Bears’ Super Bowl Rout Will Be Shown in China
Chinese sports fans, devoted followers of volleyball and soccer, will get their first look at the Super Bowl next month, China Central Television said.
Agreement has been reached to show a videotape of the Jan. 26 American football extravaganza, in which the Chicago Bears trounced the New England Patriots, 46-10, a CCTV spokesman said.
The show has been scheduled for 4 to 6:20 p.m. on March 9 and will be broadcast nationwide.
China has a potential audience of more than 250 million viewers--one-quarter of the population--from the hutong alleyways of Peking to the mountains of Tibet.
It’s not the first time the Chinese have seen the helmets, pads and blockbusting tackles of American football. Up to 50 minutes of top college games have been shown under an arrangement with ABC television, the Chinese spokesman said.
The Chinese refer to the game as “ganlan qiu,” or “olive ball,” because of the shape of the pigskin.
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
