The Chinese Dream depicts a grand blueprint to become a sports powerhouse by 2035 and a modern socialist sports powerhouse to be fully established by 2050. Soccer, as one of the most popular sports in the world, plays a pivotal role on the international stage.
It is obvious that the development of Chinese soccer is a key part of realizing the dream of a strong sports nation. Even if China's table tennis is a great strength, we cannot ignore the importance of soccer! Despite China's remarkable achievements in other sports, soccer - the world's best sport - has an immeasurable impact on shaping China's image as a sports powerhouse. Only when Chinese soccer achieves a breakthrough in the international arena can we fully demonstrate the strength and international status of Chinese sports!
FIFA data shows that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar attracted more than 5 billion viewers worldwide, including 1.5 billion viewers for one of the final matches, with the total number of viewers reaching a rare 3.4 million, underscoring the World Cup's immense appeal. The soccer industry has a market capitalization of upwards of $50 billion, with the Deloitte 2023 Football Financial Report stating that the revenues from Europe's top five leagues alone amounted to €17.2 billion.
According to Socialiall, as of March 13, 2024, on Instagram, Cairo tops the list with 630 million followers, followed by Lionel Messi with 500 million followers, and other soccer superstars such as the Kardashians. Soccer is the undisputed "national sport" of Brazil, Argentina, England, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Uruguay, Japan and South Korea.
Top 10 Instagram Individual Followers in March 2024
China's soccer has the potential to become the number one sport in the country, but it has failed to show the charisma and fighting power it deserves, and table tennis is currently the "top stream" of Chinese sports!
How to win back the trust of Chinese soccer?
The plight of Chinese soccer is not a one-day affair. Although there are differences between table tennis and soccer, the fundamental reason lies in trust. So, how can we win trust? Franklin Covey once proposed a trust formula that contains four elements: sincerity, motivation, ability and achievement. Chinese soccer and table tennis are very different in these four aspects.
First, sincerity is key. For a sport, sincerity means going all out and eliminating counterfeiting. However, Chinese soccer has suffered from anti-corruption incidents three times in the past 23 years, including Gong Jianping's bribery and match-fixing case and the 2009 anti-gambling and anti-blackmail fiasco, all of which have disappointed Chinese fans.
Secondly, motivation is crucial. As a Chinese sport, the highest motivation is to win glory for the country. However, Chinese soccer practitioners have repeatedly encountered unfair competition and corruption, and the lure of money makes people question their motives.
Third, ability is also essential. Regrettably, Chinese soccer players have disappointed their fans with repeated technical errors and unsound fundamentals.
In the end, achievements speak for themselves. The Chinese men's soccer team has only made it to the World Cup once, 22 years ago, while the table tennis team has won numerous successes on the international stage, earning honor and trust for the country.
China's men's soccer team advances to Asia's top eight has become a hot topic.
On the 2023 Weibo sports topic hot search list, "China's men's soccer team advanced to the top eight" ranked second, even surpassing the mixed doubles title won by Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha at the Hangzhou Asian Games, which shows that Chinese fans still have great expectations for soccer.
For Chinese soccer to regain trust and regain its position as the world's number one sport, it must manage the four elements of trust and prove its strength with results.
Imagine if the Chinese men's soccer team can score a goal in the World Cup, win a goal in the Olympics, and win a championship in the Asian Cup, these small achievements are enough to make Chinese people feel happy and excited! Only when Chinese soccer becomes the number one sport in the world can China truly realize its dream of becoming a sports powerhouse.
The barrel theory tells us that the capacity of a barrel is determined by the shortest plank. Table tennis has stood at the top of the world, while the short board of Chinese soccer is still "leaking".
