By Courtney Ward

On our last day in Shanghai before returning home, Nike China and Mercedes Benz Arena were on the itinerary.  The Nike China meeting was with two heads of the company among personnel in merchandising, Jordan, and shoe design.  Topics discussed were their impact on Greater China Basketball, how they engage the American consumer vs. the Greater China consumer, and how they dominate their industry.  It was more of a person-to-person meeting where we were all involved in discussions and questions directed towards the individuals of the company.  In order to do your job to the best of your ability you need to feel comfortable.  In the end, Nike Sports (China) CO., LTD, was one of the most dynamic executive meetings on this China trip.

The Mercedes Benz Arena tour took place in the afternoon and was presented by Andrew Evans, Account Executive.  He explained that the arena is not even two years old and is a similar model to the O2 arena in London and seats 18,000. A part of their arena facility is open to the public for ice-skating and access to the NBA store.  There was also emphasis stressed on the different sponsorships and founding partner incentives.  The Mercedes Benz Arena hosts about 90% entertainment and 10% sports.  With superstars such as Beyonce, Kanye West, & Usher have graced various stages.  Upon doing a show or performance there must be paperwork filled out and submitted to the ministry of cultural at least three months prior to putting on an event.

Both meetings placed a strong emphasis on building relationships before you do business and while you are doing business.  It is more about trust and respect, than negotiations. There needs to be some element where people and/or consumers want to be apart of your brand and endorse your brand.

There were only three major events listed on today’s itinerary. The first was a tour of the Huangpu River, which displays the separation between the east and west of the city Shanghai, as the bus drove around various locations of importance in Shanghai. Second, we watched the players take part in different activities within the Nike Festival of Sport, while finishing off the day with a reception at Xianju Hotel and Resort.

This Saturday our day spent in Shanghai was more reflective of getting to know the culture, people and gaining experience within the Shanghai community. Before setting off on the tour with the rest of the group, my roommate and I walked across the street to the Shanghai Book Fair. Which was quite the experience, it only costs 10 YUAN, but the only English literature was musical CD’s. We walked around there for about an hour or so, and everything was in Mandarin, the directions, the signs, and the layout. Everyone’s English was non-existent, but the venue was massive and gorgeous. It was exciting to see the people of Shanghai and other regions engrossed in purchasing thousands of books. The Shanghai city tour was more about what you saw and how it relates to you personally. Every person is different and what I experienced while gazing at the skyline was probably completely different from everyone else. The view was liberating and hot at the same time, it looked even better once you sat down for a few minutes. The buildings seem extremely close at that moment. The view was captivating you did not want to move at all. The bus tour provided us with a quick overview of the different areas in Shanghai, which have been developed or are still areas of more development. The western part of the city is more developed than the eastern region.

The Nike Festival of Sport was pretty exciting for the players, for all the different areas and clinics represented a distinct component of athletic prowess. As athletes, they all wanted to show who could do this and that. The layout was very fan interactive and allowed individuals to see the players and other athletes in an unfamiliar way. However, the people of Shanghai wanted to see action, action, action, such as more dunks and one-on-one play. They would get extremely excited as the Chinese participants interacted with the basketball team on the court. When the team throws out t-shirts they all become very competitive with one another to make sure they are the last person standing with Georgetown memorabilia. I haven’t seen anything quite like it; it’s on a different level from the States.

Finally the reception at Xijiao Hotel and Resort had great food with extreme variety from lamb to chocolate mousse. We mingled with a lot of Georgetown alum and the President of the University, which is always a great experience. The previous day at the Consulate, he gave a great speech about how we are all extremely fortunate to be here in China, not just the people present on the trip but all of Georgetown University. The reception provided another avenue to network and discover which area of business you really want to get into. I noticed that a lot of Georgetown alums at the reception graduated from the School of Foreign Services, or took part in some international component in their respective school program. Today delivered a brief introduction to the city with more excitement to come. Every day is a new journey.

By Miguel Aguero

August 19th, 2011

Bye, Bye Beijing…Welcome to Shanghai!

