Photo by Tsutomu Takasu (tpower1978) used under Creative Commons 2.0

FC Barcelona, the club who plays the most beautiful football in the world, is building its success in China, and they’re approaching the market in a way that no other club has done before.

Last month, Sandro Rosell, Barça’s new president, was traveling in China with his colleagues. Unlike others, their trip was not about friendly games or cooperation with local clubs, but laying down guanxi with Chinese politicians and clenching a business deal with a giant Internet firm.

Few other club is doing what Barça’s doing, which may help them working with the Chinese government rather than merely a local club, and reaching out to Chinese fans like they owe them.

Their fierce rival, Read Madrid, is the only club who plans to provide help to a football academy soon to be launched by a local club. Among all the elites, only Liverpool FC is officially engaging the fans here on Chinese micro-blogging platform on their own, a strategy only began this July, as most clubs accounts are still managed by Chinese media and fan groups.

During their stay, Mr.Rosell met the heads of the Ministry of Education in Beijing, municipal officials in Shanghai, who are in need of their help in developing its local football structure.

If one stop could best highlight their China visit, the Barça delegation spent a night at a fundraiser hosted by China Foundation for Disabled Persons, which run under the leadership of Deng Pufang, the first son of Deng Xiaoping, the former paramount leader of China. And Liu Yandong, China’s State Councilor and the only female Politburo member, serves as an honorary director of the foundation.

Yet there’s something more than fundraising to both parties, as Ms.Liu is officially the woman behind the reshuffle of Chinese football and for several times declared her interest in building up the football structure at ground-level through education, which they may seek Barça’s assistance with their La Masia model, the club’s famed football academy.

Since Xi Jinping, China’s hair-apparent, declared his high hopes for Chinese football in 2009, Liu assumed the governing role in the State Council’s ‘football investigation and research group’ to solve the puzzle of the sport.

But football further tumbled in the country. This June, the Chinese national men’s U-23 team failed to get a ticket to the London Olympics and, as if it’s not enough, the national team was disqualified from the 2014 World Cup in October.

The situation is very likely to continue. According to the Chinese Football Association, there’s only about 3,000 registered players nationwide under the age of 19. The number of football academies has been dwindling. Liaoning province, once a football powerhouse that had 21 academies ten years ago, now has none.

“If we have to do something with China, it’s better to do with the authorities,” said Laurent Colette, Barça’s chief marketing officer, in their meeting with the heads of Ministry of Education, adding it’s possible that the clubs may open academies in China, like they did in Japan and Korea.

“I think it’s a positive message coming from the central government,” said Xia Haifeng, chairman of Inter Sports, a state-owned firm founded by the Beijing government, and the exact company who arranged Barça’s China visit. “It’s good to talk about education rather than gold medals.”

Inter Sports was founded in 2005 under the mission of “importing major International competitions to the ‘Bird’s Nest’ and ‘Water Cube’”, architectural emblems of the Beijing Olympics invested by the Beijing government.

“When you talk with Inter Sports, you talk with authorities in Beijing and Shanghai. For us it’s perfect,” said Laurent.

Barça’s revenue last year hit 460 mln euros, in which only less than one percent come from the Chinese market, despite the country holds 30 percent of its fans worldwide, according to the club’s own market research numbers.

These 30 percent are nowhere to be found on Facebook or Twitter, as the two social-networking services are still blocked by the Chinese authorities.

But fans here have their own ways to follow their football heroes. On Tencent Weibo, a popular micro-blogging platform, Lionel Messi has over 14 million followers, seven times the size of Barça’s official account on Twitter.

The club signed an agreement with Tencent, which makes available the company’s 900 millon QQ users within reach, a deal that was “very satisfied” by Didac Lee, Barça’s director of new technology, who noted that the club plans to sell smart-phone apps to its Chinese fans in the future, a move that no other club ventured.

“The Internet is the best way for us to be 24-7 in China. Summer tours make a lot of money on a few days, but it’s not the best way to make loyal supporters,” said Didac.

“It’s like working out in a gym here,” Laurent stretches his arms. “First you open your arms to expand your fan base, to be sure that you reach all the possible fans here through TV, Internet, press and so on. Then to monetize, which is to create a financial link to transfer your fans into business.”

“It’s Barça 2.0 in China now”, said Xia Haifeng, who arranged the club’s friendly game in China last year in the ‘Bird’s Nest’. “Football fans here take a lot less interest in friendlies than they did before.”

