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.”

When you walk around the Yuanshen, you quickly realize that this is Yao Ming’s house. His image adorns the walls, the banners and the advertisements, whilst his retired jersey hangs from the rafters. During home games, Yao watches from his private box up high in the arena, looking down on players and fans alike like an emperor.

Yet if Yao is the liege of Shanghainese basketball, then Liu Wei is very much the heir-aparant. The two man are childhood friends, playing in same youth team together before both found themselves called up to the Sharks at the age of seventeen in 1997. There, under the tutaledge of coach Li Qiuping, they won a CBA title together, beating the then mighty Bayi Rockets in 2002, having lost to the military side in the two previous finals.

Lifting the trophy would be Yao’s last act for the Sharks before the NBA beckoned and the giant centre would not return to the team in an official capacity until 2009 when he bought the ailing basketball club. Yao and Liu were re-united in Shanghai but with an odd twist; one man was now technically the boss of his close friend.

Though Liu also made it to America, it never worked out like it did for Yao. On trial with the Sacrimento Kings in 2004, Liu played against his old team mate in the ‘China Games’, two preseason matches between the Kings and the Houston Rockets that  got obviously high viewing figures in Asia. This was as close as the guard came to making the NBA; Liu played thirty-four minutes over three games, scoring two points and getting four rebounds. Sacrimento didn’t pick up the option and the point guard returned to carry on playing for the Sharks.

Yet inspite of not being able to make it to the NBA, Liu Wei remains a popular, well-respected figure in Chinese basketball. As well as captaining his country, he has won one gold medal with China at the FIBA championships and two at the Asian Games. Last year, he became the first player in the CBA’s history to score 6000 points, 1600 steals and 700 assists. Within China’s social media sites, he is one of its most ‘liked’ figures, and fans at the Yuanshen will still gather by the players’ tunnel before and after games to reach down to Liu for a high five or an autograph.

There have of course been controversies, most notably in 2008, when along with three other team mates, he got involved in a post game confrontation with Gabe Muoneke, then playing for the now defunct Yunnan Bulls. The American was chased and cornered by the players in front of Muoneke’s family in what the CBA referred to as ‘[an] incident [that] was abominable and serious in nature, casting a terrible influence over society and seriously harming the CBA’s brand and reputation”. The point guard had the book thrown at him, and was fined heavily and suspended for ten games.

Its testament to his popularity however, that despite the Muoneke incident and the Sharks record in recent years (they have only had two winning seasons since 2002), Liu is still an important figure to the Shanghai supporters, who fete him with the same adoration as other fanbases in other sports might regard Derek Jeter, Paolo Maldini or Mario Lemieux; one-club players who have stayed with their team through thick and thin. Their mistakes on and off the court are excused by the supporters because these players have become fused to the very identity of the club. By staying around for so long, they have shown the same passion and commitment to the team as the supporters do.

Liu’s willingness to give his all for the Sharks has been well documented, although as he gets older, it will need to be stored and used carefully. In a recent CBA game against Lioaning, with Shanghai falling behind to a high scoring offense,  Liu, who had previously hobbled off due to knee pain, dragged himself back onto the court to help with the chase. It was ultimately fruitless as Shanghai were beaten decisively and Liu may well have made the injury worse (he would leave the subsequent game against Guangdong Tigers in the first quarter and has missed every Sharks game since then) but it underlined his desire to help his team win.

Liu will be thirty-two by the end of this CBA season and depending on the state of his body, he could play for a few more years to come. In a young team with masses of raw potential, the guard might be tempted to keep on playing into his thirties as his team mates mature, although he has also suggusted an interest in coaching.

When he does call it a day, Liu’s number will almost certainly be retired and raised to the rafters along with Yao’s. The two friends then will probably end up sitting together in the owner’s box, watching the team they led to a title almost a decade ago move onto its next chapter. Yao has already secured his legacy and in what time he has left, Liu will be seeking to make his already lengthy list of achievements that little bit longer.

Picture: QQ.com

'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

Two men exchanged pleasantries via Weibo on Wednesday night, one complimenting the other on a job well done. So far, so normal, considering this is China’s leading social networking site, with over 25o million registered accounts. Yet the big difference was who was doing it; Stephon Marbury, two-time NBA All-Star, now with the Beijing Ducks, was congratulating  J.R. Smith, the former Denver Nugget, on playing his part in Zhejiang Golden Bulls’ victory over Guangdong Leopards that night.

Both men are the star name for their respective CBA teams, but their fates will differ after this season. Smith has already stated he will return to the NBA in the summer of 2012; Marbury will be 35 by then and the chances of finding a starting job back in America are unlikely.

