My last column was about my first trip to a Chinese Police department – after I was caught dancing on the court between quarters at a Shanghai Sharks game. Well, that was two years ago. Now it’s 2014, and I get free courtside tickets to every Sharks game. What a long and winding road it has been.
After my court-dancing incident at Yuanshen Stadium (AKA The Shark Tank) I wasn’t so sure how I would be received the following season. To play it cool and hide my identity, I started showing up at games in different disguises: creepy dude wearing a camouflage hat and trench coat; French businessman; gigantic lady boy… you know the drill.
I tried them all, but it wouldn’t take long for the Sharks’ head volunteer – known as Captain Killjoy – to spot me and make sure I was followed around by at least two Bao’ans for the rest of the night.
Well, all of these shenanigans were captured on camera (thanks Alessio, Jake, Matt) and turned into a Youtube video entitled The Shark Knight.
The overarching message was that I wasn’t going to let the fact I was now being treated like a criminal – at a place I once called my “home away from home” – prevent me from being the loyal fan the Shanghai Sharks deserve (but not the one they need right now). Anyways, I put the video out not expecting to win me any new fans over at the Shanghai Sharks offices.
I could not have been more wrong.
A few days later I get a mysterious email that just said: “I’m from Shanghai Sharks. You are interesting. Just saw your new video. What’s your number?”
So I gave the person my number and, lo and behold, the next day I get a call from Mark - AKA Mark the Shark - the president of the Shanghai Sharks. The first thing he says to me is “Hey Donnie, just wanted to say I’m sorry about the way you were treated at the games last season, we really appreciate your enthusiasm for the team. Maybe you can do some part-time consulting for us next Season.”
Whaaa? While I did think Captain Killjoy overreacted a bit, I did look pretty shady at times, showing up to the arena in dark shades and winter gloves or with lipstick on and a wig. Can’t blame Captain KJ for getting a little on edge, he was just doing his job.
Anyway, I was ecstatic to learn that the Sharks seemed ready to give me a second chance to prove my loyalty. What followed were a couple of meetings at their office, a tour of the stadium and a bunch of brainstorming sessions on how to improve their fan experience the following season.
At one point they agreed to put me in charge of the half-time show and all in-court entertainment. (Sadly, they never followed through with that; I think they realized keeping their usual cheerleading squad for entertainment purposes would be much cheaper and way less of a liability. While I was bummed, but still shocked I was even in a position to be having these types of conversations.)
This brings us up to today. The Sharks decided to bring me on as their ‘Foreign Brand Ambassador’ (I gave myself that title). Basically my responsibilities are to help get the word out about the Shanghai Sharks to the foreign community, organize events, sell tickets, etc. (If you’ve got any Sharks related questions, I’m at 158 2111 4349).
We’ve already had some home games, and I finally feel like I belong in the Shark Tank. Captain Killjoy and I even squashed our beef (he is now affectionately known as “The Captain”), and I now get two courtside seats at every game. My plan is to start bringing a new date to every game and establish myself as the Jack Nicholson of the CBA. The Shark Knight Rises indeed.
To end on a more serious note (and do my job), Sharks games are genuinely a ton of fun, and while they’re still surprisingly under most people’s radars, their potential for growth is enormous in a city like Shanghai. So throw your fins up and come join me as a proud member of #SHARKNATION. The water is warm.
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