Basketball In China
So I know that I promised a post on Saturday (which at the time was supposed to be last Saturday) so here it is. For whatever reason, probably Michael Jordan and Yao Ming, amongst others, the sport of basketball has really taken off in China. The inspiration for this post comes from the Chinese guy I saw wearing a Baron Davis shirt, which was ridiculous (I didn’t even know the Chinese knew who Baron Davis was much less would actually like him).
Basketball has become a topic great interest to the Chinese though. Whether it is the Chinese Olympic basketball team from the 2008 summer games, the CBA or the much more popular NBA, the Chinese are obsessed with basketball. Not only do they watch it, but they also play it. During my lunch break at my kindergarten I will wander around and hear basketballs bouncing all over the area that I work.
I have also had the males from our recruiting company ask me about basketball in America, and who I like. They are even more well versed in the NBA than I am though, talking about the games from the past days, or who is going to win the title.
As far as I can tell though they still seem obsessed with Michael Jordan, and are now becoming obsessed with Kobe Bryant, which shows that no matter how big of a dick you are, you can still be worshiped as a hero (cough Mao, cough Mao Zedong).
China really has embraced the game of basketball and of course have (like any good government) turned it into a source of ground worship. By producing two players who have made it into the NBA they have turned the once prominent American worship into Chinese pride. Yao Ming is all over ads on television and subway billboards (posing for everything from Oreos to computers and cell phones).
It really is amazing how the government can take something as mundane as basketball and get the entire country to start to like it, and then to turn it into a reason to love China. Now I realize that they are not that good at basketball but making it a point of nationalistic pride has created another way for the government to gain more control by making its people associate a fun recreational activity with this arbitrary plot of land.
User Comments
schlicher
04/03/10
i worked with a vendor in mainland china for about 7 months who was obsessed with basketball. it’s amazing. they have leagues at their company, and they play pickup games after work.
they also have 6 ping-pong tables at their office. which is to be expected.
your blog is for babies.
<3
john