商业之梦:发财致富的体育明星

NBA star Yao Ming and champion hurdler Liu Xiang are the two of the most prominent sports stars in China. The two are also the darlings in the eyes of various adverting agents from home and abroad aiming to reach China's increasingly confident and brand-conscious consumers. Therefore, a large chunk of their income is from brand endorsement.

According to the latest Forbes ranking, the 20 highest-paid Olympians earned 448 million US dollars collectively over the past 12 months. They are almost entirely made up of basketball stars and tennis pros, except Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.

Professor Liu Qingzao, from the Shanghai Physical Culture Institute, explains why the above sports categories are the most favored by businesses:

"First, it has a lot to do with the level of pleasure watching a specific game. The popularity of the sport also counts since the number of viewers will decide how effectively the advertisement will reach out. Apparently, advertisers are convinced into putting their money in basketball and tennis rather than the Iron Man Triathlon. The number of sponsorship deals also has something to do with the history of the sport."

Although Chinese athletes pocketed a great number of gold medals at the London Olympics, few of them were successful in their gold rush outside the playing arena.

French Open tennis champion Li Na, 110-meter hurdle racer Liu Xiang and badminton world champion Lin Dan, known as "Super Dan", are probably the exceptions.
Given that China is an increasingly powerful sports nation that has won many gold medals in international events, why are there so few homegrown sports stars with a status that can compare with the international elite?

Professor Liu Qingzao gives his answers:

"There is no sufficient legislation in place to regulate commercial activities for sports stars. Most of the professional sports stars are educated, trained and managed by the government, which is an important reason for the relatively low commercial value of domestic stars. Another reason is that China lacks professional sports agents, who can take good care of the needs of both the athletes and the market."

Liu says the sports industry is not just about keeping fit. It's also the business of dreams and passion.

He adds that without the commercial side, the influence of sports cannot spread.

For CRI, I'm Yao Yongmei.