Sports can teach youngsters important life lessons
- By Allison Zhu
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, August 3, 2016
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Allison Zhu (middle) |
Four years ago at the 2012 Summer Olympics, China took home a stunning 88 medals. With many now wondering how many medals the country's athletes will bring home this year, one thing is certain: China's only chance of winning a medal in football is with the women's team (the men didn't qualify).
However, since a dramatic loss to the US team in the final match of the 1999 World Cup, China's top female football stars have struggled after failing to qualify for both the 2011 World Cup and the 2012 Olympics.
"Chinese football also faces a cultural challenge. Most parents insist that their children cram for exams rather than kick a ball. Most kids do not aspire to success on the football pitch. The result is that in 2011 the Chinese Football Association reported just 7,000 registered players under the age of 18 [compared to 600,000 in 1996]. That helps explain the national team's ineptitude," wrote The Economist.
In the United States, football practice for me was three times a week after school, with games on Saturdays. After moving to Shanghai, I started looking for a competitive girls team. Shanghai has a population of almost 12 million females, but it only had one girls football team at the club level. After one season, the team broke up due to a shortage of players.
A few days ago, I went into an adidas store looking for football gear. The first floor was filled with brightly lit posters of superstars like Lionel Messi and David Beckham and shelves of men's cleats. I asked one of the workers where I could find women's cleats. Awkwardly, he replied that there is no women's football section and the smallest size in men's is 39.
Yes, China invests a lot in sports, but more often than not it uses a "professional sports system" to steer athletes toward specialized sports schools, and then hopefully success on the pitch. Although this system has led to success in individual sports like gymnastics and diving, it results in a lack of participation at the youth grassroots level, particularly when it comes to team sports.
Here are some of my top reasons why students should play football.
1. Passion
Chinese mothers often want their daughters to be the epitome of grace, and so push them into activities like ballet and piano. But are all girls naturally interested in these pursuits? I highly doubt it. My soccer teammates do all sorts of things in their free time and arrive on time for practice, even when it's pouring rain. I would love to see Shanghai girls playing football at the grassroots level. Plus, female athletes made the largest contribution to China's standings in the last Olympics. Out of the 88 medals the country won four years ago, women claimed 51.
2. Sportsmanship
Football pushes players to look past individual wins or losses and play better as a team. Youth football games occasionally bring out heated arguments and foul play, but it can also promote teamwork and the best in its players. Under this light, football can develop ethics and leadership skills — two qualities that can benefit both boys and girls throughout the rest of their lives.
Competitive sports should not be reserved just for professional athletes. Football has backed up my education by boosting my confidence in academic and social life, and also left me better prepared to manage life's setbacks.
3. Spirit
The playing field can be a great place to learn how to cheer for the successes of others. When a teammate scores a goal, fans on the sidelines and all the players on the bench can express their joy.
Chinese local school students are busy studying, waiting on the edges of their seats for the next individual ranking. Colleges in China judge mainly on academic progress, leaving little room for carefree play or sporting spirit. If local schools place more emphasis on sports and teamwork, parents and students may become interested in football.
"The biggest problem of China's football game is that it is too far from schools," Yao Ming was quoted as saying by the Xinhua New Agency. "Any cultivation of talent, without the basis of school education, would not be realistic or sustainable."
There's no doubt that Chinese citizens love soccer. The 2014 FIFA Brazil World Cup TV Audience Report recorded the highest audience count in China — 252.3 million viewers.
If football is already a hugely popular spectator sport, why not make it a popular participant sport too?
The lessons of sports can't be achieved through a traditional test-taking education. China is still waiting for its own football Dream Team.
As the country invests in amateur teams, school teams and professional clubs, it's the youth — of both genders — who have to take the lead.
The author is an intern at Shanghai Daily.
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