“We did that in the past and don’t like that,” said Laurent. “Summer tours should be only a part of what we do here. We’ll reach the fans by 360 degree marketing to make sure this snowballing effect cast the football followers with contact and information about us, and little by little they have more reasons to become our fans.”

“Our plan in China is not to come, take the money and run,”said Mr.Rosell to TV3, a Catalan broadcaster,. “It’s, first of all, to know what and how we can offer to them, making as many Barça supporters as possible. In the long term, our goal is to monetize from those supporters.”

Just like the way they behave in the transfer market, the Catalans are clear and patient about what they should do.

“We’re not going to get crazy about China, ”said Xavier Faus, the club’s vice president, when speaking about the broadcasting time in La Liga, as the team usually plays in the early morning around 3am in Beijing time. “We cannot, in order to gain 1m euro here, lose 5m in our own market.”

Barça plans to host its first summer camp next summer in Beijing, but they may not be able to offer remedy as the government intended for the demise of Chinese soccer.

“We’re not here to solve the Chinese problem,” confessed Laurent. “Many people told us the Chinese results are bad. I’m a French and French results are bad as well. Don’t worry, there’re cycles.”

'Evil Empire': Two words from former US president Ronald Reagan that would later become a part of sport history

On March 8, 1983, in Orlando, Florida, former United States President Ronald Reagan gave a speech where he was first recorded to have said the phrase “evil empire”. At that time tensions between the US and the Soviet Union were at an all time high and it seemed that the Cold War would continue well on into the next millennium.

Fast forward to the present time and we find ourselves living in a much different world. However, that one phrase, over time, has become a popular term used in sport, primarily in the US. Major League Baseball powerhouse the New York Yankees have regularly been associated with the name. Even in some corners of the world some people claim that English Premier League side Manchester United are just as much an evil empire as the Yankees.

The New York Yankees are the most recognized team in the world that is graced with title of 'evil empire'

So, you might be asking yourself, what qualifies a team to be graced with the name? It is basically set on three criteria: one, the team is loaded with money; two, they are able to woo many of the top players onto their teams without even breaking a sweat (in this age of technology some teams probably just send an offer through text message); third, they always win.

Since the era of professionalism entered into Chinese sport, many of the current clubs have labored to bring in quality talent from abroad to enhance their teams chance of winning titles. However, as the Chinese economy has rapidly grown, many companies or individuals have found an interest in owning a professional franchise, or at least providing financial support. With this new money come increased interest in not only bringing in the best players and coaches, it also means that teams want to dominate the sport they are in, no matter it be in the country or internationally.

So, which sports teams in China could be flirting with having the title of ‘evil empire’ attached to them? Five come to mind and each have their own reasons.

If you think winning the CSL crown was enough for Evergrande, just wait to see what else they have in store

1) Guangzhou Evergrande FC
Reasons that make them a candidate for the ‘evil empire’ tag:

- Receives financial backing from the Evergrande Real Estate Group, one of the largest real estate developers in the country.

- Relegated to the second division, the team showed how much financial clout they had by signing Chinese internationals Gao Lin, Zheng Zhi and Sun Xiang. They made a domestic record-breaking transfer by signing Brazilian Muriqui.

- Upon being promoted as champions of the second division, the club spent more money by signing Brazilian Cleo and Argentine Dario Conca.

- Has vowed that they would not only dominate the China Super League, but they have ambitious plans to conquer Asia as well by becoming the first Chinese club to win the AFC Asian Champions League.

- They have money and they are not in the least afraid to spend it.

2) Guangdong Southern Tigers
Reasons that make them a candidate for the ‘evil empire’ tag:

-They are the reigning China Basketball Association champions

-On the verge of tying rival Bayi Rockets record of most CBA titles which stands at eight. They could possibly surpass it with the talent they have on the team. Speaking of talent…

-They have the best domestic players in the league accompanied by quality foreign imports. It almost seems like they have factory down there. One set of players go out and a new crop of younger players come in and keep the championship run going.

- They realize they do not have to be the best team, regular season-wise, but when the playoffs come around, they find a way annihilate their opponents (just ask the Xinjiang Flying Tigers about that).

- It is just simple, they win and fans from other teams hate it when another team in just that dominant.

3) Xinjiang Flying Tigers
Reasons that make them a candidate for the ‘evil empire’ tag:

- As with most other teams that have been blessed with the name, they have a lot of money and spend on hiring mercenaries.

