Why is Basketball SO Popular in China?

Basketball is INSANELY popular in China. It's the largest sport in the country, and the NBA is the most watched sports league in China. But this extremely western sport seems odd in the anti-western China. Why is it that basketball grew to become the most played and watched sport in the nation?

#countryball #nba #china

Countryball, Polandball. but also Chinese sports, Chinese culture, China economy, China western, China basketball. NBA, Hong Kong, Lebron james. And Alternate History, Alternate Future of the world, American Americans, Rise and fall and rise and fall UNSTATED

[ASmith]

Very good! American college professor now settled in China, and basketball is literally all my male students do in their spare time (alongside video games like League of Legends). These kids are ferocious about it and I love watching them.

[tianwong]

5:20 The "Rockets" in this case refers to ballistic missiles, It is literally the team of the Chinese PLA Strategic Missile Command.

[Acrnavy]

When I was in Beijing, it never occurred to me why there were still many basketball courts around. It seemed normal to see them as an American.

[awijaya]

In fairness, military and state institutions having sports teams is actually quite common in post-Soviet bloc countries.

And tennis is also pretty popular in China.

[craigstephenson]

The army playing basketball isn’t so ludicrous it’s kinda like the military colleges in America having football teams

[In_Our_Timeline]

Basketball and countryball match made in heaven

[NotBCT]

I'd have to say that the Chinese obsession with basketball started long before Yao Ming. Having travelled to the diaspora and hearing accounts from the PRC from relatives as far back as the 1980s, it seems that playing basketball and watching it on TV via legitimate means or other channels (in the PRC) was a popular pastime. Even in the U.S., I've observed the popularity of basketball in various Chinese communities pre-Yao.

IIRC, when Sesame Street did their "Big Bird in China" movie, they had Big Bird meet the most popular basketball player in the PRC at the time. Dude had at least 6 or more inches on Big Bird.

[KieranFreitag]

I've always wondered why basketball is so popular in China

[erich]

Not too uncommon with early development of sports to have military teams early on (before professionalization really starts). The British FA Cup had a Royal Engineer team, etc.

[youlegelin]

Pretty accurate video! Just to add another piece of information on why soccer is not as popular as basketball in China - the time zone difference. The Europe soccer games usually play during the midnight in China, which is totally a disaster. The NBA though, usually play during morning/noon in China, which is not so good but still bearable. I used to skip my morning class to watch the game between Rockets and Lakers :)

[thelionsaber]

One considerable stimulation for Chinese youngmen to play basketball is Japan comic slam dunk スラムダンク, which also makes Kanagawa one of most popular Japan tour destination for Chinese.
As for nba, Jordan Kobe James Curry and other stars are widely adored by Chinese youngmen. When I was in school i saw most of boys in class had nba stars' photo in their pencilboxes and they sometimes would fight after arguement who is better.I can still remember my two roomates in law school refused to speak to each other for several days when James won champeon over Curry in 2016 even though they were so close that we once suspect they were gay couple.Actually there is nbamania in China.
The world is much more tightly linked than some people imagine and ordinary people in China also lead ordinary lives.

[goofytuna]

4:34 well its not as absurd as you make it out to be, we have army vs navy games in American fooltball. Idk about professional teams playing against them tho.

[noejaun]

"This seems absolutely absurd."
Westpoint is a Division I football team in the NCAA...

[squidboilukas]

so you're telling me...
*china be ballin?*

[Clarity]

Can confirm. I spent at least an hour everyday playing basketball with my classmates after school when I lived in China. It was probably the most popular sports for middle and high schoolers.

[chris-]

The army, Police etc having professional sports teams was common in the USSR. Heck, the top russian team now CSKA playing in Euroleageu is such a relic - the letters stand for Central Sports Club of the Army. Giving fake jobs in the army to athletes was a way to have a professional sports team when such things were not allowed.

[ThePartarar]

“Yao Ming, arguably the best player in professional basketball” and “You can play with, 2, 8, even up to 20 players” had me dead.

[ablebodied]

"If theres one thing China doesn't lack RIGHT NOW, its people". Make a video on Chinese demographics.

[efenty]

_"Ballin' since the Xing dynasty"_ should be the CBA's tagline

[stickr]

At no point in his career was yao ming even considered in the conversation for MVP or actual best basketball player in the world