Magazine mixes sports, sex and style
Should a soccer player have wild sex with his girlfriend before an important match? This is one of the questions sports commentator Huang Jianxiang hotly debates with writer and racecar driver Han Han on a video clip for H-Sports online magazine.
Han explains the traditional Chinese belief that sportsmen - especially car racers - should refrain from intimate relations for a week before a big competition.
Huang shoots back with: "Many soccer stars must have sex to maintain physical vitality before major matches."
Han responds: "Actually, I believe the tradition is wrong I must thank my girlfriend for my latest gold medal, because she always trains my body."
The bimonthly H-Sports' readership has grown to 70,000 per issue since Huang founded it in 2009. It's popularity brought it to the attention of the country's largest fashion media group, Trends Group, which owns 17 magazines. The two recently signed a deal to cooperate on H-Sports - now called Trendsports - to reinvent it as a "fashionable sports magazine".
From the start, Huang envisioned H-Sports as fusing lifestyle, fashion and sports - something akin to China's take on Sports Illustrated. So H-Sports not only provides basic sports information but also sexy cover girls, breaking news and commentary.
Huang rose to acclaim during his stint at CCTV, when he captured global attention with the way he commentated on-field for the 2006 FIFA World Cup match between Australia and Italy - that is, by howling passionate support for Italy for several minutes straight.
The 44-year-old is known for his good looks and fashion savvy. He attended Trendsports' founding ceremony in a formfitting, checkered casual suit and told participants he will "add some color to the sports industry", adding that he frequently reads fashion magazines.
His latest moves include putting basketball player Yi Jianlian on the cover - showing more muscles than clothes - and inviting columnist Ye San to delve into Japanese porn star Aoi Sora's influence on the track field.
He is recruiting armies of fashion photographers and editors, makeup artists and popular columnists. The magazine has 20 editors.
"Chinese people might believe our sports industry peaked after 2008 Beijing Olympics," Huang says.
"But, actually, sports media did not make any progress. They instead entered a recession (in sales and content) since China won 51 gold medals," he continues.
"When they talk about sports, they think of fighting for your country's honor. Few people participate and pay full attention."
Huang says the thread that ties together the overlapping topics of sports, sex and style is that sports offer a healthy lifestyle everyone should adopt. "It is fun, approachable and stylish," he says.
"And that's a positive attitude toward life. Sports are humorous and connected with our lives."
China Daily
(China Daily 07/09/2011 page11)