- Because they have a lot of money they can virtually sign any players they want in hopes of finally clinching their first CBA championship (examples, Quincy Douby, Kenyon Martin).

- They have enough money to bring in two of China’s big men to capture the title (Mengke Bateer and Tang Zhengdong).

- They have thrown a pile of cash in front of China’s men’s basketball team coach Bob Donewald Jr. to help them get their championship.

Evergrande not only wants to dominate football, but volleyball is also in their plans for domestic sport domination

4) Guangdong Evergrande Women’s Volleyball Club
Reasons that make them a candidate for the ‘evil empire’ tag:

- Owned by the same group that operates the football club.

- Spends the money to sign top domestic and international volleyball players (Logan Tom, Feng Kun, Yang Hao, Jovana Brakocevic, etc.). in hopes of winning the women’s volleyball championship

- Has the coach that brought the Chinese women’s national volleyball squad back into prominence, (Jenny)Lang Ping, in hopes that her leadership will guide the club to many championships.

Shanghai Shenhua chairman, Zhu Jun

5) Shanghai Shenhua FC
Reasons that make them a candidate for the ‘evil empire’ tag:

- Two words, Zhu Jun (朱骏), the eccentric chairman of the East China based club is in the headlines more than the team. Most can remember is brief appearance on the pitch in an exhibition match against English Premier League side Liverpool FC. Zhu can almost be considered the George Steinbrenner of sport executives in China.

- Before the emergence of Evergrande, Shenhua was the most talked about and hated team in the China Super League. Now, they maybe getting that moniker back after signing Frenchman Nicolas Anelka. They seem close to signing French manager Jean Tigana and, if there still any money left, they might be going after another well-known footballer (no speculation coming from this post).

- You can be sure that there is never a dull moment at Hongkou. The chairman’s huge sale of players back in 2009 and his constant change in managers are just two examples. With the impending arrival of Anelka and others, this could make the dramtics that happen at Shenhua next season even more exciting.

Evil empires are what make sport exciting to watch and follow. They are the ones that get us out to the stadiums and arenas around the world just to show our disgust for them for two or three hours. They are the reasons why people call into sports radio shows and write on the internet. We just love to hate them. This is what could be a huge boost for the sports leagues in China and there are a number of teams that could fill that role very well.

Whether any team is up for the challenge of taking on that role is question we will just have to wait on.

Photos

Daily Contributor

Volleywood

Gzevergrandefc.com

China.org.cn

4) Make the CBA All-Star Game mean something

Having attended last season’s CBA All-Star Game at the Wukesong Basketball Arena (now known as the Mastercard Center) an empty feeling was left from what was expected to be an exciting evening. While it was interesting to see imports Quincy Douby and Stephon Marbury try to one up each other in scoring, the rest of the game seemed rather lackluster. The players were just going through the motions as most were gearing up for the playoffs.

While it pales in comparison to the NBA’s version, league officials, sponsors and organizers can do much more to make it an entertaining evening for fans and players. First, instead of scheduling the game at the end of the regular season, arrange at the midway point. It would not hurt the league if they put the regular season on hold for one week.

Second, make the All-Star more fan interactive. Arrange some activities outside of the host city’s arena. Allow them access to the players for pics, autographs and maybe arrange a friendly game between some of the players and a few fans who may have won a contest arranged by a sponsor. This is what keeps the fans coming back and they will more likely remember that moment than just sitting in a cold arena watching a meaningless game.

The CBA's annual All -Star Game would be more interesting if they put something on the line

Third, in regards to the game itself, how about putting something on the line that will get players to be more competitive. The best thing to put on the line is that the winning conference gets home court advantage in the CBA Finals. How many players with teams in playoff position would kill for that incentive? Though I am not much of a fan of Major League Baseball, it has worked for them. Doing this will also make the players feel like they are doing something to promote the league.

This cannot be asking too much.

5) Development of younger talent must be changed

This has always been a contentious issue among basketball experts and it is one that will not end at any point in the future. The sport system in China has had it successes as attested to by the country’s improvement in the medal standings in international events such as the Summer Olympics. However, sports such as basketball have to be approached differently.

An interesting article written by a group of students from the University of Pennsylvania provides good detail as to how talent is selected. Basketball talent cannot be determined from a young age. It takes time for potential talent to be noticed and, on occasion, some late bloomers in the sport are found. CBA teams could be selling themselves short if they overlook players who could be stars for their teams. This leads to player development.

