KEEP BOTH, BUT REPLACE FOOTBALL WITH RUGBY:

Life in the 21st century continues to evolve, however. Sports that once never hit American TV screens now are highlighted by ESPN. Cricket used to be strangely distant, not stumbled across while channel surfing. Sports sections in American newspapers never carried cricket tournament results that now are just a click away.

Suddenly, globalization makes every sport and activity on Earth seem more accessible -- if not entirely understandable -- to everyone. It makes distant events more familiar and immediate. Cricket fans now get dugout views of World Series games. Bleacher bums homebound because of COVID-19 might become mesmerized by a two-month Australia vs. India "Test series to start with pink ball game in Adelaide" on TV this November.

The Quad countries play different, if related, political games. Regardless, these countries are working to harmonize their approach, rules, and desired winning outcomes. India, Australia, Japan, and the United States want to play the same game because their shared democratic and free-market ideals are enhanced by their mutual understanding of common threats.

The Quad recognizes that while its constituent nations compete against each other for global markets, they coalesce in their fight for human rights and transparent governance. They all recognize China as a strategic competitor, though not always in the same way or with the same language.

In Tokyo this week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo got on the mound and pitched the Quad on a mutually assertive stance against China's "exploitation, corruption and coercion." Japan -- the country that initiated the Quad in 2007 -- batted away that undiplomatic approach. Tokyo's new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said that he wants to "build stable relations with neighboring countries, including China and Russia."

China, of course, is generally unhappy with the Quad. Beijing prefers to divide the Quad politically and conquer it economically. It accuses the four nations of trying to contain China, trying to create a NATO-like military alliance in the Indo-Pacific. Beijing says the Quad is forming an "exclusive clique" aimed at curtailing China's ambitions.

All the while, the Quad is trying to find a cautious way to integrate its members without alienating them. India, for example, is wary of any alliances. In fact, it was central to the development of the 20th century Nonaligned Movement. New Delhi's colonial experience and the current rise of political nationalism at home makes any move toward a military or political alliance with Quad nations nearly impossible.

On the other hand, a recent direct conflict with China on disputed Himalayan territory has slightly opened up India's thinking towards coordinating with likeminded This brings us back to cricket and baseball, neither of which are China's national sports. They play ping-pong, where a kill shot is the way to win.

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