Basketball in China, team players
Sneakers, Jerseys, the Hot Sell in China. Who’s Playing Basketball?
Mar 24, 2007
One would tend to think that basketball, in China, is trying to take the ping out of the pong. It’s wild! It’s a frenzy! The game has been popular for many years. The interest and participation in the game keeps growing. It’s right up there, keeping pace with the mainland’s modernization. The Chinese love basketball. It’s here to stay, so who’s playing all the ball?
The CBA is China’s version of the NBA. The CBA is a state-owned organization. And now, it’s basketball championship time in China.They are the country’s best. It’s the players’ job to shoot hoops. They are provided for, they are professional. The entire country watches them on TV. But, the tube is not the only place where the sport is alive. Below the national level, courts all over the mainland are filled with team jerseys and super-sneakers. Not to mention, shoeless and half naked players in the country. Wherever you can plant a pole and attach a basket, you will find people driving for that fast lay-up.
Schoolyard hoops
Elementary and high school playgrounds are peppered with students in their required uniform of the day, dribbling and shooting. Stop by a school fence after the final bell rings and you’ll witness dozens of kids in the same colored garb, swarming the court. The only thing different is their brand of sneakers. School code demands the same uniform. Footgear is the only article of dress where they can make a personal choice. And, of course, shoes identify who you are. Your personality. Whether or not your family has money. Sound familiar?
Colleges and universities have their teams and their play-offs. Collegiate ball is hot. And for those who didn’t make the team, no problem. At the end of the day, the jocks aren’t the only ones on the court. Most of the student body is either playing or watching. And for sure, cheerleaders are waving their pom-poms. The big boys have the school’s name and the players’ number on the jersey. But, it’s open season for sneakers. Every conceivable brand and style runs up and down the court. Sneakers are definitely a statement.
Local basketball gamers
Government offices, state-owned companies, private corporations and joint- venture enterprises are not without their participation in the frenzy. They, too, have their team and their signature jerseys. Factories, shipping companies, import export businesses, even the military gets involved. And the games are taken seriously. One doesn’t see much enthusiasm when the ping-pong tournament is under way. But rooms ignite when basketball is on the board.
In the country, the farmers are not without the means to play the game. You may not see the latest style in clothing . However, a court is easily fashioned from the dust. Nets and steel frames are not a requirement. Behind a mud and brick abode, where chickens pick and scratch under a hot sun, youngsters innocently and excitedly pass the ball around. All you need is that ball and the spirit to play.
Basketball more than just exercise
And that is something that basketball has done for the Chinese people. The game has brought a new team spirit to a land where the people are already conditioned to work as one hand. Releasing a ball, following it as it closes in on a basket and the explosion of personal achievement as it passes through the net; how can you improve upon that. Well, maybe you need some hot sneakers if you can’t shoot well.
