Former Baltimore Orioles star Cal Ripken Jr. was named a goodwill ambassador by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday.
Ripken, known as baseball’s “Iron Man” because he played in 2,632 games in a row over 21 seasons, will travel the world as special sports emissary. The State Department hopes Ripken can improve the image of the United States abroad.
He acknowledged shifting perceptions of the United States in some corners of the world would be difficult.
“This is about using baseball for good reasons,” Ripken said Monday morning at the State Department. “I know it is not probably going to be easy in some environments.”
Ripken said his first trip would be to China in the fall.
“The hope is that we’ll just plant a few seeds … that will grow through baseball, and we’ll promote baseball a little bit,” he said of his trip. “But the real fact of the matter is we’re appealing to kids, and we’re showing them a good example and some of the great things that can happen through sport.”
Ripken committed to as-yet-unscheduled future trips to spread goodwill through sports.
“I happen to think that sport — baseball, in particular — is very magical. It can go across cultural lines. It can appeal to all kids and all people,” he said.
Rice, who called Ripken “America’s MVP,” said Ripken possessed the qualities that the United States wanted to project to the rest of the
world.
“Public diplomacy cannot be an American monologue; it must be a dialogue with people from around the world,” said Rice, 52. “That dialogue must be sought out and conducted not only by people like us in government, but by committed Americans from all walks of life — Americans like Cal Ripken Jr. He truly exemplifies America at its best, our aspirations to be a better nation and to help build a better world.”
The appointment comes two weeks after Ripken was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He was joined at the State Department by Chinese coaches in Maryland for the Cal Ripken World Series, a competition featuring 16 teams from around the world.
He is the second U.S. public diplomacy envoy, joining figure skater Michelle Kwan.
The public envoy concept was developed by Undersecretary of State Karen Hughes in an effort to build international acceptance of U.S. influence and culture.