The development of China’s basketball talent must be approached from multiple angles. Sports schools will always have a role in the development of basketball players, but they cannot develop all of them. Interscholastic sports programs at high school level could play a role in developing future players for the national teams. Of course education is strongly emphasized, but having student-athletes has not hurt the opportunities for those in other countries.

In addition, the national body should look into developing an amateur basketball league similar to the United States’ Amateur Athletic Union. By establishing an amateur league, players of the same age can be put into competition against one another in actual games which will enhance many facets of their skills with proper coaching. More importantly, a well run amateur league can increase the player pool that the league and the national team needs.

6) Eliminate the nonsensical points system from the league

Does a basketball league really need to award points to a team after their games? It’s one thing to do it in football or ice hockey, but to use it in basketball standings is just ridiculous. If anything, the CBA’s use of awarding points is rather confusing. Basketball is a game of wins and losses. A points system is not needed to determine which teams should enter the playoffs. The league can set the standings based on win-loss percentage. Should two teams be tied at the end of the season for a playoff spot (use the final playoff spot as an example), then look at who has the better record in head-to-head games.

The league can make it easier on themselves and avoid any controversy if they just nix the points systems forever.

7) The league as well as the clubs must do more for the fans

It’s no secret that sports leagues around the world survive on fans showing up to games, buying merchandise and showing undying support to their local teams, no matter win or lose. The CBA and its teams should recognize this and show their gratitude in return.

If the league wants to grow and maintain their fan base, they need to encourage the teams to do more in their respective cities. Have players visit schools, organize community outreach programs, basketball camps for youths and other activities to show the fans that their support is much appreciated.

Players can also be proactive and do these things themselves. Back in 2002, Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett, when he was playing with the Minnesota Timberwolves, was concerned about the enthusiasm of the home fans. It believed it wasn’t loud enough in the Target Center. What did he do? He bought drinks for the first 10,000 fans that came to the arena for their next home game. That may not be a huge gesture, but it is one that fans will be remember for many years.

Basketball fans are the group the CBA should be focusing on more if the league wants to grow

The CBA may not come across problems such a player strikes or lockouts, but they have to do much more to keep fans satisfied.

It is no doubt that basketball is used as a tool for national pride. That is understandable. However, unless the domestic league makes the necessary changes to improve, the chances of the national team progressing further in international competition will slowly dwindle. Some basketball officials maybe starting to see this, but they have to step up reforms in the game as soon as possible or future basketball stars and a thriving league could be lost.

Photos

China.org

Daily Life

A new CBA season and a new team for guard Stephon Marbury

Aside from the Euroleague, the only other basketball anyone will possibly be watching this year is from the China Basketball Association as players and owners work feverishly to hammer out a deal to save the NBA season. With the start of the 2011-2012 season approaching there is a lot of anticipation an excitement.

Defending champions, the Guangdong Southern Tigers, will try to match the Bayi Rockets record for the most overall CBA titles, which stands at eight. They stand a good chance of accomplishing it with the temporary return of forward Yi Jianlian. Meanwhile, last season’s finalists, the Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers, will try to overcome their defeats in the past three CBA Finals by winning their first ever championships with recent additions including national team coach Bob Donewald. Attention will be focused on some of the free agents signings from the NBA, especially former Denver Nuggets stars J.R. Smith, Kenyon Martin and Wilson Chandler. Lastly, Beijing basketball fans will be paying close attention to new signing Stephon Marbury, as he tries to erase their memories of Steve Francis once and for all (He’s probably already scored major points with fans in the capital for taking the subway to and from practice).

The season looks promising for the CBA

This could possibly be one of the most exciting seasons ever since the league started in 1995. However, there is still much work that needs to be done to make the CBA the top league in all of Asia and the latest incident does not help their cause.

Despite the fights and questionable officiating, the CBA still has a chance of improving its reputation and this seven-point plan could be used as a platform to steer them in the right direction:

1) The media could do a better job of promoting the league

One problem that the league needs to address is its coverage on television. Watching the games of the week on television shows that even the media lacks any motivation to promote the league to its domestic base. This has got to change if the CBA is to be successful.

One of things that can be done is for league officials to follow in the steps of the NBA and start its own channel (CBA TV). Provide year-round programming on its own channel that gets basketball fans more insight on the players, teams and games. This has worked for the NBA and it can work in China.

Another move that could work is for national and provincial channels to show more commitment to the league. Instead of having play-by-play commentators and analysts in a studio covering the game, get a team out to the arenas to cover the game. Hire sideline reporters to interview coaches and players prior to the game, at halftime and after the game.

