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Diplomacy of a Different Kind

In the quest to build a professional basketball league and bolster Iranian hoop skills, teams in the Islamic republic are paying top dollar ($15,000 a month or more) to lure players away from Europe and America, which is still sometimes called the "Great Satan." In the past two years, the number of Americans playing on parquet floors in the "Axis of Evil" has jumped from three to at least 18 in the 16-team league.

Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, anti-American slogans have been a fixture of government-organized events. But players of both nationalities say now that the first thing to fall away are the prejudices and misconceptions fostered by governments and the media. The American players have become ambassadors of sorts, for both countries. Each Iranian team can put up to two foreigners on the court.

In Iran, the novelty of having tattooed Americans toeing Iranian free-throw lines has yet to wear off. Last month, the Iranian Basketball Federation banned its players from having tattoos, the Iranian news agency ISNA reported. "It has been noticed recently that some basketball players are copying foreign players and having themselves tattooed...which is against the morals of the Islamic republic and unacceptable," the federation said.