Jordan Soars in China

Author: Charlie Goulding

Middlebury College is a lot like the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Middlebury distinguishes itself amongst its peers with its strong international influence. Indeed, for a small college, Middlebury is largely cosmopolitan. Similarly, for the past decade, the NBA has embarked on a campaign to cultivate the game of basketball overseas. Today, basketball has pioneered its way to the far reaches of the earth, and maintains a global influence rivaling soccer.

The wild success of this world-wide expansion, and the differing ways in which basketball has reshaped cultural norms in various countries, was the topic of Alexander Wolff's lecture: "Why Michael Jordan is a Revolutionary Hero in China."

Alexander Wolff, writer for Sports Illustrated (SI) and neighbor of Karl Lindholm, dean of advising and assistant professor of American Literature, spent a one-year hiatus from SI touring the globe "in search of basketball."

His travels led him to countries such as Lithuania, Angola, and China - nascent hotbeds for basketball - and culminated in his book: "Big Game, Small World: A Basketball Adventure." Wolff's lecture was largely anecdotal - he recounted tales from a selection of the countries he visited - and used them to suggest how sports play an integral, unique and often unappreciated role in cultures around the world.

At first arousing confusion, Wolff wrote down two Chinese words on a blackboard alongside their English definitions. "Qiao" (pronounced "Jor"), he informed the crowd, means "skillful and clever." "Dan," he added, means "lucky and strong." He then asked the attendees to repeat the words one after the other and to do so with increasing rapidity.

The lesson in linguistics soon took a sociological twist, however, as the punchline quickly became apparent: "Qiao Dan." "Qiao Dan." "Jordan." China has taken to basketball, and they revere its most celebrated star with a regal admiration - Michael Qiao Dan.

Basketball, according to Wolff, is not "packaged up like a Happy Meal and served to an international market like a Big Mac or a Starbucks coffee."

China, for instance, makes basketball its own game. The Chinese idolize "Qiao Dan" because he is seen to embody the qualities of a true king - strength, prowess, and an equanimity indicative of invincibility. Other American stars who lack Jordan's "aire" are not nearly as well-received.

In this sense, the NBA enjoys its global expansion insofar as the international community can contribute to the redefinition of the game. This is reflective of our own community here at Middlebury. The College enjoys worldwide prestige that is mirrored by an increasingly cosmopolitan campus.

"I think [the speech] fits well at Middlebury both because of the focus on international studies/cultures and the popularity of athletics on campus," said Jason Mittell, assistant professor of American Civilization and Film and Media Culture. "It really spoke to the key ways in which sports are tied up with various national cultures and the processes of globalization."

Indeed, the speech identified the importance of sport at Middlebury on both an individual and social level. Wolff's discussion of women's basketball in Iran elucidated how access to sport is often limited by cultural norms.

"I came away from that talk with a greater appreciation for the opportunities that are so readily available for us to partake in sport," said Kris Sukanich '05. "I know that sport has had a profound impact on my life."

Socially, sports like basketball have begun to bridge international gaps and will continue to play a key role in globalization.

"[The speech] really highlighted the differences between each country socially, politically and culturally, while emphasizing the fact that sport is common to all of them," said Sukanich.

Comprised of students of the world, Middlebury can reference both its love of sport and its international constitution in understanding the global development of sport and working to build on its achievements.