CRI听力:NFL China Making an Aggressive Attempt to Tap into Chinese Market

The goal of NFL China is to develop its fan base, while increasing fan awareness and passion for the game, as well as focused marketing efforts around the development of the sport and NFL experience fan events here in China.

Managing Director Richard Young of NFL China believes that if people come to understand the sport, it will succeed in China.

"It speaks to a belief that we have at the NFL that this is the very best sport and that whether or not you play it is not absolutely important in becoming a fan. Obviously, if you do play it, you generally become a life-long fan. But if you understand it a little and you understand the depths and complexities. We believe that if people just get a taste of it. We believe that they will become fans."

However, he adds that the sport needs time to grow and develop. Young also says that football needs the finances and resources to build proper facilities and leagues.

Former NFL quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers Kordell Stewart echoes those thoughts, but also says teaching the children in schools will play an important role as well.

Young says that when they started there was nothing, but he adds they have seen significant progress in the last two years.

"We've seen a lot of growth a huge amount of growth. So we've seen a 400 percent jump in online viewing content. We were on four television channels two years ago now were on nineteen. We were at 40,000 weibo twitter followers now were on 160,000 -170, 000 preseason we've seen some 1.1 million people stream the Super Bowl live last year. So are we satisfied no, are we content for now yes. We got a long ways to go because were growing off of a very small base, but were growing."

Both Young and Stewart believe that American football can and will be successful in China given the right opportunities.

Stewart adds, that there are athletes here in China, they just need to be developed.

"There are athletes here. There is talent here, not the highest level of talent here, but there is some hidden talent here. I just think if you get the right pieces people here in place and have these coaches go to some camps in the states or have some the kids go to camps in the states or bring some of the camps here to China. I think it would be a great thing to start here because everything this country puts there hands on turns out to be something very very nice."

For CRI I'm Nate Schlabach.