Just a thought about making TT rallies longer and more watchable by the public...

[phillypong]

@Phillypong

TT has been the most popular sport in China, without the need to change. It is not due to the sport itself that not many people are interested in it. I agree with you that there should be tried to make more people interested in TT. But changing the sport is not how that is done. That tennis is more fun to watch than table tennis is totally personal experience. I can't watch a tennis match without being bored after 5 minutes. Also womens table tennis rallies are longer than mens, so the comparison between womens tennis and mens table tennis rallies isn't really fair. Besides, we've seen in the past how boring long tt rallies can be.
Maybe we should get people into our sports with compilation video's where not too much spin is involved, but excitement that is very clear for not TT players. Because you can clearly see from the X-mas vid, that alot of youtubers and news sites find it very awesome. So our sport is interesting for everybody, but we don't carry it out.

TT has been popular in China because of reasons of COST (the communist regime wants to give a large population a cheap sport that requires only limted space and equipment).

In the meantime it is basketball that is the most popular sport in China, i quote an article from USAToday :

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/beijing/basketball/2008-08-18-china-hoopla_N.htm

"The formidable Chinese Olympic team has won gold in more than a half-dozen events, from archery and diving to weightlifting and shooting. It is not likely to take gold — or even medal — in basketball. Yet there is little doubt what sport reigns supreme.

Even before Yao Ming carried his nation's flag into National Stadium at the opening ceremonies, basketball fever was surging past table tennis, badminton and volleyball as the favorite of the masses."

Being a relatively cheap sport that can be done by young to old, it is clearly due to the kind of sport itself that not many people are interested in it.
Basketball is only being played the last 20 years in China and it is already more popular than table tennis there !

Lets face the facts : without some serious changes the declination in popularity of table tennis will continue (and no Killerspin exhibition will change this evolution ;-) )

 

[DingO]

Why must we always change it. Cant change things just because it doesnt suit someone... :S

 

[YosuaYosan]

That article is 3 years old already
I suggest you to search for a more up to date news to validate your argument.

 

[phillypong]

That article is 3 years old already
I suggest you to search for a more up to date news to validate your argument.

Well euh i will just give one more : http://www.mostpopularsports.net/in-china
Again basketball in first place !

 

[WiWa]

Well I know it is not #1 anymore. But that doesn't mean it is still a very popular sport. It is true that table tennis is chosen by the regime back then. That is part of the culture of a nation that grew up with table tennis. Every country has their own culture in that regard. Do you think baseball is an exciting sport? America loves it, we don't know why Also I can't imagine a change in TT that would do the sport good. Right now there is a perfect balance, there are enough rallies, there are winners, there are crazy serves that fool opponents. If you take out the spin factor in favor of the rallies, matches will be longer and more boring to watch. If you make it faster and there are only winners, it will become the same over and over again. People have to love our sport the way it is, because its perfectly fine. What we should work on is marketing and promotion, not the rules and materials of the current game.

 

[YosuaYosan]

My belief:
Table tennis not tennis on table