If there is so much effort put into showcasing the NBA during its season, the same can be done for the domestic league.

2) CBA referees should be better trained and evaluated throughout the season

It’s not the easiest job in the game, but CBA referees are the most scrutinized, by the fans and media at least. Missed calls or phantom calls during important games have made referees the target of ridicule and objects thrown from the stands. Last season could be used as a great case study for what is wrong with officiating in the league.

So what is reason behind some poor decision-making by the referees? Many reasons could be thrown out, but the real question is how to alleviate the problem? CBA officials made the right move to bring in foreign referees during the latter stages of the playoffs and finals, but that can only be done for so long.

The CBA must put more investment into training their own referees. Development is key to the improvement of referees and one of the best steps that can be done to improve the quality of the officiating is by conducting annual training sessions before the start of the season. Bring in experienced referees from abroad and have them sit down with local referees to examine game film and show them how they can improve their performance on the court. Put the referees in practice games where officials can evaluate their performance and point out their mistakes before they go into actual games in the season.

If it were up to Coach Donewald, this referee would be getting further training.

The CBA should also develop an evaluation system for referees. Monitor their progress during the regular season and choose the top referees to officiate playoff games. If a referee makes careless mistakes that affect the outcome of a game, then punish him like other leagues do. By doing nothing, referees do not learn from their mistakes.

If the league can punish players for infractions, then referees should be given equal treatment.

3) Follow the example of the Euroleague and expand the FIBA Asia Champions Cup to a league format

The basketball version of the UEFA Champions League has proven popular in Europe as some of the top teams ranging from Barcelona to CSKA Moscow compete in the league annually. It provides some of Europe’s top players, as well as foreign imports, quality competition that they may not always get from teams in their domestic leagues.

Currently, FIBA Asia organizes a Champions Cup tournament that invites some of the top teams on the continent. While it is a rather commendable effort on the part of the officials, the tournament can be improved by inviting the top club teams from China, South Korea, Japan and other Asian nations. Add in clubs from Australia and New Zealand (FIBA Oceania representatives) and an expanded format of the club competition can be very strong.

This can only help Chinese basketball players as they will get a chance to challenge themselves and enhance their skills against competition outside of their own domestic league. In addition, an expanded FIBA Asia club competition is going to attract fans as they will be attracted by visiting teams they don’t normally see.

An Asian Champions League for basketball can work in this region, but it will take basketball officials in China and other nations to get it up and running.

(Part 2 to be posted next week)

Additional Articles

• NBA owners’ dual wants put more games in jeopardy
• Yao’s Retirement Forces China to Rethink Basketball System
• NBA Lockout: Why the NBA Is a Lock To End the Lockout Soon
• If I Ruled the (NBA) World

Photos

Hoop China

Chinaassistor

News-MSN

Newly crowned champions. Could this be the beginning of a dynasty?

China Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande pulled off a feat that is very rare in football. The Guangdong Province based club have become the first team in China (probably Asia as well) to win the first division title after promotion from the second division. Looking back in football history German Bundesliga club FC Kaiserslautern seem to be the only other club to pull this off back in 1998.

Relegated to the second division last season after being implicated in a match-fixing scandal, the club received new investment from property firm, Evergrande Real Estate Group, which set out to bring the top Chinese players. Players such as Chinese internationals Gao Lin, Zheng Zhi and Sun Xiang followed the club down to the second division and became the catalyst in their quick return to the top division.

Dario Conca. High-profile buy for the club that could see a swell of other players join up in the future

Making it back to the top division the spending did not stop there. The club spent massive amounts of money on talent from abroad by signing Brazilian Cleo and then topped it off by signing Argentine Dario Conca from Brazilian side Fluminese.

While the amount of money the new league champions spent on these players pales in comparison to what European clubs like Chelsea, Manchester United, Real Madrid and AC Milan spend every summer, it does bring a lot of attention to those on the Asian continent. At a time when teams in Japan’s J-League, South Korea’s K-League and Middle Eastern clubs would most likely have the chance of signing top players, China is now emerging as a viable competitor.

This also brings up a question. Could Guangzhou become the first of a host of “super” clubs in the China Super League? With recent investments in the game by the Wanda Group and Evergrande, there is hope that the league as well as football in China, in general, will see some improvements.

