Badminton: Bringing 'sexy' back for Chinese fans

Discussion in 'Clothing & Footwear' started by Loh, Sep 22, 2015.

  1. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    By Talek HARRIS

    [​IMG]AFP News – Tue, Sep 22, 2015 12:10 PM SGT

    https://sg.sports.yahoo.com/news/badminton-bringing-sexy-back-chinese-fans-041024795.html

    Badminton's bid to make women players wear skirts may have been ill-advised, but the sport is again seeking a "sexy" new image to bring in fans and revenue.
    Even in China, where badminton has mass participation and world-beating stars, its visibility dims in the glare of more glamorous rivals like NBA basketball, football and tennis.
    Now everything is on the table as badminton looks to capitalise on its wide appeal and gain a profile that will bring sponsors running and turn its players into millionaires.
    New scoring, new advertising and even new shuttlecocks and court colours are being considered as badminton looks to shed its staid image and stand out in the digital age.
    Owen Leed, who heads the Badminton World Federation's (BWF) new commercial division created last year, said the sport needs cachet if it is to compete.
    "That's one of the challenges we have -- how do we make the sport more glamorous in terms of the sport itself being sexier, without that being a naughty word?" he told AFP at last week's Sports Matters industry conference in Singapore.
    "That could cross everything from how we run our events in future to how we present on television to how we profile our stars."
    - Skirting the issue -
    Leed preferred not to discuss the infamous move to gain popularity by making women players wear skirts, which was finally shelved in 2012 following howls of protest.
    But he said the players' appearance was "all part of the picture" and would also be in focus as the sport attempts to modernise.
    "As a sport we're still quite conservative and if we want to grow the sport for the players to have an ability to earn more money... we have to think about how the sport is presented and indeed how the players present themselves," he said.
    Leed said China has 250 million people playing badminton. It also has a stable of athletes which has dominated for years, winning all five Olympic titles in London in 2012.
    But even with home-grown stars like multiple world and Olympic champion Lin Dan, badminton's answer to Roger Federer, Chinese fans are still more likely to tune into the NBA or the English Premier League on TV.
    "Without question it's a top sport in terms of participation and activity at the professional level, it just doesn't get the commercial recognition," Leed said.
    "Tennis is doing an amazing things globally, not just in China, and we're struggling to break through this almost invisible radar that's holding us back.
    "It's an easy sport to take part in, and when you look at modern players they're like ninjas."
    One of the major issues is technical -- people increasingly watch sports on the move, but a fast-moving shuttlecock is almost impossible to see on a smartphone screen.
    Different colour shuttlecocks and courts, and clever use of slow-motion footage, could all be part of the answer, Leed said.
    "We're looking at everything from virtual graphics to all sorts of things that we might do to present the sport. Like scoring systems, (to) make the games shorter, sharper, potentially," he said.
    "Competitively, we have a scoring system that works but also needs to evolve. We have fantastic challenges," added Leed.
    "Everyone knows what badminton is, to whether you play in your garden in the UK in summer, to whether you play professionally in the Asian environment or global environment."
     
  2. pcll99

    pcll99 Regular Member

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    Thanks, Loh. A few observations of my own:

    1. Female badminton players should either dress like tennis players or volleyball players..

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    2. On the technical issue, all videos on youtube should be at least 60 frames per second. Right now, it's just 30 fps, which is a pain to watch a tiny projectile like a shuttlecock travelling at 300km/hr from a camera far far away. The best thing to do is of course 120 frames per second, but not a lot of TV set has 120 frames per second. Since BWF is using slow motion capture camera in all major events anyway, achieving 60 frames per second on youtube should not be very difficult financially or technically for BWF.

    3. The lighting inside the arena is crucial. The recent Japan Open was a huge improvement; it's almost as good as All England. BWF should make it mandatory for all future Super Series and Level 1 events to follow the high standards set by the Japanese and the English. (The Germans are pretty good too.)

    4. Lastly, on a more serious note, Somerville should automatically qualify for all SS tournaments. BWF and/or Li Ning needs to pay for all her travelling expenses and accommodation PLUS a $1000 per tournament allowance irrespective of result. It's not too much to ask, is it? :D

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    #2 pcll99, Sep 23, 2015
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2015
  3. alien9113

    alien9113 Regular Member

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    Ah.... this topic again. One of badminton's strong points is also its weak point. I don't know of many people who enjoy watching a fast sport...

    But how do you make people enjoy watching a fast sport? F1 has a large following. Whenever there's F1, people would be keen to watch some key rounds, whether or not they follow F1. But whenever there's badminton, only the few interested would watch. Even for semis and finals, it's still the same few... Perhaps that's something we can learn from F1.
     
  4. amleto

    amleto Regular Member

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    F1 is a false comparison - you can see the cars easily in F1 coverage. You can't easily see the shuttle...
     
  5. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    The term should be "fashionable". That covers a wider range of people.

    People always want to look cool, but not necessarily "sexy".
     
  6. craigandy

    craigandy Regular Member

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    I think he was just comparing sports which are fast rather than how they deal with coverage. On that note I think it is always a bit silly bwf promoting that part, people are not going to start watching a sport because it is fast. Neither do folk particularly watch F1 because it is fast, it is all about glitz and glamour with loads of technical stuff for the motor heads and controversy for the women:D It is also heavy on personality, which is non existent in Badminton.
     
  7. alien9113

    alien9113 Regular Member

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    Yes, even as an uninterested audience of F1, I still watch some for entertainment. How do you even get people to turn on the TV to watch just a badminton game for entertainment?
     
