Chinese Men's Volleyball Teams Struggle To Secure Sponsors For Current Season

Half of the 12 teams for the Chinese Men's Volleyball League "failed to find sponsorships for the upcoming season due to what observers call a lack of professionalism in sports administration and marketing," according to CHINA DAILY. The six teams from Shandong, Fujian, Liaoning, Sichuan, Guangdong and Hebei provinces "have yet to secure corporate sponsors for the coming year." The season began on Sunday. The teams "are State-funded but the lack of sponsorships reduces both teams and the players' potential earnings." Chinese sponsors "favor the women's volleyball teams over the men's." Real estate developer Yango Group "has recently announced an investment" of 120M yuan ($19.57M) to the women's volleyball team of Fujian province over four years (CHINA DAILY, 11/15).