So, where can these other “super clubs” come from? As the CITIC Group is the sponsor for former champions Beijing Guoan FC, there would be no problem for the capital club to make further investment to take the league crown from the southerners. Tianjin Teda, Shanghai Shenhua, and, possibly, Hangzhou Greentown could elevate themselves to that status if owners were willing to put more money into their clubs by signing top players and coaches.

There are risks, of course, when more money is invested in clubs and success is not achieved. This is one of the problems that has led to the downfall of many teams in Europe. Clubs such as Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday, EPL regulars in the past, fell on hard times by spending beyond their own means just to keep up with the bigger clubs. The CFA must make sure that spending does not get out of hand in the league.

Football in China could be starting to put past scandals behind themselves and some clubs seem to be offering an improved product on the pitch. However, there is still a long way to go. If there is continued investment in the game, then perhaps China could have its first club lift the Asian Champions League trophy in the near future.

Additional Articles

• Financial crisis: How football is affected by the credit crunch
• Money to burn
• Newly-crowned Chinese champions Guangzhou Evergrande are raising the bar in China & perhaps in Asia
• Newly crowned Chinese champions Guangzhou Evergrande setting sights on 2012 Asian Champions League

Photos

Wiki Media

LF World

Birmingham City FC owner Carson Yeung in happier times

Birmingham City FC may not be a well-known team for most people in China, but most should know the name Carson Yeung(楊家誠). The Hong Kong businessman has been in the headlines for the past few years as he attempted to purchase the Midlands club back in 2007 followed by his successful acquisition in 2009. The former barber became another name in the slew of foreigners who have bought into English football clubs. Now, Yeung is back in the news for reasons not dealing with football.

The executive director of Birmingham International Holdings is awaiting trail for alleged money laundering from 2001-2007. This is a very serious charge that Yeung has repeatedly denied through the media. If he is found guilty he could face up to more than a decade in prison.

Birmingham City's future is in the balance with Carson Yeung awaiting trial

With Yeung’s legal troubles now public, one of the big questions concerning the future of the English Championships side is whether it can survive while its chairman is holed up in Hong Kong. Reports have come out in the English media that the Carling Cup holders are now strapped for cash and may have to sell some of their top players in order to stay afloat. In addition, due the chairman’s arrest, all financial accounts have been frozen and the club’s stock market listing has been suspended until there is final verdict in his trial.

While Blues manager Chris Houghton is trying his best to keep players and supporters attention on football, it’s Yeung that still remains the center of attention in what could be a long drawn out legal case in the Hong Kong courts. Each day that he is talked about in the media it takes away from what the club is trying to do on the pitch as they try to return to the Premier League at the first crack and make a decent run in the Europa League.

With the club in disarray and uncertain as to what will happen with them in the future, the former Hong Kong Rangers chairman tried in vain to make a trip to England to allay the fears of the City faithful, only for a judge to reject his request.

So, now that Yeung in no way can reassure those remotely linked with the club about its stability, what can he do? Well, he can let junior have a major role in the club’s affairs.

Additional articles

• Carson Yeung’s legal troubles cast cloud over Birmingham City
• Carson Yeung: ‘I’ll bring China’s finest to Birmingham’
• Birmingham City Carson Yeung Your Shout special: The fans have their say

Photos

Poker Knave

Birmingham City Football Club

Could this man be wearing the uniform of a CBA team during the lockout?

With all of the hoopla around former Houston Rockets’ center Yao Ming’s retirement, some may have forgotten that the NBA is still in lockout mode. As players and owners still haggle over an agreement, many of the top NBA stars have had a lot of free time on their hands this summer and it looks like they will still have a lot of down time come September when teams should be heading into training camp getting ready for the new season.

So what does an NBA player do while he is banned from team facilities or contacting anyone remotely affiliated with his team?

Perhaps Kevin Durant will bring his game to China for a brief period?

The Oklahoma Thunder’s star forward, Kevin Durant and Los Angeles Lakers’ guard, Kobe Bryant recently made appearances in China hosting basketball clinics. Bryant’s teammate, Pau Gasol and newly crowned NBA champion, Dirk Nowitzki, are back in Europe with their respective national squads preparing the 2011 European Basketball Championships. Meanwhile, KFC is trying to entice one of their former employees, the Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade, to comeback and work for them.

Despite all of the tours or international basketball ongoing at the moment, the big question is what will these players do come September if there is still no end to the lockout? Some players are already considering playing basketball elsewhere in the world.

