Sources:
In celebration of Kim Jun Un;s 31st birthday, the
retired basketball player, Dennis Rodman, recruited a group of 40 and 50 year
old retired basketball players to play in an exhibition game against a North
Korean basketball team. The game took place yesterday in Pyngnong. This was
Rodman’s fourth visit to North Korea in the last year. He has claimed to be
trying to open up relations between the US and Korea, but in light of what
happened in the last two days, he is obviously pitifully ignorant to the political
atmosphere in North Korea and its connection to the US.
The exhibition game began as a pretty hilarious news story
for most people, but on Wednesday, when Chris Cuomo asked Rodman if he would
use this opportunity to help Kenneth Bae, the imprisoned US citizen, Rodman
erupted into an incoherent and highly offensive rant. (check it out here: http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2014/01/07/newday-cuomo-dennis-rodman-kenneth-bae-cutdown.cnn.html).
The players have said that they have no political
intentions, but what are some of the political byproducts that could result
from this game having been played? Is it time to stop strong-handing North
Korea and instead try to ease tensions through basketball games and maybe hot
dog eating contests? I’m being facitious, but it’s a legitimate question.
1 comment:
Ugh that rant was so bad. Watching it I felt as uncomfortable as the guy on Rodman's right looked.
Even if the players have no political intentions, they cannot act as if their actions are (a) as Dennis Rodman seems to suggest, an attempt to reach out and bring peace between nations between a love for basketball or (b) unrelated to the fragile relationship between the United States and North Korea. But although I don't believe that these visits to North Korea are without repercussions to the U.S., I don't think that this weird relationship between Rodman and Kim Jong Un will ever end up benefiting America politically. If anything, it almost suggests that North Korea can be uncooperative with the U.S. but still get quality basketball games.
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