The Georgetown University Sports Industry Management (SIM) students, the GU Basketball men’s team, and alumni and friends headed to Shanghai today for the second leg of Hoyas in China trip. Our journey to Shanghai started really early today. The whole group woke up around 4:00 a.m. and we were on our way to the Beijing International Airport (Domestic Terminal) by 5:30 a.m. Our flight from Beijing took two hours. The logistics to mobilize a hundred people went smoothly and without any inconveniences.

We arrived in Shanghai, which is China’s financial center, and headed to our hotel. After check-in, I walked around the city for a few blocks near the hotel to find that it is a city of contrasts, ranging from very dynamic modern skyscrapers to late 19^th century and early 20^th century houses, which coexist together and are a highlight of Shanghai’s eclectic atmosphere.

Our day included a reception at the U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai. We were welcomed by Christopher F. Wurzel (SFS ’85), Deputy Consul General. His remarks about the impact that Georgetown University had on him in pursuing his diplomatic career were very interesting.  Then Georgetown University President Dr. John DeGiogia’s gave a speech that focused on Ignatius and his fellow Jesuits who chose as their motto, Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, a Latin phrase that means “for the greater glory of God.” He discussed how this phrase could be combined into the context of the “Hoyas in China trip, because it is the basis for the university’s mission statement, which commits Georgetown to create and communicate knowledge “for the glory of God and the well-being of humankind.” He also highlighted the fact that the term Globalization is not limited only to economic terms and it should include sports as part of the whole education. 

Next he introduced GU basketball head coach John Thompson, who spoke about the importance of sports as a means to promote goodwill and diplomacy at the personal level as well as to promote understanding between China and the U.S.A.

The catering for the reception was provided by Eduardo Vargas (C’92) who owns two Peruvian restaurants in Shanghai. The food was great!

 I had the chance to meet US Consular officers including: Jim Mullinax, Consul Political and Economic Section Chief, Douglas Flower, Vice Consul, Michael Ziliang Wang, Georgetown University Special Assistant to the Chief Operating Officer. Also, I met Lorena Valencia (SFS’01) who works as a consultant recruiting Chinese students to study in the U.S.A especially at Georgetown University.  

In retrospect, today’s activities covered different management aspects that should be taken into consideration as a sport industry manager.  This includes logistics (transportation, transfer, and check-in at the hotel for a whole delegation), and working as a team in coordinating the reception at the U.S. Consulate as part of our welcome to Shanghai.

The GU men’s basketball team has another two games to play in Shanghai. I am thrilled that I have had the opportunity to learn over the last four days in Beijing a lot of about management skills for the sports industry, as well as to hear from first hand sources about the life of an expat in China, and how to do business there while simultaneously playing a dual role as a cultural and manager liaison to achieve professional success.

GO HOYAS!!!

By Mex Carey

BEIJING  – In front of an audience that included United States Vice President Joe Biden, the Georgetown University men’s basketball team came away with a win in its first game during an 11-day tour of China, beating the Shanxi Brave Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association, 98-81, in front of a spirited crowd at the National Olympic Sports Center.

Biden arrived in Beijing on Wednesday evening and arrived for the start of the game, visiting with Head Coach John  Thompson III and the Hoyas in their locker-room prior to tip-off.  He sat with Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia during the game and left at halftime.

Freshman forward Otto Porter (Sikeston, Mo./Scott County Central) scored 16 points to lead six players in double figures as the Hoyas connected on 47.0 percent of their field goals (34-of-71) and opened up a 13-point lead at the half, 55-42.

“This group has to manage itself, and so whether we win big or lose big while we’re over here, the purpose of this trip is to establish habits and how we need to do things,” Thompson said.  “We have a long ways to go.

“I’m glad some of those things happened (the VP attending) because life in the BIG EAST is one big distraction. Being fortunate enough to play at Georgetown, we have many events like this.  We were excited and honored to have the Vice President, as he said, travel 24 hours to see us play, along with the many, countless Chinese politicians and delegates that came to watch their team play, as well as ours.”

The Brave Dragons won the opening tip, but the Hoyas were the first on the board after a three-pointer from junior forward Hollis Thompson (Los Angeles, Calif./LaSalle).  A jumper from senior center Henry Sims (Baltimore, Md./Mount St. Joseph) pushed the GU lead to 11-4 in the early moments of the game, but a basket from Shabao Ge, who scored 17 points, pulled the Dragons to within three-points, 11-8.  Georgetown, however, responded with a 7-0 run and pushed its lead to 10 points, 18-8, on one of two free throws from freshman forward Greg Whittington (Columbia, Md./Oakland Mills).

