[To non-IOC members who also haven’t heard of her, here’s a wiki to help you along] An official, non-China-related Shanghai Scrap tirade: I’ve traveled widely – perhaps, not as widely as some of my colleagues – but widely enough to know a few things. First, never exchange money at an airport; two, always pack single…
All posts in Sports
My gift to anxious NFL fans in China
Due to a September 2008 blog post complaining that ESPN (in Asia, at least) broadcast a dog show instead of a Vikings-Packers Monday Night game, Shanghai Scrap appears to have become a top google result for the not insignificant number of NFL fans performing searches for things like “Monday Night Football Shanghai” and “Where Vikings…
One from the archives: The Tragedy of Yao’s Left Foot
This weekend, not long after Yao Ming’s season-ending fracture in his left foot became the hottest topic in the Chinese sports world, a friend reminded me of a post that I did regarding Yao’s left foot back in February 2008. Now, I’m not real big on bloggers who quote themselves, but I’m tied up with…
The Red Race
I received an email this afternoon from a friend who told me that I needed to find a copy of a documentary entitled “The Red Race,” which had aired Monday night on Shanghai’s venerable Documentary Channel. Directed by Gan Chao, a Shanghainese documentary filmmaker, the film offers stark and disturbing footage of a Shanghai-area gymnastics…
In China: No Obama, but how ’bout them Cards! – UPDATED
The Obama inauguration took place at 1 AM, China time, but circumstances conspired to place me in a location where I could not watch the ceremonies live (via cable, satellite, or stream). On the bright side, that unforeseen circumstance allows your correspondent to report that the inauguration was not broadcast live on Chinese television (at…
Proof Positive that ESPN’s Asian Programmers Hate American Football
Two years ago ESPN agreed to pay US$1.1 billion per season to the NFL for broadcast rights to the venerable Monday Night Football franchise. To recoup the fee, ESPN will make every effort to expand the audience for its Monday night games, while providing high-quality broadcasts to those who know and love Monday Night Football,…
Operate on Liu Xiang? Sorry, I’m due on the 14th fairway.
News that Liu Xiang may travel to the US for surgery on his injured ankle has produced much defensive teeth-gnashing on the part of Chinese sports fans. Here at Shanghai Scrap, we can’t help but wonder whether the Great Hurdler might have been able to run if the Chinese sports establishment had repressed its pride…
Maradona in Shanghai Stadium? Jia you!
For foreign visitors not intimately familiar with the modern history of Chinese soccer fandom, the unabashed enthusiasm (not to mention face paint, hats, jerseys, and flags) that the local fans have shown for Argentina’s national team during the last week of Olympic group play at Shanghai Stadium has been nothing short of surreal. Argentina, by…
Why it matters if a gymnast is 14.
For what it’s worth, I have a feeling that the simmering controversey over whether or not the Chinese “women’s” gymnastics team has underage members is going to build into something much bigger, and possibly devolve into something ugly. The “why” was provided by Zhong Hongliang, a spokesman for the gymnastics team, who had this to…
Olympic Athletes: Take a Good Look in the (two-way) Mirror.
It’s hard to believe, but less than a year ago the Women’s Football World Cup was being played out in China, with many sporting officials openly claiming that the event provided China with the opportunity to test out its preparations for the August Olympics. And so, briefly, let me take you back to a less…