CHINA / Foreign Media on China
China embraces basketball
(USA Today)
Updated: 2006-08-08 10:53
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/2006-08-07-china-focus_x.htm?csp=
34
GUANGZHOU, China �� Though the U.S. national team's comfortable 119-73
victory Monday against China in a World Championship tune-up here was no
surprise, the show highlighted basketball's growing popularity in the
world's most populous nation.
"I started loving the NBA with the Dream Team and the 'Space Flyer,'" as
Michael Jordan is known to Chinese fans, said retired soldier Donghai
Chen, 64.
" 'Dream Seven' is not as good as the first," Chen added in using the
popular Chinese name for this U.S. men's team, the seventh crop of NBA
stars since the 1992 squad that electrified the Barcelona Olympics. "But
I like some of the new players, especially Dwyane Wade, and they are
still the best in the world."
It will take time, though, for Asia to get truly excited about this U.S.
group of NBA stars, said Tim Noonan, TV basketball analyst in China and
editor of the Asian publication SportView.
"The buzz will be muted until Tokyo," Noonan said of the FIBA World
Championship, which will start August 19. "Except for (LeBron) James and
Wade, the 'Dream Seven' team is not so well known in China. It needs the
highlights on TV first. Having Kobe Bryant (out with an injured knee)
here would have made a huge difference."
Though high ticket prices ($85-$477) meant Chen decided to watch his
heroes on television and the 10,000-seat stadium was not at full
capacity, those fans who attended seemed to go home happy.
"The score doesn't matter; it was great to see all those famous players
in the flesh," said construction entrepreneur Li Changbiao, 38, who has
watched the NBA on TV for years. "My 1,860-yuan ticket (roughly $235) was
definitely worth the price."
Those sentiments are music to the ears of NBA commissioner David Stern,
who revealed Sunday in Guangzhou that next year he plans to hold
regular-season games for the first time in China.
"China is the second biggest market to the NBA," Stern said.
Yao brings honor to game
Blanket media coverage and hundreds of cheering fans met the U.S. team's
arrival in China; Stern himself has been plastered in pictures all over
the local media. It was a far cry from 1990, when Stern arrived in
Beijing only to be snubbed by the national broadcaster, China Central
Television (CCTV).
One official then warned him that Chinese sports broadcasting should
"bring honor to the motherland," not merely entertain.
"Nobody at CCTV even seemed to know who David Stern was," American writer
Brook Larmer recounted in his book Operation Yao Ming.
They do now. After years of patient marketing �� and the rise and rise of
7-6 Yao from Shanghai �� CCTV broadcast Monday's game to an audience of
hundreds of millions. Dr. Naismith's winter pastime is challenging to be
China's No. 1 sport.
"Basketball used to be behind soccer, but now it's pulling level," said
Hu Jiashi, vice president of the China Basketball Association,
co-organizer of Monday's game. Hu estimated that 300 million to 400
million fans either play or watch the game regularly.
Professional basketball in China is only a decade old. Hu counted up to
700 professional players, spread over 90 teams in the China Basketball
Association (CBA) and its female counterpart (WCBA).
The number has not increased dramatically, "but the quality has," Hu said.
The salaries of some reach $120,000 a year, though younger players get by
on $1,250 to $2,500.
The NBA, Olympic basketball and the Chinese government's efforts have
spurred the game's growth in China, Hu said. But the true secret weapon,
at 7-6, is hardly inconspicuous.
"Yao Ming is the key factor in building fan support; the masses love him.
He's a great player," Hu said.
The Houston Rockets center did not play in Monday's exhibition because of
an injured left foot, but he took to the court to thank fans and promise
a better performance next time.
More than packaging
The local fans cheered their illustrious opponents, too, especially the
dunks of LeBron James, the leading scorer with 22 points.
"The fashion and celebrity (of the NBA) is important, too, but that's
just the packaging," Hu Jiashi said. "The high technical level is the
most important factor."
Tell that to the guys shooting hoops Monday, in baggy NBA gear, at the
courts beside Sports City Highsun department store in downtown Guangzhou.
"The NBA is a very cool sport," said college student and English major
Huang Guodong, 22. "It's the fashion, the attitude and the power."
Inside the shop, Huang reverently touched a $75 USA top emblazoned with
the name of his favorite player �� James. Then he looked at the Yao China
jersey, which, at $63, was still beyond his student budget.
The U.S. players who made this trip raved after the game about China and
the reaction of local fans.
"They're excited and very appreciative of having us here," said San
Antonio Spurs swingman Bruce Bowen.
Guangzhou also left a deep impression.
"It's like New York City magnified 30 times. You see building after
building, but you don't see a lot of disasters. They are serious about
quality," Bowen said. "I am really looking forward to the Olympics in
2008."
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