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:

Tariq Panja, Global Sports Reporter, The New York Times and Co-author “Football’s Secret Trade”

No one knows more about China’s efforts to emerge as a global sporting superpower better than Mark. Madcap ideas, money and mayhem, Mark has followed it all.

Gady Epstein, China Affairs Editor, The Economist

“Sporting Superpower” is an essential guide to China’s sporting ambitions, and the officials, entrepreneurs and athletes who shape them. Mark Dreyer has immersed himself in the world of Chinese sport for 15 years, and his expertise shines through on every page.

Celia Hatton, Asia Pacific Editor, BBC

If you draw a Venn diagram showing those who comprehend how China works and those who broadly understand the world of sports, Mark Dreyer is one of the very few who could comfortably sit in the middle of that illustration. This book is a treasure; it’s full of colourful stories that only the author could uncover. 

Tom Mackenzie, Anchor, Bloomberg TV

Few people have followed the rapid evolution of China’s modern sports scene more closely than Mark Dreyer. In “Sporting Superpower”, he weaves those changes into a wonderfully compelling narrative, peppered with colourful anecdotes, humour and analysis born of two decades of on-the-ground experience. This is a story of sporting success, failure and ambition on an unparalleled scale; a mirror to China’s economic and political past, and its future. “Sporting Superpower” is a must-read for anyone striving for a fuller understanding of China as a global power. 

Henry Bushnell, Features Writer, Yahoo Sports

A tremendous resource for understanding sport in a Chinese context, and China in a sporting context, and all the political and economic dynamics that have driven Chinese sports in the 21st century.

If those reviews don’t convince you, maybe the price will – there’s a special Easter week promotion on Amazon.com running this week, starting from just $0.99!

But click here to buy it now, because the price keeps rising (similar offer should kick in on Amazon.co.uk soon)