Why China Is Bad At Soccer

As I'm sure that many people know, China did not qualify for the World Cup this year. They qualified in the 2002 World Cup but they didn't score a single goal. Soccer is the most popular sport in China and the Beijing Olympics proved that the Chinese aren't too bad at sports. So why can't a country with over a billion people put together a soccer team? The answer lies with Chinese culture itself.

For the most part, Asian countries do not perform well in the World Cup but soccer still remains the most popular sport in Asia. So, if you look at it broadly, it's an Asian thing. Asians excel in individual sports but not in team sports. The medals that China won in the last Olympics were mainly from gymnastics and diving. My parents have always stressed activities like swimming and fencing on my brother and I. The Chinese's take on sports reflects much of Chinese and Asian culture, which stresses individual advancement. If this was to become political, the same applies to the country's economy, government, and sociability. Western culture stresses a lot on teamwork and synergy whereas Eastern culture focuses more on individual practice and repetition.

I don't think the Chinese care much about sports. This may sound critical of me as I speak from the perspective of an American but the Chinese have other things on their minds. As I mentioned in my last post, China's economy is booming and it seems that much of their resources are directed into development and technological advances. Thus, they do not really factor in sports in being the world's greatest superpower. Many of the nations that have done well so far are considered third world countries. Countries like Ghana and Uruguay may be small but they are passionate about soccer and winning. It is not that the Chinese are heartless and unpassionate, they are just not passionate about team sports.