Photo: sHzaam

Yao Ming has been making a living abroad now for several years and the boss of his team, The Rockets, has made a buck or two off Yao’s back with predicted NBA earnings for 2010 at 1.7 billion USD. With Americans certainly set to make a fortune from basketball, what can us Chinese profit from the game?

First, Yao Ming’s personal gain is quite obvious, with a huge salary. In the first 5 years he made history by earning 75 million USD, and his new contract has been negotiated to included 130 million USD. Plus, according to Newsweek reports, Yao receives 150 million USD in sponsorship deals. If Yao Ming continues to accumulate at this rate, by 2011 Forbes Rich List estimates he will be worth RMB 1.5 billion.

Some Yao Ming Facts and Figures:

1. Since Yao joined The Rockets in 2002, the intervening 7 years has seen the team’s capital grow from 278 million USD to 469 million USD.
2. The NBA makes a lot of revenue from the sale of TV rights. An average game will cost 30-40,000 USD. A Rockets game will cost around 50 million USD.
3. 20 Chinese advertising companies alone have invested 20 million USD in revolving ads at the Ford center, home of Yao Ming’s Rockets team.
4. Since Yao Ming joined The Rockets, their ticket sales have reached historical highs of 678,000 USD per season – with the average ticket price rising from 40 USD to almost 60 USD.
5. Yao Ming’s number 11 shirt is the best seller of all non-American player’s shirts, costing 200 USD a piece.

Photo: Toastyken

With big Chinese stars in the NBA, the Chinese basketball market continues to grow and grow. It is thought that around 300 million 15 to 24 year olds are avid basketball fans, with 84% following the NBA on a regular basis. This has created the weird phenomena now involving Chinese advertising at American NBA games!

The Chinese counterpart to the NBA is known as the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). The CBA is only 14 years old, but in recent years has grown to become the biggest sports association in China. When all is said and done, the greatest thing that the Chinese people can earn from the NBA is a lesson in how to grow professional athletes and healthy completion, as well as healthy business in the process.

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