Basketball in China
Planet Hoops on Basketball in China
I want to start with some talk about the popularity of the game globally, specifically in China. We have just recently added a China Hoops page to our website. We feel that this is a basketball market that is starving for good information and we are here to provide it. Today Paul Bale has written a short article about basketball in China which we include here for you:
"Hoops and hoopin', basketball is the fastest growing team sport in the world today. When NBA giant 7 ft 6 inches Chinese sensation Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets got drafted to the NBA who knew what a profound effect a single hoopster, a rather large one at that, would have on global basketball? Well, the commissioner of the NBA David Stern knew...that Yao Ming presence 82 games per year would bring exceptional revenue to the NBA via television rights for China! Hello! 300-400 million chinese watch Yao Ming every move every game! Can you imagine that? $$$$ Huge cheddar! Cha-ching! Cash money baby!
In the film below, Lisa Ling goes one-on-one with recently retired Yao Ming and joins him in Houston and travels to Shanghai to explore the cultural and globalization reasons that brought Yao to American basketball and American basketball to China.
And over in Europe hoops is exploding! A new younger generation is growing up wanting a fast paced, exciting brand of sport...Basketball! In Italy hoops is always second to Soccer, and even Volleyball in certain areas! Slowly but surely, hoops the Italian way is growing at a amazing pace...people are getting a little frustrated a watching a 0-0 Soccer draw...hoops is run & gun...up and down...offence and defense and the Italians are very adapt playing this great game."
Paul makes some very good points. I think China is poised to become a super power of basketball. I saw them play at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and they were huge and very skilled. The Chinese are not traditionally known for their height but in a country of a few billion there is bound to be some very tall fellas. They are great shooters and extremely competitive.
If you want to make a few dollars in the basketball business try to hook up with some Chinese businesses which might be able to supply you with inexpensive products to ship over to North America. Also remember that the Beijing is hosting the summer Olympics in 2008 so that too will provide huge exposure of the game of basketball to billions of Chinese, not to mention the whole world. What this will do for basketball in China only time will tell.
Go to
www.NBA.com
and click on the Global Game and take a look at the China site. I can't read it but it is there and there for a good reason. If you want to read more about
basketball in China (in English) please click here.
China is booming. Will you catch the wave?
Update for January 2008 is that the N.B.A. has opened up NBA China. They have had an office in Hong Kong for a while but this is significant. Go to N.B.A. China to learn more about this.
Also of not is my friend Tom Newell has coached in China this year. There is an interesting Seattle Times article detailing a few of his stories from China. He also has a great blog on his Family Sportslife website which is excellent. Very entertaining and informative.
My friend Sylita Thomas has just informed that she has created a new site about Basketball in China and I think it is really good. With the Olympics around the corner be sure to check out Basketball in China Stay tuned to Planet Hoops for more on China.
What would you like to discuss about basketball in China?
Tell us your craziest story about watching or playing basketball in China. Share it with the world! What else would you like to discuss?
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