Freshman guard Jabril Trawick (Jenkingtown, Pa./Abington Friends) scored on a layup with 3:36 left in the first quarter to push the lead to 11 points, 20-9, but the Dragons would use a 13-8 run over the final minutes to pull to within six points, 28-22.

A 7-2 Georgetown run to start the second quarter pushed the Hoya lead to 35-24 on a three-pointer from senior guard Jason Clark (Arlington, Va./Bishop O’Connell).  Shanxi narrowed the gap to seven points, 40-33, on a three-pointer from Mingyang Gao, but the Hoyas responded with an 11-2 run over 3:11 and took a 51-35 lead on a layup from redshirt sophomore Aaron Bowen (Jacksonville, Fla./QEA).  The Hoyas took their biggest lead, 55-38, when a steal from Porter led to a layup for sophomore guard Markel Starks (Accokeek, Md./Georgetown Prep) with 1:35 left before the break.

Georgetown led by 13 points at the break and took its biggest lead of the game, 72-53, on a three-pointer from Porter early in the third quarter.  The lead did not get below 14 points after that point and the Blue & Gray pushed the lead to 20 points, first on a follow layup from Whittington (89-69) with 5:30 to play in the third, and then when Sims assisted Starks on a layup with 4:50 left, making it 91-71.

The Hoyas connected on 47.1 percent of their shots (41-of-90), including 36.8 percent of their three-pointers (7-of-19), and hit 60.0 percent of their free throws (9-of-15).  GU held a 51-43 advantage on the boards and the Hoyas handed out 19 assists, registered 20 steals, had 16 turnovers and six blocked shots.

Porter scored a team-high 16 points, connecting on 7-of-12 shots from the field and both of his three-point attempts, while adding five rebounds and five steals.  Clark scored 14 points, hitting 5-of-11 shots, and handed out four assists with three rebounds, while Sims finished with 11 points, shooting 5-of-8 from the floor, with a game-high eight rebounds, four assists, four blocks and two steals.  Thompson added 12 points and three rebounds, while Trawick scored 13 and had two rebounds and sophomore forward Nate Lubick (Southboro, Mass./St. Mark’s) added six points, nine rebounds and four assists.

The Hoyas play one more game in Beijing, on Thursday, Aug. 18, against the Bayi Rockets.  Tipoff time is slated for 5:30 p.m. local time and the game will be played at the Olympic Sports Center.

By Courtney Ward

Our day consisted of two executive visits to Octagon China & Li Ning.  The Managing Director from Octagon, Ryan Sandilands offered the most intensive information on sports in China.  He talked about everything from Chinese exercise equipment at local parks to Chinese sports participation in basketball, soccer, and table tennis.  Some interesting facts that Ryan supplied us with are as follows:

1. Sports are the source of pride to show CHINA to the world.
2. It is a long and varied process to get an international event government regulated in CHINA (about 8-10 steps).
3. Most Western & China companies have a desire to spend money quickly.
4. The top 3 leagues in China are: CBA, CSL, and CTTSL.
5. China’s sports goal is to find a national sports hero to give them a global stage for superiority and national pride.

This presentation really equipped us with the needed information to understand sports in China. All sports are seen as a representation to make China a larger and stronger world power.  Nationalism is what the Chinese take great pride in aligning their government, culture and structure with the world of sports, especially the Olympics, which is the most resonated sports competition among Chinese citizens at 93.4%.  Sandilands provided a very engaging presentation where the common sports fan would learn not only valuable information but also applied information.  I really respect the fact that Ryan took the time to explain and elaborate on Octagon’s business in China, plus present fascinating information on its overall sports model.  

