the black China hand

Watching the Houston Rockets win over the Lakers as the “Chairman” was sitting it out on the bench with an injured foot got me to thinking about sports culture in China and the pressure that its stars must have to succeed for country over self. Yao, who is only 28, has been injured almost every year that he’s played. Naturally, some of his injuries are just part of what it is to be a NBA-baller but I think that the quantity of his injuries must be due to the demands that are put on him by Chinese Basketball during the off-season. While other stars are resting, tweeting and making commercials, Yao has to work out, train, play and appear at sundry media events in for Chinese National Basketball. In short he’s not giving his body time to heal and recuperate. The result of all this activity being the high likelihood of injury during the NBA season and especially, as in this season, the likelihood that an injury will occur at the most inopportune time. Perhaps the powers that be in China Sports should reconsider how they treat their stars. There’s nothing against their wish to advance China sports but how can you advance it when your best and brightest are sitting on the pine spectating.