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Where EAST meets the Northwest

UNTAPPED POTENTIAL. Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Ed Wang (#71) helped lead a National Football League (NFL) clinic at a training center in Beijing. Attendees at the clinic included Chinese college students who have joined a 32-school flag football league as part of the NFL’s effort to build a fan base in the country. (AP Photos/Andy Wong)

From The Asian Reporter, V21, #05 (March 7, 2011), page 8.

By Christopher Bodeen

The Associated Press

BEIJING — Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Ed Wang sees a future for American football in his parents’ homeland of China.

"I see so much potential," Wang said during a clinic for university students playing in a 32-school flag football league. "Just these kids ... they were just picking it up so fast. Just how smart they were and how they just soaked everything up. It was just so incredible."

The 23-year-old Wang is the first player with full Chinese ancestry selected in the National Football League (NFL) draft. Both his parents were born in China and represented the country in track and field at the 1984 Olympics before moving to the United States later in the decade.

His visit was part of the NFL’s efforts to build a fan base in China, where football remains largely unknown. The league is hoping visits by players such as their new Chinese-American star will help change that.

"It’s great to have players in-market. We’re just excited," NFL China marketing manager Stephanie Hsiao said.

During the clinic, about 70 student players practiced physical conditioning and ran passing drills before playing a high-spirited exhibition. Joining Wang in instructing were Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Sidney Rice, along with former players Jack Brewer and Barrett Green.

Among those taking part, Beijing university student He Xin said he started playing flag football after it was introduced in physical education class. It’s now become a hobby and the exposure to professional players such as Wang was a great opportunity to learn more.

"More and more players are taking it up and I think there’s a bright future ahead for football in China, even though there’s still a big gap in understanding among Chinese," said He, a third-year student at Beijing’s No. 2 Foreign Languages Institute.

Wang was travelling to China for the first time in a decade and also visited Shanghai for promotional events.

The Virginia native was selected out of Virginia Tech in the fifth round of the 2010 draft. After being hampered by a thumb injury to start the season, Wang appeared in six of Buffalo’s games at left tackle — a crucial position responsible for protecting the quarterback. His rookie season was a learning experience.

"I learned the system, understood the game," Wang said.

His trip to China has in some ways been a walk down memory lane. He visited the Beijing sports academy where his parents trained — his father Robert was a high jumper while mother Nancy ran the 100-meter hurdles — and where he worked out during a two-month family visit 10 years ago, a time when he said he first realized his athletic potential.

"That’s really where I started to pick up being good at sports, so it all really started there," Wang said. "So a lot of me thanks them for that."

Wang’s rise to professional success has drawn frequent comparisons to Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, although Yao was born and raised in China.

The 6’5", 314-pound Wang said he was flattered by the comparison.

"Hopefully I can live up to that and help expand football to China. That’s what I’m aiming for," Wang said.

Chinese-American athletes would continue to push into new areas, Wang said, citing the growing number of Asian players in high school football programs. At least four current or former NFL players boast partial Chinese ancestry, including New England Patriots safety Patrick Chung.

Building a market for football in China, however, may still take years.

The NFL opened an office in Beijing in 2007 and has been recruiting media partners to broadcast games both on television and live streaming on websites including QQ and Sina.com.

As for staging an NFL exhibition game in China, Hsiao said that was a goal but no date had been set.

"There is no real basis or history of football in China," Hsiao said, "so we rely a lot on the media to educate people about the game."