When will NFL be as popular as NBA in China?

The National Football League has been doing their best to increase its popularity in China, but from 2004 to now, it’s still a strange name to most people. Unlike the NBA, who has star Chinese players like Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, the NFL is nothing about any Chinese, and the sports American football itself is nothing familiar to Chinese.

I’ve heard that some college football player of Chinese origin will put on NFL jerseys in new future. That is a basic step for the NFL to start its business in Chinese. If they want have more share of the China market, well, a lot more needs to be done.

First of all, the league really needs invest a lot to make American football a favorite sports to young man. As a matter of fact, what Chinese people called football is what is internationally known as soccer. This country has many soccer teams but none has played well enough to satisfy their fans ever. There are few professional football teams, let alone football games. I guess the league will have to spend quite a lot of time in promoting the real meaning of the sports. And that is only some of the first steps, so I guess it will take at least three to five years before NFL gets some popularity in China. To be as hot as NBA? Well, let’s say a decade.

Vick learnt little during time with Eagles

Recently the previously controversial quarterback Michael Vick made it clear that he wants to be a starter. He wants the status he was enjoy while wearing the Atlanta Falcons jersey back, after spending only one season with the Philadelphia Eagles, the only team willing to accept him when he was seeking to return to NFL after being released from jail.

And now Vick says he does not mind leaving the Eagles if the team will not offer him the starting job. Well, Vick, one season is far from enough for you to reset your reputation. There are still animal rights groups protesting while there is a game involving the used-to-be dog killer. You may think it’s all about football. You are totally wrong as football is about many things. It takes long for people to forget what you did wrong in the past and you need to show enough good will to convince that you really mean to be a better man. Those people include fans, ticket holders, sponsors, all kinds of people that really have influence on how successful a team could be.

So, keep low profile as your current best status before considering you as a star again.

Titans RB Johnson wants to be highest-paid

Achieving his goal of running more than 2,000 yards to lead the league, the Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson, although only in his second year of NFL career, is thinking that he deserves to be given more money than he was promised to receive as a rookie.

Johnson’s current five-year contract with the Titans pays him totally $12 million, with $7 million guaranteed. It was not a bad deal when Johnson signed it. But as a second-year running back, Johnson was able to break Marshall Faulk’s single-season record for total yards from scrimmage, making him the most valuable running back of the league. So it’s just reasonable for the All-Pro running back to want a raise that will push him past the St. Louis Rams’ Steven Jackson, who is currently the league’s highest paid back.

While the Titans has yet to discuss an extension or renegotiation with Johnson, it is very likely that Johnson will get a raise next season as the team would not like to have him take off Titans jersey. What remains uncertain to Johnson is that how much more he will get than the scheduled pay of $560,000.

Colts DE Freeney may be out of Super Bowl game

It seems that whether Dwight Freeney could play for the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl game would remain mystery until late this week. Earlier last Sunday there was report saying that Freeney tore his ligament and was unlikely to play this Sunday’s game, and later the Colts cleared that Freeney’s injury is nothing more than a low ankle sprain that kept the team hopeful about Freeney’s playing status. Even later than that, new report came out to say that the ankle injury was serious and could still keep Freeney out of Super Bowl.

The report said that Freeney’s ankle injury was “really bad” and it could at least limit Freeney during the game. The Colts officials insisted that Freeney remains questionable for the playoff against the New Orleans Saints, that “questionable” could mean a very small chance for Freeney to play.

Even if Freeney is to put on his Colts jersey to play the game, there are still worries about his effectiveness. In not in his 100 percent, without the incredible speed, remarkable spins and leverage to attack opponents, Freeney’s existence on the field will make little sense, especially as the Saints are ready to have their defensive end Will Smith to put consistent pressure on Peyton Manning. Perhaps the Colts need a plan-B in case.

Colts starting DE Freeney and CB Powers are questionable for SB game

Missing their third straight practice Friday, the Indianapolis Colts starting defensive end Dwight Freeney starting cornerback Jerraud Powers may not be able to put on their Colts jerseys to play next week’s Super Bowl game against the New Orleans Saints.

Freeney has a sprained right ankle. Powers already missed Sunday’s AFC championship game against the New York Jets with an injured left foot. As questionable is their playing status for next week’s game, the Colts still keeps the hope of having both back in time to help the team for championship competition.

The only other player who missed Friday’s practice was running back Donald Brown, who was listed as questionable with a foot injury.

Other injured players all returned to take limited part in Friday’s practice. Safeties Antoine Bethea and Melvin Bullitt, receiver Austin Collie and backup tight end Jacob Tamme all seemed to have bigger chance to play the playoff than Freeney and Powers. Bullitt with a knee injury was on the questionable list, while Bethea with back injury, Collie with foot injury and Tamme with ankle injury were all listed as probable.

About Warner’s decision: only news conference is confirmed

Recently people are focusing on what decisions the Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner makes. Every new report about him would be read by much more people than any other reports, during time when there is nothing worth hot discussion except for the last two games of the season. What has been confirmed by the Cardinals by so far is that the 38-year-old quarterback will have a news conference, at 1 p.m. MST on Friday in the team’s training center auditorium.

Widespread speculation is that Warner will take off his NFL jersey officially after the news conference, which seems so likely to happen as it seems unnecessary to make this kind of announcement if his decision is to continue wearing Cardinals jersey.

There is still one year left in Warner’s current contract with the Cardinals. Leaving at this time will mean $11.5 million of loss in salary, but the former league and Super Bowl MVP has said that money does not matter with his decision.

Jaguars plan to lure back ticket holders by reducing prices

Blacking out nine of 10 home games in 2009 season with 17,000 season-ticket holders choosing not to renew last year, the Jacksonville Jaguars are taking actions to rebuild the team’s popularity. One of the actions is to reduce ticket prices.

The Jaguars have reduced season tickets in two sections in the upper deck by $90, reduced season tickets in four sections in the lower bowl by $100, and reduced season tickets in two club sections by $300. They also introduced two payment plans that allow fans to lock in 2010 prices for three years and make equal payments for those 30 games over 30 consecutive months, with no interest and no deposit.

Hopefully cheaper tickets will get more fans come to the stadium Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Jaguars jerseys. But I think a better on-field performance may work much better than reducing ticket prices in boosting sales and avoiding blackouts.