Things started off with New Jersey Nets’ point guard Deron Williams signing with Turkish league team Besiktas. Slovenian national team guard Sasha Vujacic otherwise known as the future Mr. Maria Sharapova, followed in the steps of his Nets teammate by also signing with a Turkish team, Anadolu Efes.

This is only the beginning as more players maybe looking to what options they have overseas in order to stay fit while negotiators try to hammer out a new agreement.

Some serious thinking is needed by CBA teams

One of the options that some players may look at is playing in the Chinese Basketball Association. The Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard and Durant have been on record as to saying that they are considering the possibility of playing in the Chinese basketball league should the lockout persist.

While many basketball fans in China maybe drooling over the idea of having a few top NBA stars in China’s top league, one needs to take a step back and be totally realistic about this prospect.

First, a CBA team signing a player the likes of Howard, Durant or anyone else would be a huge coup and most likely fill arenas in every CBA city. However, teams are probably considering whether it would be worth the gamble offering a lot of money to a player when the lockout could possibly end at any point. It would definitely be a poor investment on the part of a CBA team to part with so much money. Certainly, many of these teams are also wary of the whole Steve Francis fiasco during the previous season.

If anything, the CBA teams would most likely pursue offering a contract to a host of NBA free agents that are on the market. The likes of Russian Andrei Kirilenko, Tyson Chandler and, yes, Yao Ming’s former teammates in Houston, Tracy McGrady and Shane Battier are in the pool of players possibly looking for new teams. Perhaps a stint over in the ‘Middle Kingdom’ would be useful for them.

Second, if any of the top NBA players are strongly considering to play in China during the lockout, they have to realize that there are only a few big market cities in the country. Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou can certainly provide these players with a rather comfortable life off the court, but would any of them be willing to sign for teams in Liaoning, Jilin or Shanxi?

In addition, how will the players adapt to the lack of luxuries they receive while playing in the American ‘Association’? They have to face the reality of playing in cold gyms, changing in makeshift locker rooms and possibly sharing a room with a teammate while on the road. These are certainly things they haven’t experienced since high school. There is going to be a lot they will have to sacrifice and adapt to if they choose to play in China.

Wukesong Basketball Arena: NBA players won't be seeing the inside of this place

Third, there is no guarantee that fans will see any of the top NBA stars in the league due to the strict rules that are imposed on teams by the CBA. With the number of foreign players allowed on each team limited, the amount of minutes they can play limited and a strict salary cap imposed, this could lead to most players looking to the European leagues or other places to play.

While it may seem like a smashing idea to have the rare opportunity of a star NBA player on a CBA roster during the lockout, fans should not hold their breath on this. It going to be a long time until there is confirmation that the 2011-2012 NBA season will be canceled and a few of the well-known ballers signing contracts with teams here.

Photos

For the Record Sports

Yiqiyou

The NBA's key to the Chinese market on the verge of retirement

The imminent retirement of Houston Rockets’ center Yao Ming comes as no surprise to anyone who has followed the Shanghai native’s career from his early beginnings in the game. Persistent injuries over the past few seasons have allowed the towering center to only play in a handful of games. Coming off of his most recent injury, a stress fracture of his ankle, may have put the writing on the wall for the former Shanghai Sharks star.

Throughout last week and this week there has been much talk about Yao’s retirement and his plans for the future. There has also been some discussion about the future of the National Basketball Association in the Chinese market. Some consider the retirement of Yao as a huge blow to the NBA in the Chinese market.

In a recent online poll conducted by Weibo, 57 percent of the participants said they would stop watching the NBA after Yao’s retirement. A few things must be noted when analyzing this online poll as it is not exactly scientific.

First, it is not easy to know whether these participants are regular followers of the NBA or just casual fans since Yao Ming joined the league in 2002. Most likely it is the latter, but that does not mean the NBA will lose its hardcore followers in China.

Second, besides Yao being the face of the league in China, how many other players could those who took part in the poll identify? This goes back to the previous assumption that most of those that took part in the poll are casual fans. Of course, most know of Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant and the Miami Heat’s LeBron James, but are they familiar with other stars in the NBA?

Washington Wizards’ forward Yi Jianlian is in the league; however, he may not have the star power as his former teammate. Having changed teams on a couple of occasions during his time in the US, he has not been able to stamp his authority as of yet.

Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard will always have a presence in China

Third, China is a market that not only the NBA wants to be in, but even the players, individually, want to be in as well. Players such as Dwight Howard, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose and Kevin Garnett choose to spend part of their summer holidays here in order to increase their profiles. Even jersey sales in China show that fans here are following other players in the league than Yao.