Moreover, the Weibo feeds show the different adventures each man is having in China. Marbury, whose weibo address is in his own name, whilst Smith’s still has the serial code from its initial registration, posts pictures of himself on the Beijing underground on the way to practice, and can’t help himself from doffing his cap to his Chinese audience. He regularly posts pictures of himself with fans and showing a politicians touch for populatity, recently slammed current China coach Bob Donewald for his perceived mistreatment of Yao Ming. A fan asks him what his next move with be and the reply is imediate “I would Love to End My Career here in Beijing. That would be a Perfect ending [sic]“.

Smith on the other hand struggles to hide the fact that his time in China will be a year at the most. His Weibo account has recently been compelling viewing due to the American publicly arguing with his club’s owner over the internet about the physios he can use and Smith’s subsequent absconsion to Beijing. Determined and idioscentric like the majority of young, up-and-coming athletes, Smith’s recent behavior underlines the frustrations of a man who simply wants to play basketball and when not clashing with his boss about who can treat his injury, is knuckling down for a season of basketball and then retreating to his house away from the unpredictable country he has now found himself in. In the build up to his matches, he posts messages constantly- all he can think of is getting on the court and playing. In his downtime, he fires out questions about where he can buy Xbox 360 games in Shanghai or even where his nearest mall is, as if stocking up with supplies until the next game.

Both Marbury and Smith share a clear love for basketball but whereas the former is throwing himself into his new enviroment, the latter is simply trying to understand it. “Coming from the US it’s a 180 difference but being willing to understand an willing to learn is key![sic]“, Smith admits to Marbury in response to the latter’s post-game Weibo post. Marbury on the other hand, relentlessly lambasted during his later days in New York, seems liberated by the respectful passion of Chinese basketball fans and the aura of Beijing itself; “I’m so happy we have another game for all of Beijing to see. It’s a blessing playing basketball in China!”, he announces, shortly after professing his love for Beijing Guaon in the Chinese Super League. Another time, he appologises for not being able to oblidge all the autogragh hunters who find him in and around the city. He has business links here too, one of which is the online retailer for his Starbury brand of trainers and seems very much settled

Via Weibo, the outlook of the two men are easy to read. Marbury, a trailblazer for coming to China in the first place, may well become even more remarkable for staying in China. He has already talked about moving into coaching and has admitted to making notes and watching the technical bench from afar during the Ducks pre-season games, although its foreseeable that Marbury could be playing for a while longer. “When your mind is right, the body is easy to condition. CHINA gives me the peace within to have a clear mind and a free loving heart. I love China because of the peace and love it breeds[sic]” came another recent post. Smith, on the other hand, knows that his talent makes his antics tolerated but probably will not get away with it for more than one season, “Just want to say thank you to my teammates! I know I’m not the easiest to understand but they are willing to help me get threw everything[sic]“.

It’s unlikely that Smith will be posting notices on Weibo in 2013 but Marbury will hope to be around for a while longer, existing as a quasi-Yoda figure sending messages of support to  newly arrived NBA exiles but at the same time becoming further engrained in the city he now calls home.

Photo: china.org.cn

The ongoing NBA lockout has understandably been a massive coup to other basketball leagues around the world, who have invited a number of its currently unpaid players for a spot of moonlighting in a variety of interesting locations. Deron Williams is in Turkey, Tony Parker and Rudy Fernandez are turning up for teams in their native France and Spain, and players from the basketball’s most lucrative league  can be found plying their trade in Israel, Russia, Brazil, Poland, South Korea, Slovenia, Serbia, Lithuania and Montenegro to name but a few.

China has also got in on the act but with a crucial difference. Though the NBA lock-out allows for players to play for other teams, the majority of the players playing overseas have opt-out clauses in these invariably year-long contracts that will allow them to return to the NBA if and when the labour dispute ends. China on the other hand is taking a firm line with teams in the CBA reaching out to NBA players, insisting that only free agents can be signed, all of whom will be expected to fulfill the duration of their CBA contracts.

This caveat has not slowed CBA teams making deals with a variety of close-to-household names and the depth of new talent arriving into the Chinese league remains impressive;

Foshan Dragons – Gerald Greene

Jiangsu Dragons- Dan Gadzuric

Jilin Tigers- Cartier Martin

Liaoning Dinosaurs- Josh Powell and Jermaine Martin

Xingiang Guanghui Flying Tigers- Kenyon Martin

Zhejiang Golden Bulls- J.R. Smith and Josh Boone

Zhejiang Lions- Wilson Chandler

Amongst the new arrivals, that include the first overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft (Kenyon Martin) and a two-time champion (Powell, albeit tentatively), all bar Jermaine Martin have play-off experience in their career and all of them played anywhere from often to continuously  during the last NBA regular season. Only  Kenyon Martin and Gadzuric are in their 30′s and in the cases of Smith and Chandler, are players approaching their prime. For CBA fans, who have spent last season with only the aging, broken Stephon Marberry as their sole marquee name, the NBA’s problems are Chinese basketball’s gain.

