China prepares for NFL kickoff
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National Football League (NFL) live broadcasts will hit local screens for the fourth consecutive year when the new season kicks off this morning (Beijing time).
Two Chinese channels, Five-star Sports and Guangdong Sports, and sina.com, one of the country's top portal sites, will carry 32 regular-season matches live, including this morning's curtain-raiser between the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints.
China's Central Television's sports station, CCTV 5, will join them in broadcasting the playoffs.
For Chinese sports fans, there is an extra reason to watch this year's NFL as Ed Wang, the Buffalo Bills' rookie offensive tackle, became the first player with direct Chinese ancestry to be selected in the NFL draft in April.
To add some more color to sina.com's coverage, four cheerleaders from the San Diego Chargers will be guest commentators for Monday Night Football. They will also tour Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin and Changsha to promote the sport.
Last year, CCTV 5 showed a 16-episode TV program, NFL Blitz, which featured Taiwan alternative rock band, Mayday, and a female pop singer from the Chinese mainland, who spent 10 days in the US and engaged in NFL-related activities.
Meanwhile, a flag football league will be held in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou from September to December. Beijing Sports University won the first competition last year. The league featured 20 teams from Beijing and Shanghai.
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