Yao Ming’s retirement from the NBA will be a disappointment, but it will not spell doom for the league in the Chinese market. What could spell its doom is the lingering lockout saga which sees no sign of ending.

Photos: CNS

Slam Counterkicks

From Caixin:

On May 24, Li Ning announced the resignations of three senior executives – COO Guo Jianxin, Chief Marketing Officer Fang Shiwei, and Director of E-commerce Lin Li. A source blamed the exodus on the failed campaign.

That same day, Li Ning’s Hong Kong-listed shares declined 8.4 percent. The stock has continued losing ground ever since, falling to HK$ 13.38 on June 9, far below the past year’s peak of HK$ 29.35. The company’s market capitalization has declined more than HK$ 16.8 billion.

Third-quarter shoe and apparel orders fell 17 percent from a year earlier, and 6 percent from the previous quarter, the company said in April.

Li Ning managed to report a 1.1 billion yuan net profit for 2010. But it was badly beaten in the earnings race by major rival Anta Sports Products, which registered a 1.5 billion yuan net profit last year.

While Li Ning  trying to raise its profile in the North American market, companies like Anta, Peak and 361 Degrees have been catching up domestically in 2nd- and 3rd-tier cities. According to the Caixin piece, three main reasons contribute to Li Ning’s recent loss:

• Focusing too much on upscale professional sportswear and less on leisure-wears
• Closing of small dealerships in consolidation of sales channels
• A lack of production factories

The company's new logo announced last year

Li Ning has been found inconsistent in its business strategy and branding. “Sometimes it wants to get international, sometimes fashion and then sporty. Nobody can really tell what the brand has been trying to deliver all these years. It’s caught in the middle of the industry,” said someone close to the Li Ning management earlier this month to Jiangsu Business News (江苏商报).

With the “make the change” campaign launched last June, Li Ning turned its focus to more high-end product lineup and younger consumers, which have not been received well by the market. As a Beijing dealer quoted in the Caixin piece, people can afford Li Ning would simply “buy a top brand with a little more money.”

Links and sources:

• Caixin - Li Ning Loses Way after Wrong Business Turn
• Jiangsu Business News - Li Ning “capricious” facing the competition (Chinese)
• Time – Can China’s Big Shoe Brand Make Tracks in the U.S.?

Previously:

• Li Ning to Open First Store in the US
• Li Ning Signs 5-year Deal with Yelena Isinbayeva

In the video, Harvey Davis, vice president at ESPN’s Events Management Group, reckons that “these [action] sports are now recognized in China as real sports, with real committees and real organizations reporting up to the top government organizations in Beijing” and concluded that as “one of the biggest things for the growth of sport in China.” With that comes, as in the case of Shanghainese BMX rider Shen Jian and his friends, a clash of interest between government organization and athletes/brands.

China has definitely been picking up actions sports in the past five years. But just because promoters established ties with the government, doesn’t mean the sports become mainstream in the country. And I think part of the image of the sports, as manifested in tattoos and piercings for most of the athletes, may be the main reason why Chinese parents would not want their children to practice in it.

In the Shen Jian story, we had a chance to talk with Chen Jie, CEO of SMP Skate Park in Shanghai. The world largest skate-park now has about 2,000 members and over ninety percent of them, according to Mr.Chen, are foreigners.

“It looks now we’re turning into a club catering exclusively to foreigners,” said Chen. “Some wealthy Chinese send their kids here to play only because they want their children to be more international, as the children could speak English with kids from other countries in the park.”

“They focus on language exchange, not the sports themselves, which again turned practitioners of extreme sports into a minority group.” Chen is cutting down on the ticket prices this June in hopes of bringing more local kids in, but he opines the results might not be fruitful.

Also in the video, PT Black commentates on sports participation in the country and why Chinese are more likely to watch than actually play sports.

Part of the reason, PT noted, comes from “a legacy of centralized sports planning” which “takes all the kids who’re good at sports out of the mainstream school system, therefore depriving their classmates of the chance to actually play with the good kids.”

Parents are the “biggest obstacle” and another reason to the lack of participation in PT’s opinion. “When the exam system is so important, parents look at any moment dedicated to sports as a moment that should have been spend studying.”

Any other reasons? This is actually what we look forward to finding out at Sports Illustrated China as the magazine is rolling out a cover feature on the topic. So more later on this.