Tag Archives: Southampton

Special Book Offer for Sporting Superpower!

As long-time readers and subscribers of China Sports Insider, I wanted to tell you about a special offer for Sporting Superpower, running on Amazon all this week. But let me back up a little…

The first few months of the year were pretty busy. In addition to recording two podcasts a week and working about four jobs over the Olympic period, I did more than 100 media interviews and appearances to promote my book “Sporting Superpower: An Insider View on China’s Quest to Be the Best”now a #1 Amazon bestseller!

It was a lot of fun – but not as fun as I had writing it over the course of the past year. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, it’s packed full of personal anecdotes – such as the time I interviewed David Beckham live on Chinese state television or filmed a Nike commercial alongside tennis star Li Na; there’s also plenty of analysis drawn from my 15 years covering the sports industry here – such as a look at the NBA‘s disastrous missteps and where China goes next in the wake of the Peng Shuai debacle. Then there’s the story of how Aaron Rodgers nearly blew up the NFL‘s business in China, an inside look at the Chinese owners of European football clubs including Aston Villa, Southampton and West Brom, the time Donald Trump used three basketball players in Hangzhou as negotiating chips, some barely credible tales from the world of Chinese ice hockey, plus much more besides.

But, in summary, it’s about China.

The growing pains of the sports industry here – both the highs and the lows – speak so much about the country as a whole. It’s been a fascinating ride and, as with many other industries, the Chinese sports industry – despite its many deficiencies – still has a fighting chance to end up on top of the world.

Here’s what a few people had to say about Sporting Superpower:

Continue reading Special Book Offer for Sporting Superpower!

Doping, diplomacy and deadbeat players

Fresh off making their 2017 China Sources list, this is my debut China Sports column for SupChina, which you can read in full here. Below is a summary of what went on this week. 

Continue reading Doping, diplomacy and deadbeat players

10 questions on the Chinese sports industry

US-based sports marketing guru Joe Favorito reached out and asked me to do a Q&A for his site on various aspects of the Chinese sports industry. Given that his weekly industry newsletter is distributed to well over 30,000 people, I was more than happy to oblige. Joe published the results in two parts – here and here – which are reprinted below. 

Continue reading 10 questions on the Chinese sports industry

What Saints fans can expect from their Chinese owners

Recent headlines have proclaimed “the end of Chinese transfers”, with the purchase of Southampton FC by Lander Sports’ Gao Jisheng appearing to sneak in just under the deadline. Part 1 (below) will take a look at what the Gao deal means for Southampton – and what fans can reasonably expect – while Part 2 will analyze the wider implications of Chinese takeovers following the latest developments and regulations. 

Continue reading What Saints fans can expect from their Chinese owners

Horrific injury overshadows CSL’s latest star arrivals

The CSL’s summer transfer window saw yet another record fee paid, as more international players arrived in China, but the league’s top scorer, Demba Ba, is looking at months on the sidelines after a bad leg break.

It is a measure of how much the pulling power of the Chinese Super League (CSL) has exploded over the past year that the summer transfer window, which closed last week, contained a handful of blockbuster deals, but was still considered quieter than expected.

Continue reading Horrific injury overshadows CSL’s latest star arrivals

New soccer tournaments could see China gain global dominance

China’s long-term soccer plan calls for the country to be a global force in the game by 2050, but if China’s latest football project comes off, it would arguably become a major footballing power long before that.  

The plan has been laid out by the Chinese government, backed, of course, by President Xi Jinping, but the latest moves have come from one of the country’s biggest companies – Wanda, whose boss just happens to be China’s richest man.

Continue reading New soccer tournaments could see China gain global dominance