Prior to 1990s, sport in China, as in parts of Eastern Europe,
was government funded, not market oriented. Some excellent athletes
quit at the height of their careers because they were uncertain
about life post retirement from sport. The situation began to
change in 1994 when Chinese soccer became the first sport to take
the professionalization road, and in its wake similar reforms were
carried out in basketball, volleyball, table tennis and Go. The
process brought with it prosperity; sport associations became
profit-generating entities and a club system came into being;
professional leagues formed, improving China's sports environment;
and commercial management systems took shape. The
professionalization of sports has encouraged the emergence of a
sports management market and business-structured systems. Sports
clubs operations now cover ticket sales, advertising, club
transfers, commercial matches, television broadcasting and other
commercial activities.
Another achievement of the reform is that some Chinese athletes
have joined foreign professional leagues. For instance, basketball
star Yao Ming joined the American NBA, whilst Yang Chen and Sun
Jihai play in European soccer leagues.
