American football gains increasing popularity in China
Staff Reporter 2013-03-01 11:41
American football players in Dallas. (Photo/Xinhua)
The prestigious Stanford University and University of Notre Dame are set to organize American football games in China, our sister newspaper the Want Daily reported on Feb. 28.
Baseball and basketball have the greatest fan numbers in China, while table tennis and badminton count the most players. But the number of American football fans in China is growing, with the US Super Bowl becoming increasingly popular.
China currently has over 3 million active American football fans, and 1.4 million registered online to watch the 47th Super Bowl games, marking a 35% increase from last year, according to CSM Media Research. A total of 19 TV channels broadcast the Super Bowl games in China last season.
The US National Footbal League has established Flag Football leagues in 36 Chinese universities, and has sent American football stars to China to play with them in recent years.
