thebeijinger wrote:

What does the NFL have to do to make American football as popular as the NBA or soccer in China?

Both basketball and football (soccer) are entrenched here because both sports are played at the school level. Students can kill their free-time easily by going to the school's b-ball courts or football field and kick around or dribble around a big, round ball. Then back to the dorms and watch the NBA or Premier League, etc. on the Chinese Internet or, when at home, on CCTV.

Both baseball (MLB) and the NFL have been trying to make inroads here. Their main problem is, of course, they're not a sport "native" to China. Well, neither were basketball or football (soccer), though some natives will argue the latter. But both are huge here now. Why? Access, I think. These American sports begin early in American schools (as does basketball and, these days, soccer). In China, the latter two are easily accomodated at all schools. Throw up some b-ball courts and a pitch and the students are out there. Not much more organization needed.

American football and baseball, on the other hand, require a bit more equipment (cost) to the players/students, explanations of rules and "how to play", and scheduling. A bunch of students with most of the proper baseball or football equipment can't, from experience, just walk into the school's "playground" and simply set up a game. For one, the rest of the students playing soccer on an ad hoc basis will not easily cede "playground" space enough so other interested students can exercise their inner MLB or NFL.

I've been in China for a few years and for 5 of them was the "baseball coach" at one of the few Chinese universities (less than 30 at that time) that had baseball teams. And in the region I was in at that time, we were the only team, so just scrimmaging was a major task. Too, it took about one year for us to be declared an "official" sport of the university, which was nice when it came through because it gave us the "power" to walk onto one of the many university fields at any given time and throw off the students playing footie so we could practice/scrimmage. The rest of the student body sooned learned that Sunday afternoons on Field #1 were reserved for the baseball team.

As far as American football, the one and only time I tried it out with my students, it was more like rugby without the tackling and everyone trying to kick the ball and pass (lateral) it if someone tossed it to them.

But I had faith in baseball, because it was relatively easily learned by my students, accomodated all types of players-tall, short, fast, slow, skinny, fat (especiaaly useful for catchers). In short, on the field, there was a place for everyone's diverse skill-sets. It's the perfect sport in an area where not everyone is 6'5" and 250. Afterall, baseball is the most popular sport in Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

The students who were interested, bought into it, once they learned the basics, and the rules, and the strategies. But could they hook the others?

No. Why not?

Around 2006 or so, MLB decided to make a push into China and set up a China rep office. They sensed a growing (albeit very small) interest in baseball in China, mostly due to the fact that Baseball would (then) be one of the 2008 Olympic sports. There was also a keen desire to cash in on some of the branding popularity that NBA teams enjoyed in the malls. MLB, which at that time had no actual baseball games being broadcast on Chinese TV, came in and did something for which I give them credit. They set up and funded 2 or 3 "MLB Baseball Training Centers" in China for aspiring and gifted, potential baseball players. The main one is in Wuxi, Jiangsu. But this did nothing to popularize the sport within China or within Chinese schools.

In 2011, I was in a third-tier city (Yantai, Shandong) walking through it's new mall and came across an entire MLB Shop loaded with authentic, and over-priced but legit MLB authorized ware. Long timers in China will laugh when I say that an entire row of Oakland A's green hats were lingering on the shelves.

So....NFL...what should you do? Change the Jets and Eagles colors before you try to sell their caps, first.

But, seriously....I remeber the days here when it was difficult to catch even a Super Bowl game in China. I remember the game where CCTV broadcast that one single game, pumping it up because they would have an NFL player who could speak Chinese (Chad Lewis from Philly) as a commentator, and then Michael Jackson's sister pulled her top down.

In the last year so so, I've noticed a remarkable difference in the way the NFL has approached China. For one, they have made deals with Chinese internet/TV providers to show games. PPTV, LETV, etc. Plus they've developed their own NFLChina website. It makes it easier for people here (Chinese and non) to watch games. It helps spread the interest of watching a game among the hoi polloi. And in many cases helps to explain the rules.

Second, in Beijing I know that NFL China set up the NFL Game Day Experience over a series of weeks at Bei Hang including the flag-football games. This allowed thousands of interested spectators and students from a variety of schools to learn more and immerse themselves in the NFL Experience. And many of them will no doubt be watching the Super Bowl on PPTV or LETV next weekend.

In short, NFL China seems to be tackling the issue well...and progressing progressively (:)) along the long march toward making the NFL popular in China.

MLB is looking for prospects -a Yao Ming of baseball; the NFL is developing fans for the game - a deeper root.

Keep doing what you're doing; it's a long march, but it seems to be working well.

Hilarious.

How does 'someone being randomly assaulted' convert into my being 'cursed by evil' ?

I had this very same thing happen on a smaller scale a few years ago when my (very large, formerly government-run) company got a new president and new Party dude. The new leadership called a meeting of the foreign employees--all three of us--and asked for our advice about what our company could do better. My Russian colleague commented about their housing situation for foreign employees (company housing sucks). My Japanese colleague commented about the need for improvement in marketing (our company needs to publish what the market needs, not what the powers on high think the People need). I commented on the need for consistency in editing (we need an in-house style guide) and the need to improve quality of our books' content (we need to stop publishing crap copied off the Internet).

Guess how many of those suggestions have been "paid attention to"? It's been three years since our little "let 100 flowers bloom" meeting... Nothing has changed. At least we weren't axed for sharing opinions. But then, all three of us shared pretty innocuous criticisms. If I'd shared what I'd actually wanted to, I doubt I'd still be here.

I'd rather have dirty politics and clean air than dirty politics and dirty air.

Thats a safe statement because if he doesn't the air will do it for him. BJ will clean up their air one day, when pockets stop being lined.

"Keep up the good work!"

"Wouldn't change a thing!"

"It's much better than CATS!"

Do you really think the Chinese governemnt would listen to an expat? And on the outside chance they would, they certainly would turn the horse into a camel. For Christs sake, give us a break. Or should I have said camel characteristics?

From a cynical perspective, this is basically the usual Chinese tactic of "give us some 'ideas' because we have'nt a fking clue" , and when it all turns to shit they can blame the foreigners!