The talk around the office for the past week has been all about
sports. People are recounting games, calculating stats and even
talking smack. With the Olympic Games taking place at venues all
over Beijing right now, this isn't surprising, but it certainly is
new. In the past, sports were rarely brought up around the
proverbial office water cooler.
In the U.S. and Europe, interest in sports can be fanatical. When I
worked in New York, for example, all we talked about was the latest
Yankees game. The same is true in other cities about, say, a good
Bears or Lakers game. It's an everyday part of life.
That has not been the case in China over the past few decades.
Sports were played by professional athletes, not by the general
population.
Last night, I went to the U.S. vs. Nigeria and Argentina vs. Serbia
soccer games. Both made it clear that Chinese fans are getting more
enthusiastic about soccer and other sports as the games go on. In
fact, with all the face paint and the drunkenness, it felt a lot
like Yankee Stadium.
The change in Chinese behavior has definitely come from more than
the influence of foreign fans and the official cheer captains. I
think the games have unleashed a new sense of freedom and desire
for self-expression. Chinese sports fans are learning how to cut
loose and seem to love being in a venue where they are encouraged
to go wild.
I hope their enthusiasm for sports and self-expression continues
after the Olympic Games are over.
I think it will, thanks in part to efforts by foreign sports
organizations. The National Basketball Association now has a full
staff at its corporate office here in Beijing organizing events.
And basketball is already popular among youth Chinese.
Several teams in North America's Major League Baseball organization
played exhibition games in China last spring. The International
Federation of Association Football (FIFA) is investing time and
money in China to grow the popularity of soccer.
These groups will add variety to sports traditionally played in
China like table tennis and badminton and encourage participation
in new games. They hope to create a whole new industry in China, in
which professional leagues can fill large stadiums with avid
Chinese fans.
The way my office colleagues suddenly have a new appreciation for
sports, it may not be long before I draft my fantasy ping pong
team.
