Sports Diplomacy or Circus?

This week has seen a team of former National Basketball Association players head to North Korea under the leadership of former Chicago Bull’s star Dennis Rodman. The purpose of the trip was a friendship game between the North Korean team and the former NBA players. The ever-colorful Rodman considers himself a close friend of North Korea’s leader Kim Jung Un.  The trip was also to celebrate Kim’s birthday. Rodman sang to Kim before the game. All quite a spectacle. Some people point to parallels between this trip and the visit of the USA ping pong team in the 1970s. They claim the Mao, like Kim was no angel, but that the so-called “ping-pong diplomacy” got things moving between the two standoff superpowers.  The question now is, is there any chance of this happening? Could any diplomatic advantage result from this trip? Or, or positions so hardened that nothing like sports diplomacy will help? Any ideas? Post your opinions below.