Talking Balls: Ducks Flying, Guoan Too Green & This J-Lin Stuff Gets Silly
Good evening, sports fans. Let's get right into it. The CBA playoffs are at their semi-final stage and Beijing Ducks are back in the series after winning game two. Stephon Marbury dropped a colossal 52 points to send them on their way to besting Shanxi by 132-123. Thanks to NiuBBall for the alley-oop on the video you'll see below. Don't forget to check out the 2011-12 NiuBBall Awards. Spoiler alert: Starbury gets what he deserves.
Our other adopted hometown team didn't fare so well in elite competition this week. Beiijing Guoan kicked off their season with an away game in the AFC Champions' League against Ulsan Hyundai. The Koreans won 2-1, much to our Guoan correspondent's disgust. Read Brandon's report on Wild East Football. Look out for better news when Beijing Guoan kick off the CSL season this weekend at home to Guangzhou R&F.
Wild East Football hosts an article on Brazilian imports into the CSL. It's a decent read but nowhere near as good as the truth on Chinese in Brazilian football from the Guardian's always-excellent Said & Done:
Brazil: Corinthians – unveiling Chinese signing Chen Zhizhao. Vice-president Luis Paulo Rosenberg: "He has the swagger of Brazil and the commitment of the Chinese."
(2011: Rosenberg reveals his club's plan for a marketing breakthrough in Asia. "We'll sign any old rubbish from China.")
Continuing on the subject of the CSL, all of the team kits have been released and they're on Football Shirt Culture. It's not as in-depth as last year's CSL kit summary but it has some interesting news. One example (no doubt straight from Nike PR):
"Beijing Guo’an F.C.: The home jersey continues to use the team’s traditional green, while the weaved pattern on the front drew inspiration from the twirling form of Chinese dragons and showcases the cosmopolitanism of Beijing. The team’s motto – “Guo’an always fights for first” – is emblazoned on the team crest. The away kit incorporates elements of Beijing’s ultra-modern architecture."
It's been a week since we last blasted you with more Jeremy Lin than you can possibly stomach. Here is some more and we're sorry about the risk of Lindigestion. Here is this week's feast in bitesize bullets:
- ESPN's Jeremy Lin Bandwagon Jumper – The Arcade Game
- TATS Cru's Jeremy Lin mural in The Bronx
- WSJ.com's fascinating article on the only man who predicted that Jeremy Lin might be NBA material
- Jimmy Fallon's new version of Pearl Jam's "Jeremy"
- Time.com point out that China's not producing point guards – and that JLin wouldn't have made Team China
- China Daily say that JL's rise has given the NPC & CPPCC food for thought on Chinese sports
Yesterday was International Women's Day. China Daily marked the occasion by making a slideshow. It is entitled "For Women's Day: Beauty and brawn". It starts with the following words:
"Women and sports make an awesome combo. They are strong, powerful and they are getting superb results in the sport they are engaging in. And they are some of the most beautiful women in the world with well-built bodies."
Thank goodness that the sports media treats women's sport as equal and doesn't resort to objectifying athletes.
Big game hunting and China? Apparently it is all the rage among the wealthy elite. So says the Shanghaiist. We're not sure if shooting defenceless animals is sport so we'll say no more about it.
And finally, you may have been excited to read that LeBron James is going to bring dunkin' to China ... as Asia brand ambassador for Dunkin' Donuts.