            The Li Ning campus is gorgeous and structurally opens to identified personnel.  The atmosphere is vibrant & unique.  There is a track wrapped around the entire campus, with a soccer field near the entrance, badminton, basketball, tennis, & swimming facilities on the inside.  Li Ning opened in 1989, after his last appearance in the Olympics as a gymnast, now celebrating 20+ years in the business.  Li Ning believed China needed a sports apparel representative of the people rather than wearing Western brands such as Nike & Adidas.  Brian explained how Li Ning wants to present the brand on a global level, and how there are strategic initiatives dedicated to such.  There are five or so different buildings connected representing various areas of the company.  In the conference room Brain explained his transition from different sports apparel brands and how that led him to China.  Also discussed, Li Ning’s basketball representatives Evan Turner & Baron Davis.  Two different individuals who can help propel the Li Ning brand.  There was some acknowledgement of competitors, but it is not the company’s focus.

            The best part of the meeting was being able to shop in the store that’s not yet available in the U.S.  After all, how often are you going to get an opportunity to meet with the Director of Brand Initiative for Basketball and discuss a large Chinese sports brand?  In conclusion, our executive meetings today prepared us for the unfortunate events in the evening.  Without the knowledge and information provided by both Brian & Ryan, we as a group may not have fully understood what transpired.

By Kyle Hendrick

Today started off with a trip to the Great Wall of China. We spent the most of the morning climbing the wall and taking in the incredible mountain landscape. The word “great” should not be underestimated as the wall spans over 6,000 miles and was by no means an easy climb.

We then returned to the city and started our meeting with NBA China. NBA China had set aside some time to meet with our group and their staff included COO Collins Qian, CFO Steve Richard, Director of Basketball Operations Kevin Han, Vice President of Media Distribution Victor Yip, Director of Communications Bo-Ning Yang, and Director of Stadiums and Development Bill Muyardi. The NBA China staff gave us an incredible presentation on the duties and goals of their office and was open to questions we had on opportunities with the development of the NBA in China.

Their office has over 140 employees and they are proudly the first American league to have established offices in China. Their main divisions of focus are Television/Broadcast, Marketing Partnerships, Merchandise, and Events.

China has over 300 million people in the country that play the sport of basketball and reaching the target market is no easy task. NBA China has been a big emphasis for the  development of the league and entering into new business in China is of high importance.

Two items NBA China is actively working on that are unique from the domestic office is player development and stadium consulting. They are actively engaged in working with coaches and the elite youth development systems to improve the talent level in China. For stadium development, they are partners with AEG, who we will meet with in Shanghai. The partnership included consulting on developing “NBA Standards” in the Chinese stadiums.

By Miguel Aguero

After a very long flight, I arrived in Beijing safe and sound! I met with the rest of the SIM participants; they are a really great group.

Today, the Georgetown University men’s basketball team, GU Alumni, and SIM students went to tour the city of Beijing. The tour included ‘Tiananmen Square’ and ‘The Forbidden City’.

China has a population of 1.3 billion people and Beijing, alone is the size of Belgium and has a population of 23 million. Beijing was the host site for the 2008 summer Olympic Games. Beijing was great location for the Olympics, the city’s infrastructure speaks for itself, the airport and the highways, the metro system and the train system are amazing! The whole process of beautification for the city includes green areas, parks and walking spaces as mentioned in Victor Cha’s book Beyond the Final Score.

When we arrived at Tiananmen Square, many people approached the GU men’s basketball team. People greeted them and took pictures with them. Everyone was extremely enthusiastic even in spite of the rain!

This reconfirms the importance of sport as a catalyst to promote goodwill and strengthen international relations between China and the USA. Here are some interesting facts about Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City:

• Tiananmen Square is the world’s largest public square. It can hold up to one million people within its’ approximately 108 acres.

• The Square is surrounded by the Forbidden City, Mao Zedong memorial Hall and the Great Hall of the People.

• Mao’s proclaimed the People’s Republic of China in this square during the 1949 revolution.

 • The Forbidden City was built by Emperor Yongle between 1406 and 1420. It hosted the Chinese Imperial Court until 1911 when the Qing dynasty fell.

• For 500 years commoners were prohibited access to the Forbidden City.

I also had the opportunity to meet with GU men’s basketball team coach John Thompson, GU Sports Information Director, Michael “Mex” Carey, and some GU alumni that are large supporters of the Men’s Basketball team. Reflecting on my time here so far, the urbanization process and the infrastructure transformation that took place in Beijing in preparation to host the Summer Olympics is absolutely amazing. The symbiotic coexistence and contrast between the old and new buildings in this vibrant city is incredible.