Even Homer Simpson knows statistics can be used to prove anything. That’s particularly true in China, where data is not known for being the most reliable. Whether it’s GDP figures, box office numbers or internal accounting, numbers in China are best taken with a sack or two of salt.
All posts by Mark Dreyer
Weekly Wrap: Yao Ming’s death and Other Stories
Yao Ming is sadly no longer with us. The seven-week-old giraffe in Houston named after the Chinese NBA star was put down after a month-long bone infection couldn’t be treated. Sorry for leading with a tearjerker – I promise the other stories will be more cheerful!
Continue reading Weekly Wrap: Yao Ming’s death and Other Stories
Li Na makes list one year too late
After Time recently named Li Na as one of the world’s top 100 most influential people, my first thought was about the Timing (sorry). Her breakout performance was her French Open win in 2011, so why have they taken this long to put her on the list? Yes, her brand has continued to grow, but her main sponsors jumped on board in summer 2011, immediately after her Grand Slam win.
Anyway, the point of these lists is to generate discussion, so job done there. Interestingly, while many have predicted that Li Na would soon overtake Maria Sharapova as the world’s highest earning sportswoman, Sharapova’s recent deal with Porsche could keep her in the lead for a little while longer.
Here’s this week Sports Talk column:
Influence is a somewhat fluid concept, particularly in connection with Time Magazine’s annual list of the world’s 100 most influential people.
To say that Italian soccer player Mario Balotelli – one of just four sports figures on the list – is more influential than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo is farcical.
Is he more colorful, more controversial? Yes, on both counts, and those factors sell magazines, so let’s forgive Time their poetic license.
Continue reading Li Na makes list one year too late
Chinese star: I wish I was an alien [UPDATED]
All sports stars feel pressure to a certain extent, but when you’ve got the hopes of 1.3 billion people weighing on you, that pressure can become suffocating. China’s greatest sportsmen and women all either compete in individual events (Liu Xiang, Li Na, Lin Dan etc) or are head and shoulders above anyone else on their team (literally, in Yao Ming’s case), and so they rarely, if ever, have the chance to share that burden.
Continue reading Chinese star: I wish I was an alien [UPDATED]
Catfight between China and Japan over basketball player
Citizenship is always an issue in China, or more specifically, changing your citizenship. For one thing, you tend to need a lot of money. Chinese movie stars have taken up residence in other countries and faced accusations of being a traitor, but crossing borders in the sports world can be even more controversial.
Continue reading Catfight between China and Japan over basketball player
Guan Tianlang wins legions of fans – just not in China
For all the attention lavished on Guan Tianlang last week, here’s a bit of context: his Weibo followers have swelled from about 20,000 a week ago to 28,000. Compare that to Chinese tennis star Li Na who has more than 21 million fans.
Numbers in China are notoriously hard to check, especially on a place like Weibo where fake and inactive accounts vastly outnumber real ones, but the point is clear: Guan barely registers on China’s sporting radar despite last week’s heroics. In fact, my guess is that his week at Augusta raised his international profile far more than his Chinese one, and that tells you everything about how far the game of golf still has to go here.
Continue reading Guan Tianlang wins legions of fans – just not in China
Could Guan Tianlang win the Masters? [UPDATED]
In a word, no – at least not this year – but now that he’s made the cut, how well can he realistically do?
The field of 93 has been pared down to 61, with Guan beginning Round 3 ranked tied for 55th with 6 other players (otherwise known as last equal). Obviously just making the cut is outstanding, but a top 50 finish is now a real possibility.
Continue reading Could Guan Tianlang win the Masters? [UPDATED]
The waiting game: has Guan Tianlang made the cut? [UPDATE: YES!]
When Guan Tianlang walked off the 18th green at the end of a 3-over-par second round of 75 – and one hole removed from being controversially given a one-stroke penalty for slow play – he stood at +4 for the tournament, fractionally above the PROJECTED CUT line. But while his score was fixed, that line was not.
His first round of 73 stunned the sporting world, perhaps more so internationally than back home in China, where golf remains a niche sport. But making the cut would emulate Thursday’s achievements, even though it is now in the hands of the gods – and, as he found out to his cost, those of the officials.
Continue reading The waiting game: has Guan Tianlang made the cut? [UPDATE: YES!]
Odds on Guan Tianlang making the cut just got much shorter
As good as Guan Tianlang was on Thursday at the Masters – and he was very good – he’ll have to be every bit as good, perhaps better, on Friday to make the cut. His 1-over-par 73 leaves him tied for 46th place in a field of 94 players, and three shots clear of the next best amateur in the field.
Continue reading Odds on Guan Tianlang making the cut just got much shorter
All eyes on Guan Tianlang at the Masters
Guan Tianlang tees off at the Masters at 12.24 am early on Friday morning China time, playing alongside Ben Crenshaw (the oldest competitor in the field) and 19-year-old Matteo Manassero, who, as a 16-year-old, previously held (well, technically still holds for another few hours…!) the youngest age record at the Masters.
Good news for Guan in his quest to make the cut: the Masters changed their rules on Wednesday for the first time since 1962 (what is in the water this year??), meaning that more players will now stick around for the weekend’s action. It used to be players standing tied for 44th or better (or within 10 strokes of the lead) would continue to play on Saturday and Sunday, but has been raised to tied for 50th or better (plus those with 10 shots of the lead).
And good news for Guan in his quest to win the whole thing: given that no player has ever won Wednesday’s Par-3 competition AND the Masters proper in the same year, Guan will be “pleased” that Ted Potter Jr, another Masters rookie (but 15 years his senior!) took home the Par-3 prize.
Here’s my take on China’s newest golf sensation for Beijing Cream.