It's probably true most Chinese played some ping pong while growing up. But to say it's the most popular sport in China is like to say jogging is the most popular sport in the US.
not really to argue, but since you said saudi football team is one of the best teams in asia (only asia), isn't that the same thing that chinese basketball team is THE BEST in asia ? just thought it didn't make much sense to say something like that, why would china trade the best basketball team in asia for one of top football teams in asia, not even the best. and chinese basketball team with yao is mediocre with yao in the world, actually made top 8 in the olympics. the chinese football ususally goes from ranked in FIFA 50 to 60, while saudi ranks around 30, neither is good enough. it's not like china never made it to world cup, i think in 2002, they had bad luck, cuz in the same group as turkey and brazil, both made to the final 4, go figure.
lol, nothing to do with basketball, but anyways, ping pong to chinese is like football to americans, almost like a tradition, many casual fans including old people who probably don't know soccer and basketball at all, while soccoer and basketball fans in china are all hardcore and outspoken, that's probably why people think those are more popular than ping pong, but anyways, there is no point to argue which sports is the most popular in china, but yao is for sure the most popular athelte in china
About the game... Wow! I'd like to see that game just to see how such a thing could happen! Well at least SA got to double figures... Just think if you were a SA player who rode the bench the whole game...Just not quite good enough to out there and not score or play any defense... Well, they have no where to go but up (at least I hope that's the case for their sakes) I like saying that SA got only 10 points...I can pretend that SA stands for San Antonio... About most popular sport in china... What??!! curling isn't sweeping china yet? About soccer... Hey! Soccer is a great game... close low-scoring games means there's always a chance for it to completely turn around out of no where. Watching those games are pretty intense...When I was in Europre I loved going to a bar and catching a game... intense madness...
blah, i know soccer is way more popular than basketball in asia, but that was not the point, i was a soccer fan before basketball fan, but with yao, steve, tmac, rox, nba is getting there with soccer, cuz in urban china, it could end up like NYC and such, more street ball, anyways, what a game eh well, i think turkey is half in europe half in asia, but for soccer, i think they are in european pool ? correct me if i'm wrong
Dude I liked reading all your posts. But this football vs ping pong stuff you are wayyyyyyyyy off. Ping pong only involves two people, needs a table, needs some special balls, need special rackets etc etc. It's simply too complicated. There are LOTS of places in China where I haven't seen a single ping pong table or anyone playing. But there is NO place that is unable to have a ball-like thingie, be it a tin can or a stone, that a bunch of kids will kick around.
bleh, I was meant to quote MFW. basically I have experience in two areas 1, schools, universities etc football >>>>>>>>> ping pong 2, country side, small towns etc football >>>> ping pong I think that's good enough. first young people are always the most enthusiastic about sports and second the poor areas still have the most population in China and ping pong is simply too "complicated" for those places.
well, you know things are cheap in china right ? and there is one big ping pong equipment company in china that make very very good things, on top of that, you don't need standard ping pong stuff to play, i grew up in china, i remember back in the dayz, all you had to do is find some big table, a few bricks to make the net, then you get to play ping pong (sort of, ghetto style), but playing soccer, it's true you can play almost everywhere, but streets are crowded, probably hit people in the head or something, and too many people play in standard soccer field, no room for most, same goes with basketball, not enough court for kids, adults take up all the courts and fields, it would be lucky for us to find some empty fields and courst back to the game lol, hope china beat korea tmr, otherwise i would be pissed, i'm not talking bout 10 or 15 point win neither, i want a blow out like 20, 25+ points, gotta start a beat down, gotta play the same way as today's game, gotta make the weaker team feel so bad that they don't wanna play you no more but i guess that's too much to ask lol, as long as they don't lose
hhaha, we used to do that back in the day in saudi. play with squished up tin cans. lol. and also tennis balls, or even lil rubber bouncy balls SOCCER RULES
I honestly don't understand why pingpong is so big in China and why everyone play it so much. I kept telling my cousins and friends that they look like twitching chickens when they hit the ball. Every time I watch it in Olympic it just look like 2 "special" children going at it.
LOL no you can't play. You need rackets. No one seriously plays ping pong without owning special rackets. You can't borrow your friends' all the time. (like what I tried to do) However, to play football, you only need one out of ten or one out of twenty kids who's rich enough to own a freak'ing ball ! Or like I said you don't even need a ball. I played with plastic bottles for years. And to me, this is the real beauty of this sport. Everyone can play it everywhere. One ball to entertain twenty kids. How many materials do you need to have twenty kids play ping pong. And that's why football is the most popular sport in the world, and in China.
b Yeah back in the day, lol btw China will not trade its bball team with Saudi's football team. Because as crap as the Chinese football team is, they can still beat Saudi any day of the week.
LOL that is so true. Actually to think of it, there is a certain "poker" game that may just run away as the most popular sport in China, even more so than football, or any other entertainment for that matter.
What? Trade the CNT for SA's soccer team? Are you crazy? Saudi's soccer team doesn't worth one of Yao Ming's toes.
Is getting very interesting with this China Vs Whoever threads.... vs Taipei... the thread was full of political craps vs Japan... we have Philippines PBA discussions vs Saudi... we have ping pong vs soccer Now, tonight China will be vs Korea... i hope the thread will have something more basketball related like Yao vs Ha or China's 3ptr vs Koreans' 3 ptr etc etc. Hope it wont turn to China's soccer team vs Korea soccer team discussion
