If you thought the NBA end-of-season games were exciting over the easter long weekend, you've not seen the enthusiasm and excitement that's come out of a rural basketball league in China that's attracted well close to 100 million live views across several of China's streaming platforms.
The Village Basketball Association, based in Guizhou province in Northern China, is better known as 'CunBA', Cun being the word for Village in Mandarin. The grassroots league was established in the early 2016 but has recently captured a whole new generation of basketball fans nationwide. Amateur basketball players representing their village vie not for cash prizes or towering trophies; instead, the winning team gets to take home live ducks, rice and traditional Miao-style silver headdresses.
Ignite the passion! "Village Basketball Association" or "Village BA", is a grassroot basketball tournament held in Taipan Village, southwest China's Guizhou. Organized by local residents, the tournament sees great enthusiasm and skills of basketball players from rural areas. pic.twitter.com/2oeX2npKCg
— People's Daily, China (@PDChina) March 26, 2023
While the Chinese Basketball Association(CBA) has gained popularity in the country over the past several years, the CunBA drums up a special kind of emotion and excitement among spectators unlike what you'll experience at professional games. It could well be to do with the fact the audience is cheering for their neighbours and relatives representing their village or that none of the 20,000 spectators who made their way to the year's final game had to pay for their tickets. Entrance is free at the CunBA, and those who struggle to find a seat on the bleachers are welcome to come up with creative ways to enjoy the game; some stand on 10-feet tall ladders they bring with them on their two-hour journey to the open-air court while others scale rooftops and pagodas for a prime bird's eye view.
The cultural phenomenon not only has those in Guizhou province excited, Chinese basketball legend Yao Ming shared on Weibo, a Chinese microblog platform similar to Twitter, that he loves seeing the passion on the court and wondered if he'll be able to score a seat at the popular event.
The Village Basketball Association, during the 2022/2023 season, had a total of 176 participating teams from the various farming villages in the region, hosting close to 5000 grassroots games. Only those with residential rights can represent their village, meaning no trades are allowed in the amateur tournament.
"Village Basketball Association" or "Village BA", is a grassroot basketball tournament held in Taipan Village, SW China's Guizhou Province.
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) March 28, 2023
On Monday, the team of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture won the title. Some 20,000 spectators watched the game. pic.twitter.com/uubgghyjPp
While an amateur basketball league in rural Northern China might seem out of place to some, according to Xinhau News Agency, the sport has a long history in the region dating back to 1930s. Annual games are hosted during the region's Miao ethnic harvest festival; uninterrupted since 1936, villages have been hosting basketball matches on the sixth month of the Chinese lunar calendar.
Seeing the popularity of the game in the region, government began building more courts in 2016 and eventually incorporated the league to become a part Guizhou's "Gorgeous Countryside" tourism campaign.
The league has also shone the spotlight on the heritage and traditions in the province and given rise to a new generation of social media stars.
During the final game earlier this year, a large group of performers dressed in indigenous clothing came together to perform a traditional dance for spectators. A folk singer also entertained the crowd with several regional tunes.
As the league continues to grow in popularity, it has generated new income for the region in the form of streaming revenue from advertising sponsors as well as official merchandise. The 2023 preliminary rounds of the game drew more than half a million visitors to the region bringing in an estimated US$5.8 for its host Taipan Village.
The phenomenon also introduced star players, including one man dubbed the Kobe Bryant of Guizhou, to the rest of the country. Kobe Bryant of Guizhou, known only by his online moniker' Big Brother in Law' has over four million fans on Weibo and has become a face of sorts for the league.
And suppose Yao Ming's enthusiasm for the league is any indication, it looks as though there will be different conferences popping up across the nation to form a super grassroots league.
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