CD Voice | China is embracing Yankees Universe
In baseball parlance, the number of Chinese stepping up to the plate is staggering – even if most don't comprehend the connection.
It seems no matter where you travel in this vast country – Beijing or Harbin, Shanghai or Macao – it's next to impossible to stroll the streets or shopping malls for more than a few minutes without spotting the ubiquitous interlocking 'NY' insignia of the world's most fabled professional sports franchise.
From toddlers' jackets and backpacks to weather-beaten caps donned by grizzled street cleaners and stylish handbags toted by cute coeds (or their sheepish boyfriends), a wide array of products worn or carried by trendy Chinese – male and female, young and old – advertises their unwitting affinity for the New York Yankees.
Yup, the Bronx Bombers. The Pinstriped Sultans of Swat. Or, as jealous fans of any of the 29 pretenders to Major League Baseball's throne of immortality like to call 'em: The Evil Empire.
To be sure, there are a couple of wealthier teams in the wide world of sports – soccer's Real Madrid and the NFL's Dallas Cowboys – but in terms of public profile, all the other teams in all the other sports are mere satellites in Yankees Universe.
Stylishly simple, with an understated yet compelling coolness, the iconic 'NY' constitutes one of the most pirated copyrighted insignias on the planet, adorning a plethora of unlicensed products worldwide. Ironically, the emblem was first purloined in 1909 -- by the baseball club. Originally created by renowned jewelry craftsman Louis Comfort Tiffany for a medal presented to police officers shot in the line of duty, it was replicated on the caps and uniforms of the New York Highlanders, who were renamed 'Yankees' in 1913.
Today, the interlocking 'NY' can be spotted on caps and clothing in every corner of the globe – from the red carpet at glitzy Hollywood premieres to the frozen Canadian arctic and refugee camps in the Middle East. But here in China, most recruits to the ever-expanding Yankees Universe don't have a clue about what the insignia means.
Over a recent two-week period, with language assistance from a Chinese friend, I asked 50 Beijingers spotted wearing Yankees gear if they knew anything about the ball club. The respondents – 34 males, 16 females – ranged in age from 11 to 72 years. While 14 of the guys indicated they knew the 'NY' had something to do with bangqiu, only one young woman was cognizant of the connection. The rest merely said they liked the emblem's look – alternately described as "cool" or "powerful."
Well, that's a start.
As long as the coolness quotient of the greatest insignia in sport continues to captivate discerning citizens in the world's most populous country, Yankees Universe is unfolding as it should.
Well done, China.
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