On July 5, Antetokounmpo, the star of the NBA Milwaukee Bucks and "Alphabet Brother", appeared on the Guangzhou Celestial Basketball Court, interacted closely with Guangzhou fans, and was welcomed by the tunnel. Photo by Nandu reporter Li Zhanjun
Tennis legend Federer has basically decided to visit China in October this year.
On July 5, NBA Milwaukee Bucks star and "alphabet brother" Antetokounmpo appeared in Guangzhou. Affected by the epidemic and other factors, the sports superstar China tour finally resumed this summer after a four-year absence. In the coming period, many well-known athletes will come to China, and Chinese fans can witness these international sports stars in China. However, in addition to the Argentine men's football team led by Messi, the current activities of other stars have not brought the expected effect of "small bets win newlyweds" among domestic fans. The long-lost China blockbuster still needs top superstars to unlock.
Superstar trips to China used to be standard in summer
Watching superstars on their doorstep on their trip to China used to be a must-have program for domestic sports fans every summer, especially international basketball superstars. As early as May 2004, "Flying Man" Michael Jordan began a five-day Asian tour, and the entire Chinese sports scene showed unprecedented excitement - posters printed with Jordan's image were plastered in all the downtown areas of Beijing, TV stations continued to broadcast video of "Flying Man" matches in the past, fans from Tiannanhaibei came by train for more than ten or twenty hours, and various media were closely deploying star-chasing interview plans throughout the process. At that time, in order to chase Jordan, a reporter almost got into a car accident on the highway "close to the car".
That was the first time that the "basketball god" visited China, and it was also the first time that a merchant used the China tour model to impress domestic consumers. Since then, big names such as Kobe, James, O'Neal and other first-line supergiants, or some second- and third-tier stars who are not very familiar to the Chinese people, have also approached Chinese fans in the way of a China trip. They have already visited not only first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, but also small cities such as Ganzhou, Chifeng, Jiaozuo and Wuhai. So much so that in one year, nearly 20 stars of all sizes visited China.
However, in the course of the star's trip to China in the past 20 years, some people can cause fans everywhere they go, while some people's arrival is regarded by fans as "aesthetic fatigue", and even has the suspicion of "chicken ribs", so that the organizers have to create eye-catching topics to achieve publicity effects, especially some down-to-earth elements, but also leave an impression.
And the stars themselves have also gone from the novelty of visiting China at the beginning, such as taking the initiative to walk around, to later accustomed to one "catch-up announcement" style of pure business travel. After all, many players had already signed their summer trip to China into their contracts with sponsors, and unless there were insurmountable difficulties, such as serious injuries that the doctor showed a report proving that they could not make a long-distance trip, they could cancel the trip without default. Therefore, some players can even ignore the national team mission and fly thousands of miles to China. Their specific itinerary, such as which city to go to each day, which events to attend, which visits to receive, etc., was planned by the sponsor at least half a year ago. Some of the top names come and sometimes have to meet the requirements of multiple sponsors at once, filling the schedule, and there is very little personal time for the China tour.
Guangdong has become a popular place to restart visits
After 4 years, the familiar star China tour activity has finally reopened, and Antetokounmpo, the "alphabet brother" of the Milwaukee Bucks, flew to Guangzhou this week, and he also became the first international basketball superstar to visit Yangcheng after 4 years.
"I don't think this is my first time in Guangzhou. I remember in 2019, I came to the Basketball World Cup, so maybe my second time? I'm also a little unsure. The former FMVP winner of the NBA recalled. In fact, four years ago, he competed in Nanjing and Shenzhen, and as early as 2014, "Alphabet Brother" visited Dongguan. The confused memories did not hinder the excitement of this "Greek monster" to start his trip to China again, arriving in Guangzhou late the night before, and the next morning, "Brother Alphabet" led his mother and three brothers to a well-known local tea house in Guangzhou to experience his long-awaited Cantonese morning tea, and went to the Canton Tower that night, and the next day to Haizhu Wetland to experience the "Guangdong landlord's" favorite dragon boat project. If the previous trip to China was more like a business trip, this time after 4 years of revisiting, "Alphabet Brother" has the feeling of a family vacation. "We walked around a lot and tasted refreshments and food, everything was excellent." He said. His "plastic Cantonese" version of his self-introduction "Chicken Mother Brother" has become a mantra on the lips.
According to the reporter, in addition to the "alphabet brother", there are a number of international basketball stars are expected to visit Guangdong this summer, among which it has been confirmed that this year's NBA championship winner, double MVP Jokic, will come to Shenzhen with the Serbian team in August to play in the FIBA "Unity Cup" competition to warm up for the World Cup. The stars of the pure business trip include this year's popular Heat star Butler, Warriors star Thompson and Wiggins, all of whom revealed in previous interviews that they are planning a trip to China. It is reported that the China tour routes planned by these stars include Guangdong cities, so it can be said that Guangdong will still be a popular place for stars to restart their China trips.
The heat climb still needs top stimulation
The number of stars and brands that have restarted the China tour has gradually increased, but to say that the first person to be popular, it definitely belongs to Messi, who led the Argentine men's football team to China to participate in an exhibition match not long ago. After the world's premier superstar arrived in Beijing with the Argentine national team last month, Messi received unprecedented attention from the moment his flight landed, surrounded by thousands of fans everywhere he went on and off the field. So much so that for several days in Beijing, the ball king could only be forced to "stay" in the hotel and could not go out.
In contrast, the appeal of other celebrities who have already visited is relatively weak, whether it is basketball stars such as Hayward, Iverson, Maddie, Jeremy Lin and Dinwiddie who have completed their China tour, or tennis celebrities such as Safin, Moya, Del Potero and others who have come to China to play exhibition matches, the coffee positions are far from the same, and the attention they have attracted inside and outside the sports circle is not high. Even the "alphabet brother" who is still continuing to carry out the China tour, judging from the atmosphere and heat shown by the fans in several activities in Guangzhou, is basically "hot in the circle", and has not achieved "breaking the circle" to attract fans, and there is still a big gap between the appeal of the "top" basketball "top" such as Kobe and James when they visited China.
However, the reporter also learned that legendary superstar LeBron James, who has enjoyed a number of historical records in the NBA, currently has no plans for a trip to China this summer. The "old Beijing" who has visited China for 11 consecutive years is also recognized as the most popular active supergiant, and the internal staff of a brand sponsor said that I am afraid that only James can set off a grand situation of star chasing in the city.
Fortunately, after entering the second half of the year, there is another superstar among the sports celebrities in the China trip who may bring strong popularity, that is, tennis legend Federer. The Swiss king has publicly promised to visit China as a "super best friend" during the Shanghai Masters in October this year and participate in a number of events. Even if he has retired, Federer, who has a high popularity in China, will still be the top international star who will visit China in the second half of this year.
Special feature: Nandu reporter Wang Yayun