By Falice Chin
I remember watching a basketball game in Shanghai just three years ago. It was a battle between the Chinese National Team and retired NBA players. The Chinese people cheered for their team, but at the same time loved seeing NBA heroes like Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul Jabaar.
Likewise, the soccer community consists of ambiguous fans switching back and forth in their support for China and other great teams like Argentina and Brazil. However, Chinese soccer fans are not fickle; their love for team China is pure and sincere. Most Chinese say they expect little from this World Cup, but perhaps this is an understatement due to Chinese pride and fear of failure in international sports. Team China’s debut won’t be as explosive as Croatia’s in 1998, but give them a few more years and they will come up with something from their huge selection of athletes.