SURABAYA WELCOMES NBA TO INDONESIA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SURABAYA 000100 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/PD, EAP/MTS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP SCUL PREL ODIP KPAO ECON ID SUBJECT: SURABAYA WELCOMES NBA TO INDONESIA REF: SURABAYA 79 SURABAYA 00000100 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. Summary: Surabaya played host to the first ever NBA events in Indonesia when Danny Granger of the Indiana Pacers visited from August 22-25, 2008. He participated in a press conference, tossed up the opening jump ball and presented trophies at a high school championship tournament, visited an orphanage, and conducted a skills clinic with high school boys and girls. After months of pre-visit hype, the Jawa Pos, Eastern Indonesia's largest newspaper, carried three straight days of front page, above the fold color pictures and articles documenting the NBA star's activities. Thousands of fans attended the events and Granger said he was overwhelmed by the warm reception and accolades, admitting he was a little concerned before the visit about how an American would be received in this predominantly Muslim society. Granger's visit highlights the impact of sports diplomacy and public-private partnerships in reaching diverse audiences. End Summary. INDONESIA - RED, WHITE - AND BLUE? ¶2. Deteksi Basketball League, a high school tournament run under the auspices of the Jawa Pos media group, sponsored Danny Granger's visit to Surabaya August 22-25. The Consulate facilitated initial contact between Deteksi and the NBA, but the ultimate agreement was a private partnership that cost the State Department nothing, yet yielded huge dividends for America's image, particularly among young people. Deteksi is a youth-oriented section of the Jaw Pos newspaper, Indonesia's second largest daily. From the moment the paper announced its agreement with the NBA, promotion for the events has been sensational. Granger has appeared on larger-than-life billboards all over the city and the Jawa Pos became a self-appointed official supporter of Team USA Basketball at the Beijing Olympic Games. Jawa Pos reporters traveled to Beijing to meet with Team USA , which was featured in dozens of stories leading up to and during the Olympic competition. Player profiles and features were universally upbeat, depicting a positive image of U.S. basketball and the U.S. in general. Reflecting these positive images, Deteksi held a cheerleading contest in which the winning team -- decked out completely in red, white, and blue stars and stripes outfits-- looked like they had come straight out of a Fourth of July parade. �00A; YOUTH WITH DANNY EVERY STEP OF THE WAY ¶3. The paper hosted Danny Granger, leading scorer of the NBA's Indiana Pacers, at a press conference shortly after his arrival. Granger noted the participation of many high school and even some junior high reporters. With its roots in the media business, Deteksi events always feature student journalism activities as an important component, and these students, along with the mainstream media, were given access to Granger during most of his time in Surabaya. ¶4. The NBA star made his first public appearance tossing up the opening jump ball of the high school championship game crowning Deteksi's tournament. A crowd of over 7,000,warmed up by Surabaya's Principal Officer joining dignitaries and celebrities on the floor for the National Anthem and pre-game festivities, chanted Granger's name and went wild when he joined the players on the court during a break in the action to show off some moves. Fifty high school players, both boys and girls, got to see more of those moves up close and personal at a hands-on coaching and skills clinic conducted by Granger and retired NBA player Marty Conlon the day after the tournament finals. About 2,500 fans, players, and parents watched the clinic from the stands of the DBL arena. Earlier that morning, Granger and his fiancie visited a Surabaya orphanage, where he played and talked with the children, and donated some school supplies as part of the NBA Cares program. Along with commercial sponsors, consulate officers and government VIPs, about 100 high school kids were also invited to a farewell dinner in Granger's honor his last night in Surabaya before moving on to events in Jakarta (see Jakarta septel). The Consulate participated in all of Granger's public events. MEDIA FRENZY ¶5. All of these events, and even a trip to a local shopping mall, spawned extensive press coverage. Dozens of color pictures and positive articles appeared all over the Jawa Pos, with Danny Granger pushing Indonesia's favorite son Barack Obama and Senator Joseph Biden at their first joint appearance below the fold on the front page. In fact, the August 24 Sunday paper was proclaimed the "Danny Granger Edition" with his image SURABAYA 00000100 002.2 OF 002 appearing next to the paper's banner and a full-color pull out section highlighting his visit wrapping around the front page. Other major Surabaya dailies also covered the visit with photos and stories. Two local television stations featured daily reports on Granger's activities. LOOKING TO THE FUTURE ¶6. This visit was the first of a multi-year agreement between the NBA and Deteksi. Plans call for expansion of the clinic to a full basketball camp next year and negotiations are under way to bring a WNBA player to Indonesia as well. The popularity of basketball is mushrooming and the Deteksi tournament itself will grow to include five major islands and 10 provinces next year. When the tournament began in 2004, only Surabaya schools participated. Danny Granger's visit both underscored and strengthened the positive image of U.S. basketball in Indonesia. ¶7. Prospects for this kind of sports diplomacy, however, are certainly not limited to NBA stars, or even basketball. A recent visit to the island of Sulawesi by a U.S. university women's soccer coach was met with tremendous enthusiasm even if not all the hoopla of the NBA. Hundreds turned out to sports clinics and seminars she presented on the role of community youth sports programs. This visit was financed with a PD grant to the Institute for Training and Development that also funded the visit of Indonesian representatives to the U.S. to observe youth sports programs. Athletes manage to reach audiences where other initiatives rarely succeed, and American sports figures cut through barriers and come across in a way that traditional diplomats or other government officials simply cannot. The goodwill they generate toward the U.S. and Americans, however, can be effectively harnessed to other PD efforts and private-public partnerships. U.S. Consulate General Surabaya is looking forward to more NBA and hopefully WNBA visits next year, and seeks other creative ways to employ sports diplomacy initiatives and support public private partnerships. MCCLELLAND