia’s basketball success, but also its confidence as a sovereign nation in a neighborhood dominated by China and Russia.

For US corporations like the NBA and Nike, the benefit from participating in basketball diplomacy might be small in the short term, but they would be seeding an opportunity for a larger, long-term win at relatively low cost. The NBA already participates in TV programming in Mongolia, selling live broadcast rights and supporting fan-focused Mongolian language programming.  Merchandise sales, though small, penetrate the leading edge of Mongolian youth.  Opportunities to monetize that fanbase will only grow with the popularity of the sport. There may also be a bit of a halo effect of Mongolian success in other “small” nations around Asia who might be embracing basketball.

By boosting local leagues, the US can draw NCAA or NBA scouts to the exceptional talent already developing in Mongolia.  One could only imagine the frenzy, and business opportunity, created if a Mongolian ever achieved stardom in the NCAA or NBA. Shortly after Mike Sharavjamts joined, the University of Dayton Fliers created a Mongolian Facebook account that quickly attracted nearly 30,000 followers.

How the US Could Build Basketball Diplomacy in Mongolia

The US government has long-standing programs across several agencies that could build soft power through basketball in Mongolia. They can also coordinate the work of their partner NGOs. There are many case studies worth referencing

USAID has launched programs in Somalia and Tunisia, where US government funding is used to build basketball courts and training facilities and provide equipment for youth programs. This could provide the initial funding that kickstarts local basketball programs.

The State Department’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs offers a few initiatives:

The Sports Visitor Program invites young athletes, coaches, and administrators from around the world to the United States for sports-based exchanges. Young Mongolians would participate in both basketball training and joint workshops on leadership, team building, conflict resolution, as well as inclusion and equity in sports. The US Embassy runs this program under its umbrella of English language teaching initiatives; this year it provided scholarships for 5 kids to travel to the US to learn English through playing basketball.

The Global Sports Mentoring Program (GSMP) [from its website] is a professional development exchange that pairs international leaders with American executives in the sports sector for a mentorship that promotes inclusion and gender equality. GSMP delegates develop in-depth action plans aimed at leveling the playing field for women and girls and increasing sports access and opportunities for people with disabilities. The GSMP has impacted 310,000 individuals from around the world but has yet to reach Mongolia. The program would be a great way to reach out to Mongolia’s women’s basketball community, which is already making a splash on the international scene.

The International Sports Programming Initiative (ISPI) is a competition for US-based NGOs to pitch effective two-way exchanges that engage underserved youth, coaches, and sports administrators under the themes of leadership, excellence, tolerance and respect. The winners receive grants to administer these projects in their targeted communities and could provide a pathway for American NGOs to launch their basketball activities in Mongolia.

The Sports Envoy Program sends professional athletes for short term visits to less developed areas. Beyond engaging with young Mongolians, NBA envoys would meet with senior officials to discuss efforts to improve the administration youth basketball programs. For Mongolian government officials, the presence of a ‘global ambassador’ would be crucial to putting Mongolia ‘on the map,’ bringing international awareness to both Mongolian basketball and Mongolia’s geopolitical relevance. The US Embassy plans to bring Mike Sharavjamts back to Mongolia for a brief visit. If a tour is approved, Sharavjamts’ visit would not only inspire Mongolian kids, but also provide a patriotic victory for Mongolia’s national identity.

Embassy Ulaanbaatar could also host watch parties for NCAA March Madness or the NBA Playoffs at American Corners or stage events similar to its large-venue watch parties for presidential elections.

FIBA, the International Basketball Association, could establish a Mongolian chapter of the Basketball For Good program, which provides year-round basketball coaching to kids from underserved communities around the world.

Other American-backed NGOs could create “Train the Trainer” Programs in Mongolia, where local coaches would receive free coaching training from experienced coaches.

As these programs gain traction, the NBA itself might consider establishing its seeding programs in Mongolia. Examples include the basketball school the NBA established in Egypt, or the Basketball Without Borders NBA elite training programs, which has emerged as a fast track to cultivate local talent and popularize the NBA throughout Asia and Africa.

The NBA can also expand its current deals with Mongolian TV to include initiatives proven successful in other developing markets.  Similar to its Chinese reality show, “Mengniu NBA Basketball Disciple” the NBA could collaborate with Mongolian TV channels and create a countrywide competition for youth hoopsters. The winners would earn a tryout with an NBA Developmental League team and a chance to play in the US. Having recently hosted the “Candidate 2024” competition, Mongol TV is well suited to produce this show. Considering the popularity of basketball from Ulaanbaatar to Mongolia’s smallest bags, one could imagine value created for the NBA.

The NBA Global Games are a series of exhibition matches normally held in countries with rapidly developing basketball programs like France, Japan, and Mexico. If an NBA team could briefly stop in Ulaanbaatar for a game against Mongolia’s “The League” all stars, it would also be a major win for US soft power.

Conclusion

Basketball is emerging as the most popular sport in Mongolia, particularly among Mongolia’s media savvy youth, its future leaders.  When it comes to creating goodwill, basketball is also one of the US’s great superpowers, the NBA’s stars live in an aspirational halo full of American cultural values. Basketball diplomacy has been extremely effective in countries where the US aspires to win hearts and minds. Throughout the world, including in China, NBA players like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Jeremy Lin, achieved the kind of goodwill diplomats can only dream of. At the same time, Basketball is a universal language, non-threatening and aspirational to the US’s adversaries, among them Mongolia’s assertive neighbors, China and Russia. From Mongolia’s perspective, basketball is a natural medium to upweight its visibility on the global stage and build national pride. In that sense, basketball diplomacy can serve Mongolia’s key goals of building geopolitical relevance and its own soft power.

About Benjamin Nuland

Benjamin Nuland is a Jack Hachigian Scholar at Yale University currently studying history and international relations. Recently completing the Directed Studies Program, he’s received the Topol Silliman Grant and the Summer Experience Award to study in Mongolia the summer under the guidance of Professor Arne Westad and Professor Julian Dierkes.

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About Julian Dierkes

Julian Dierkes is a sociologist by training (PhD Princeton Univ) and a Mongolist by choice and passion since around 2005. He teaches in the Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He toots @jdierkes@sciences.social.
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