When Zheng Qinwen won the runner-up in the women's singles final of the Australian Open, it not only filled a 10-year gap for Chinese tennis, but also proved once again that the more commercialized the sport, the more difficult it is for Chinese athletes to achieve good results.
Similar to Zheng Qinwen, Li Na, another legend in the history of Chinese tennis, also rose through a "semi-professional" approach. She did not join the Chinese national team system, but chose a personal route, went abroad to receive professional training, and participated in commercial events as an individual.
It can be said that the two highlight moments of China's tennis world have been achieved by detaching themselves from the national sports system and relying on the road of commercialization.
In fact, this is not an isolated case. From football to basketball, from golf to rugby, China's performance in a wide range of commercially charged sports has been underperforming.
There is a fundamental conflict between commercialization and the mainland's sports system. Commercialization focuses on individual skills, and the system focuses on collective cooperation; Commercialization pursues fast-paced transformation, and the system is eager for stable development;
Various factors have made it difficult for the mainland to make breakthroughs in commercial projects.
At present, in the face of the impact of the wave of commercialization, China's sports system has exposed deep-seated problems:
First, the material selection mechanism is outdated.
Attaching importance to physical conditions and ignoring professional skills has led to the dilemma of "tall and comprehensive" but not "professional". This is especially fatal in commercial projects, and the specialized training of skills and physical fitness is even more crucial.
Second, the fragmentation of training methods.
It is difficult to stimulate the potential of individuals and pay attention to the psychological development of athletes. This hinders personalized growth and loses the personal way to fit commercially.
Third, the closure of the organizational model.
As an important form of organization, the national team does not accept the extensive participation of social forces. This has created a self-enclosed ecology, making it difficult for Chinese sports to absorb the nutrients of commercialization.
Of course, the development of traditional sports in mainland China is also very important.
Therefore, how to reform the existing sports system so that it can not only lose the traditional BASIS, but also adapt to the needs of commercialization, is a question we must think about.