Beckham Scores Big in China
David Beckham, star player of Real Madrid and sports
endorsement superstar, has been widely lauded on the team's
current tour in China. All this, even when he was a no-show
at many events associated with the team's visit.
Beckham, who is married to one of the members of the
Spice Girls band, has endorsements from Vodafone and other
leading brands anxious to promote their business in China
and Japan, where he is particularly popular. Although
Beckham is not well-know in the US, he is very well-known
in almost all other markets. China Sports Weekly, which
has a circulation of 100 million, has devoted its whole
issue to the Real Madrid visit, and Beckham has been accorded
nearly god-like status in China among fans in China, many
of whom know nothing about football (soccer) except that
Beckham is a star player.
The Real Madrid team caused an upset on the visit to
Kunming when they failed to appear for a lavish banquet
presented in their honor by the provincial government
and hosted by the governor, and didn't appear to meet
the media. Luckily, several of the British reporters devoted
to covering Beckham's tour stepped in to enjoy the banquet
"in place of" the team and meet the media, even
though they are not officially part of the team.
But, for many members of the Chinese media, it was good
enough so that they could complete their assignments and
give fans the news that they wanted to see.
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