Chinese TV Spends $20 million to Learn About Ecuadorian Soccer

A Chinese television channel has spent $20 million to learn about Ecuadorian soccer in anticipation of the World Cup. Central China Television Channel 5, which is dedicated to sports, sent reporters and cameramen to Ecuador this Spring to find out what football is like in the country and how it is that Ecuador has qualified for two successive World Cups. Look, having a country as big as China spread the gospel of Ecuadorian football is a good thing. But $20 million? I would let President Hu Jintao read this blog for half that amount. A yuan saved is a yuan earned, you know.