University of Sport and U of M at Tianjin

Going to the Tianjin university of sports was an awesome experience. We got a look at many areas of study such as dance, kung fu, and badminton. We also got to participate in a dance class where we were given a lesson and a diploma from our partner. Our visit to the University of Minnesota at Tianjin really gave me a better grasp on what sport culture is like in china. We were told by our guide, who is the director of the program and a native of Maple Grove, MN, to think of a way to market sport in China, baseball in particular. I was shocked that to learn that Chinese cities do not have local parks and recreation departments, as we do in basically every city in our country. I think that this is such a key factor in recruiting children at a young age to play sports. One of the main issues in China is that a great majority of the young population concentrate far more on school than sports, which has its positives and negatives. I believe that instituting these departments would be the foundation for a change in this problem. Getting youth to play sports at a young age and having the option more readily available would undoubtedly strengthen sport culture and variety. I played baseball at a very young age because it was very available to me. If a few baseball fields were set up with departments to manage them, I think it would be very beneficial to the Chinese growth in a different sport. I think the same applies to badminton and ping pong in the states. The same concept, would diversify and broaden sport culture in both countries.