Likewise, the short term benefits for the free agents are clear to see. Though there won’t be an immediate exit route back to the NBA, what they can look forward to are regular games and the chance to develop (something Chandler has already acknowledged) whilst the rest of the NBA’s players head to Europe to play (but not too hard lest they injure themselves too close to the lockout finishing) or stagnate through inactivity. Equally important is the fact that all of the new arrivals will being paid handsomely;  Zhejiang will be paying Smith a cool $3 million salary for his year in East China, Kenyon Martin will be taking home $2.65 million,  whilst Chandler can expect to make somewhere between$2-$3million. By comparison, Shanghai’s presumably new starting centre, Tseng Wen-ting will be taking home $310,000 during the same time frame.

The sudden chaos in American basketball has created an unexpected bonanza for the CBA, certainly in the short-term but it remains to be seen what will happen when the 2012-2013 season rolls along.

Firstly, the CBA is still a small league where its highest-points-in-a-game record is still held by Andre Emmitt, a journeyman who played six games for Memphis in his rookie season in 2004 and has since diligently moved from weak league to weak-ish league, picking up high points per game averages in Venezuela, France and Belgium as well as China. A similarly nomadic guard, Leon Rodgers hit a record fifteen three-pointers in a game in 2008. For a country as crazy about basketball as China, its domestic league measures up poorly in comparison with its European counterparts and the arrival of out-and-out ‘big’ names will give the CBA the legitimacy that a developing league needs to improve, both in terms of marketability but also standard of play. Further along from 2011, one of the core criteria for assessing how Chinese basketball utilised this unexpected diaspora of NBA talent will be if it will still be possible for unremarkable players to score 71 points in a game, or whether the admittedly temporary arrival of top drawer talent can rubber stamp the CBA as a respectable, competitive league that can continually attract competent, talented athletes.

Secondly, the CBA will be faced with the challenge of maintaining the fan interest that will be created by the arrival of Mssrs Smith, Chandler et al once they have returned to the States. Ideally, team owners will resist the urge to raise prices for CBA matches too much this season (although you obviously can’t afford to pay someone three million dollars for thirty-two games without some gameday price raise) and find ways to  keep the arenas and gymnasiums full once the current crop of stars have moved on.Whilst the CBA shouldn’t become a lucrative elephants graveyard, the idea of NBA players considering Chinese teams in free agency shouldn’t be so unusual anymore and owners, players and agents alike will no doubt be aware of the marketing potential that would come with being part of a successful Chinese team and through it, a more widely supported and attended CBA.

Ultimately, the greatest benefactors from the NBA lockout chaos should be the Chinese basketball players themselves. The arrival of players like Smith and Chandler could be a gimmick that is coyly exploited for one year and then China will return to watching basketball on their tv screens rather than live and in person. Yet it could easily be the spark that improves the CBA, the quality of players it can attract and with time, the standards of the players it produces for the NBA and the national team. The upcoming CBA season promises to be an exciting one for obvious reasons but in the long-term, it may also be one that shapes the league’s progression and ambition for a decade to come.

Photo: SI.com

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

The site is called Choysum, and it aims to provide weekly or daily news on popular teams in America and Europe via email so that readers can easily follow sports from their phone. For a start, Choysum plans to focus on American football, with its small and growing niche fans in China.  It will  rely on a team of freelancers to report on the 16 games each week and send articles via email to readers.

“We expect the Buffalo Bills, because of Ed Wang, who is the first Chinese-American to play in the NFL, to be the most popular team,” said Clarence Hu, the founder of Choysum, in an email interview. “Our freelancers are passionate fans of each team. By paying people to do something they love, we can make the system sustainable.”

The articles on Choysum are written from the ground up in Chinese with the Chinese sports fan in mind. According to Clarence, they are not translated versions of English originals.  So we can expect their content to be different than most of the usual translations reports on portals and sports sites.

What Choysum is building is very interesting in terms of the production of their content and how they deliver them. But at the end of the day, what matters most is how strong their content are. It sounds like many BChengs and Camerons reporting on the CSL in Chinese for now, and we’ll just have to wait and see.

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