導(dǎo)語：世界杯對(duì)于奧巴馬來說是個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)，既可以推動(dòng)國內(nèi)足球運(yùn)動(dòng)，更可以施展自己的外交軟實(shí)力。

This month, nearly a billion people, including millions of Americans, will tune in to the world’s most popular sporting event, the World Cup. This will be an opportunity for President Obama give a boost to the sport at home — and work a bit of soft power diplomacy abroad.

據(jù)《波士頓環(huán)球報(bào)》網(wǎng)站報(bào)道，本月，將會(huì)有近10億人，包括眾多美國人，收看世界最受歡迎的體育盛事——世界杯。這場(chǎng)盛事對(duì)于奧巴馬來說是個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)，既可以推動(dòng)國內(nèi)體育運(yùn)動(dòng)發(fā)展，更可以在海外施展自己的外交軟實(shí)力。

Obama is a soccer dad. Both of his daughters, Malia and Sasha, have played soccer, and Obama has cheered them from the sidelines. On official tour in Japan this April, Obama played soccer against a Japanese robot. In an interview with Univision Deportes, the president commented, “We did quite well in South Africa. I think we’ll do well in Brazil, although the US is in a really tough bracket.”

奧巴馬是個(gè)愛足球的父親。他的兩個(gè)女兒瑪利亞和薩沙都踢過足球，奧巴馬還會(huì)在場(chǎng)邊為她們加油。今年4月奧巴馬對(duì)日本進(jìn)行正式訪問期間，他還與日本的機(jī)器人踢了足球。在接受Univision電視網(wǎng)的采訪中，奧巴馬評(píng)價(jià)道：“我們美國隊(duì)在南非確實(shí)做的很好了。雖然這次我們?cè)谒劳鲂〗M，但我覺得我們?cè)诎臀饕材鼙憩F(xiàn)不錯(cuò)。”

Political leaders have often used athletics for political and diplomatic, sometimes with good results. The World Cup in Brazil offers Obama an interesting set of choices, not without some risks.

政治領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人經(jīng)常借助體育來實(shí)現(xiàn)自己的政治和外交目的，有時(shí)效果顯著。巴西世界杯為奧巴馬提供了諸多選擇，盡管有些頗具風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。

Even filling out a bracket, as he has with NCAA basketball tournaments, could yield benefits. He might predict, somewhat with tongue in cheek, that the US will fell mighty Germany and end up in the finals against host country Brazil. US-Brazil relations have hit a bumpy patch, especially after revelations that the National Security Agency had listened in on conversations of Brazilian leaders. The World Cup offers Obama the opportunity to engage the host country on the terrain of sports, and repair a bit of the damage — without interjecting the United States into Brazilian domestic politics.

現(xiàn)在的情況是，只要奧巴馬下注，就一定會(huì)有收獲，就像是當(dāng)年全美大學(xué)生籃球錦標(biāo)賽一樣。他略帶嘲弄地預(yù)測(cè)美國隊(duì)會(huì)打敗德國，最終在決賽中遭遇東道主巴西。美巴關(guān)系時(shí)疏時(shí)近，尤其在美國國家安全局竊聽巴西領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人事件被揭露后，兩國關(guān)系就更加撲朔迷離。世界杯讓奧巴馬可以與東道國巴西一起探討體育盛事，同時(shí)還能在保證不干預(yù)巴西內(nèi)政的情況下修護(hù)兩國關(guān)系。

President Obama has already announced that Vice President Joe Biden will lead the official US delegation to the World Cup. Obama seems intent on honoring the host country with his choices. We think that he should up the game and add First Lady Michelle Obama to the group, and select a number of women soccer players such as Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy, both inductees into the National Soccer Hall of Fame, to accompany Biden and Michelle to Brazil. He would be signaling the importance of soccer in America’s athletic future, while showing that female athletes should be as highly respected as their male counterparts. The women’s US soccer team has won the World Cup twice, and soccer has become one of the most popular sports with young US women.

奧巴馬已經(jīng)宣布副總統(tǒng)拜登將帶領(lǐng)美國代表團(tuán)出席世界杯。奧巴馬這一舉措，我們可以看出他十分尊重巴西政府。我們認(rèn)為他應(yīng)該更加看重這次比賽，讓第一夫人米歇爾也加入代表隊(duì)中，并選入幾名女性球員，像是進(jìn)入了美國國家足球名人堂的米婭·哈姆（Mia Hamm）和朱莉·福迪（Julie Foudy），讓她們與拜登和米歇爾一同趕赴巴西。他應(yīng)該注意到足球在美國未來體育的重要性，同時(shí)認(rèn)識(shí)到女性運(yùn)動(dòng)員應(yīng)當(dāng)受到與男性運(yùn)動(dòng)員相同的尊重。美國女子足球隊(duì)贏得過兩次世界杯冠軍，足球越來越受到年輕女性的喜愛。

While the number of young boys and girls playing soccer has grown dramatically since the 1990s — it’s the fastest growing sport in the United States — in order to compete at the highest level internationally, more young and talented athletes need to opt for soccer when making early choices about what sports to participate in.

自20世紀(jì)90年代起，參與足球運(yùn)動(dòng)的年輕男女的數(shù)量激增，足球成為美國發(fā)展最為迅速的運(yùn)動(dòng)。為了可以參與最高級(jí)別的足球比賽，越來越多年輕且有天賦的運(yùn)動(dòng)員需要早早做出選擇，參與足球訓(xùn)練。

During the World Cup, President Obama will have significant opportunity to promote soccer at home, while also reaching out to Brazil and most importantly to the world. It’s a sports diplomacy moment that he should seize.

世界杯對(duì)奧巴馬來說是個(gè)很大的契機(jī)，他不僅可以在國內(nèi)推動(dòng)足球發(fā)展，也是與與巴西，更重要的是和世界接觸的良機(jī)。這是他應(yīng)該牢牢把握的體育外交機(jī)會(huì)。

（譯者 孫喆 編輯 齊磊）