Today gave us a look at how sports are being developed and promoted in China from multiple angles, ranging from American football expansion to Olympic history and China’s long-term goals in international sports. Throughout the day, we explored how organizations in China are using sports as both a cultural tool and a way to build global influence.
We started the morning with a Zoom meeting with Morris, who is a Syracuse ’26 graduate working with NFL China. The meeting focused heavily on the NFL’s efforts to grow flag football throughout Asia, especially in China. One of the biggest takeaways was how the NFL believes flag football is easier to market in Eastern countries because it is viewed as safer than tackle football. With flag football becoming an Olympic sport for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Morris hopes the NFL sees a major opportunity to expand internationally. He would go on to explain that flag football is also significantly cheaper to operate than traditional football, making it easier to bring into schools and communities. A large part of NFL China’s strategy is to build programs through school systems and to encourage school spirit around teams. He also discussed their “Apple Seed” youth development program, which focuses on introducing younger athletes to the sport early. Another interesting point was the organization’s effort to grow female participation through scholarship opportunities and other initiatives. Even though the last NFL game played in China was back in 2007, the league is clearly trying to rebuild interest from the ground up through youth engagement and education. NFL China currently operates eight offices across the country, showing how serious the league is about expanding its presence.
After the meeting, we drove to the Bird’s Nest, one of the most famous Olympic venues in the world. Seeing the stadium in person was surreal because of how much history is attached to it. The exhibits inside highlighted both the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics and the 2022 Winter Olympics, showing how China has used the Olympics to present itself on the global stage. Walking through the venue showed how much preparation and national pride went into hosting those events. The Bird’s Nest stands as a symbol of China’s desire to be recognized as a global sports power.
From there, we took the subway to visit the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The visit gave us an inside look at how professional soccer is managed in China. One of the most impressive parts was the control center, which monitors competitions across the country Monday through Friday. The staff can pull up information on any club or player in the league and even communicate directly with matches in progress. We also got to see the six VAR booths, each of which would be staffed with three referees, that help oversee games and review calls. Most matches are streamed online, and we were able to watch highlights of one directly from the control room. The league currently has 16 teams and was officially established in 2025 under a new structure (previously known by different names, such as the Chinese Super League). It was interesting to see how much technology and organization go into managing professional soccer in China.
We ended the day back at the hotel with a Zoom lecture on Chinese sports culture led by Shannon, another Syracuse graduate from the class of 2019. She explained how table tennis became China’s national sport and discussed the country’s structured athletic progression through schools. She also talked about the growth of Chinese Ice Hockey despite the dull growth. One of the main themes of the lecture was China’s pursuit of global sports dominance, particularly through Olympic success. The lecture tied together many of the ideas we saw throughout the day, showing how sports in China are deeply connected to national identity, development, and international recognition.
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