  8. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Badminton players' image

    I would think that in badminton, as it is in tennis, the main focus are the players on court, not the racket or the shuttlecock, although they are necessary. In the F1 Grand Prix, the supercars and the drivers are the main attraction.

    How appealing are the badminton players that can possibly evoke immediate attention and interest to bring in more fans?

    Therefore the players' physical appearance, how they groom and conduct themselves and what they wear must be of interest to the spectators. "First impression counts." How they respond to interviews before or after matches will also interest badminton fans. In this regard, our players must take up English more seriously compared to their tennis counterparts to be able to market themselves more internationally.

    Can the player command attention with what he/she wears from "head to toe" to be able to set a fashion statement and possibly start a loyal following thereafter? It should not mean that a player has to adhere to what is fashionable for the season for then it becomes too common. She should express her personal identity quite differently, appealingly, revealingly to an extent, though not necessarily "sexy" to make an impact.

    But can our Asian girls especially make such a change after all these years? Is culture an impediment?

    Should BWF change its rules on the clothing players have to wear, like having their names and country/team shown in BIG letters on their shirt backs? Should this requirement be discarded since the electronic scoreboards already give such information?

    I'm sure members here can think of many other possible changes that can help improve our player's image.

    Tennis players versus Badminton players:


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  9. Cycril

    Cycril Regular Member

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    Cmon we have to agree that some Asian like Somerville, WYH, A.Ohori are really pretty thou.
     
  10. Fidget

    Fidget Regular Member

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    When I look at those pictures of tennis and badminton women, I see serious passionate athletes. Look at their faces: They are all professionals with determination in their eyes. That's where a "real fan" looks -- not at photos of high-flapping skirts. :rolleyes:
     
  11. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    With so many beauties in badminton, can they add more value to themselves such that spectators will find them irresistible?

    "Pocket dynamo" Nozomi Okuhara made such an unforgettable impression when she first appeared on court not only with her skills and never-say-die attitude but more particularly with her "cultured Japanese manners" before she leaves the court.

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  12. pcll99

    pcll99 Regular Member

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    i think Li Na and Yao Ming learned English after they have gained fame abroad (not the other way around). The two entered their respective sports which were popular globally already before they got in. I don't think it is realistic to expect Lin Dan or Chen Long to be able to communicate in English, just like it is unrealistic to expect Carolina Marin to speak in Mandarin.

    For badminton to grow popular globally, it needs to do the reverse. Europeans need to step up their games and win more major titles. Carolina is doing that. Germans and the French need to do their parts. Hopefully, Peter Gade, Paul Eric Larsen Hoyer and adidas have a plan.
     
  13. pcll99

    pcll99 Regular Member

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    The prettiest in badminton, in my humble opinion, are:

    1. Somerville

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    2. Takahashi sisters

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    3. Mitani Minatsui

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    4. Chang YN

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  14. KingCantona

    KingCantona Regular Member

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    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]

    This is Goh Liu Ying from Malaysia.
     
  15. amleto

    amleto Regular Member

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    Yes, some good suggestions. I would really like the personalities to come out more. Like in f1 the paddock walk... Getting quick interviews just before the race. Discussing rivalries, strategy etc.
     
  16. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Viktor Axelsen

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    This is one young European player to watch!

    He's got presence apart from badminton technical skills and he has started to learn to speak Mandarin. His world ranking has been rising steadily. He will surely be able to woo the millions of Chinese fans if he speaks their language during an interview.

    He has convinced me of his ability when I got the rare chance of meeting him at this year's Singapore Open and converse with him in simple Mandarin. :)
     
  17. pcll99

    pcll99 Regular Member

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    Yea, I like Viktor too. He may surpass the achievements of Peter Gade and Paul Eric Larsen one day.

    Having more Europeans win more major titles is the only way to make the sport more popular globally, perhaps in China too. All those technical and sexy stuff are just secondary.

    adidas, a German company, obviously did have a plan to spend a lot of money in badminton in late 2014. They tried to woo Lin Dan with a lucrative contract in September/October 2014!! Unfortunately, LCW just received words that he had been tested positive with an illicit drug. Yonex, who couldn't afford to lose both LCW and LD at the same time, outbid adidas.

    If it wasn't for LCW doping scandal, adidas would have spend a lot of money in badminton. It's too bad.
     
    #17 pcll99, Sep 26, 2015
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2015
  18. gundamzaku

    gundamzaku Regular Member

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    prettiest!
     
  19. gundamzaku

    gundamzaku Regular Member

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    so i guess adidas is out since they no longer have axelsen either :(
     
  20. demolidor

    demolidor Regular Member

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    To remind once again it was never (or certainly not initially) Adidas HQ in Germany that entered badminton but a licensee in Hong Kong/France, that produces Adidas' martial arts line under license that tried to enter the badminton market. Axelsen has been back at Yonex for more than a year already :D

    To name another sport somewhat in the same boat as badminton: icehockey is similarly hard to follow(probably harder even for the casual viewer) and has struggled the last decade to maintain their position in the US tv market (having been surpassed by Nascar and no doubt soon enough soccer football) but the last couple of years have been clawing their way back a little, perhaps helped by the 2010 Olympics.

    But yeah the asian tv market should be goal #1, if it isn't even mainstream there why should it even think of breaking through in the western tv market.I can watch table tennis and even sepak takraw on Eurosport but badminton only once a decade :rolleyes:
    But I gues the only way to get on tv in Asia is to dress them in schoolgirl uniforms :p

    Oh yeah: the lighting setup is in the BWF Super Series protocol, certainly for SS Premier it was already mandatory.
     
    #20 demolidor, Nov 15, 2015
    Last edited: Nov 15, 2015

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