杨澜中国日报英文专栏谈姚明.doc

Yao head and shoulders above the rest
By Yang Lan (China Daily)
Over the past eight years, I have had the pleasure of interviewing basketball star Yao Ming three times. I first sat down with him in 2002, just before he was scheduled to leave for the United States to play in the NBA. Although he had been the first round draft pick that year, he still felt a sense of ambivalence about how his new life in the US would turn out.
在过去的八年间，我有幸三次采访姚明。2002年我第一次采访他是在他赴美之前。他已经进入当年NBA选秀的第一轮，仍然对自己在美国的新生活即憧憬又担忧。
The second time I interviewed him was during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He had returned as a hero, but knew he and his teammates needed to step up if the nation was to get a medal in the competition.
第二次采访他是在08年北京奥运会。作为篮坛英雄归来的姚明，仍然清醒地知道，中国要想笑傲奖坛，自己和队友们仍需努力。
The last time we met, Yao was unable to walk without crutches.
最后一次见到他时，他只能依靠拐杖走路。
I have watched the wide arc of Yao's career and wondered what it means for the development of Chinese basketball. It boils down to these five major points.
我已经目睹过了姚明宽泛的职业生涯，同时也在思考其对中国篮球的意义。概括说来，主要有以下五点：
Firstly, Yao's physical growth. Back in 2002 Yao was a shy, lanky 22 year old. Over the years his body has filled out to match his position as center. Now that he is out of action, it is even bigger.
第一，姚明的体力。2002年时他还是一个害羞、瘦长的22岁年轻人。然而几年来他已经锻炼成一个真正的中锋巨人。他不打篮球后，体格更加健壮了。
Second, is Yao's transformation from first round draft pick to team owner of the Shanghai Sharks, where he started his career.
第二，他的成功转型。从NBA第一轮选秀中崭露头角，到回到自己刚起步的地方，上海鲨鱼队并且当上老板。
Third, as a young player he earned little, now he earns over $52 million a year. He knows that all too often his fellow NBA players go broke just 3.5 years after retiring. Yao told me these young players suddenly start to earn enormous salaries, but have no training in how to manage their fortunes. I asked him what he had done to avoid such a situation.
第三，他之前赚钱不多，然而现在每年收入超过五千两百万。他知道很多NBA球员都在退役3.5年后宣告破产。他曾经告诉我，这些年轻的球员突然间就赚到大钱，却没有及时学会如何理财。我也问过他是如何试图避免这个局面的。
"When I first started out I was only earning about 10 yuan ($1.46) a week, with an occasional 700 yuan bonus for winning a game I quickly spent that whole bonus."
“一开始我每星期只赚10块钱（1.46美元），有时候打赢比赛会有700块奖金，我总是很快就花光这些钱。”
But Yao's parents taught him how to save his money, in the traditional Chinese way. They insisted he put his earnings in the bank, and to use his savings cautiously. He followed his parents' advice closely until last year when he decided to spend big and invest in the Shanghai Sharks.
但他父母教会他积蓄，这也是中国的传统理财方法。他们坚持让姚明把工资存进银行，并谨慎用钱。他一直很听父母的话，除了去年他决定花大手笔投资鲨鱼队。
Fourth, is the emotional journey Yao has experienced, from being a struggling basketball player to being an icon and father of a baby girl, in a few months' time.
第四，是他的情感历程。从默默无闻的小球员到国民偶像，随后又在几个月的时间中体会到了作为一个女婴的父亲的欣喜若狂。
Thirty years ago journalists predicted the day when the son of two local basketball stars would become the bright hope of Shanghai basketball. Today, the media is pinning the same hopes on the daughter of Yao and his wife, also a former basketball player.
30年前记者们预计上海一对篮球运动员夫妇的儿子会成为上海篮球运动的希望。而今，媒体也开始将同样的希望寄予姚明和叶莉的女儿。
Yao told me about his excitement of becoming a father; especially when he first heard his daughter's heartbeat on the monitor.
姚明对我谈过他的激动心情，尤其是他第一次通过仪器听到自己女儿的心跳时。
This is a much-needed positive experience for Yao, who has been battling injuries for the past two years.
对于在过去的两年一直与病痛做斗争的姚明，这是一次必需而积极的情感体验。
This endless surgery is taking its toll on Yao. He even thought about giving it all up and retiring, so he asked his doctor if he did not have surgery would he be able to play basketball with his child? The doctor answered, he would not even be able to walk. Hence he decided to go forward with surgery.
多次手术给姚明带来了很大创伤。他甚至想过就此放弃，然后退役，所以他曾问自己的医生，如果他不接受手术，以后还能不能和自己的孩子打篮球。医生说他会连走路都成问题。于是他最终决定坚持手术。
Finally, there is the evolution of Yao's mind. He has become a wise man who has devoted time and money into life after the NBA.
最终，姚明想通了。离开NBA后，将时间和钱财投入新生的姚明是明智的。
But the current CBA system is not so profitable. About 40 percent of the team's revenue comes from sales of broadcasting rights, but it still only barely covers the operating costs. The rest comes from ticket sales, a maximum of 4 million yuan, when operating costs are about 27 million. Sales of merchandise and sponsorship makes up the deficit.
然而目前中国篮球盈利状况不佳。40%的收入来自卖出收视权，并且几乎不能覆盖支出。剩下的来自票务收入，最多不过四百万，而支出是两千七百万。周边产品的销售和赞助填补了赤字。
Yao said he does not see his investment in purely financial terms, but also as a way to support the development of basketball in China and return the favor to Shanghai for looking after him in his early days.
姚明说他看重的不只是财政收入，还想以此激励中国篮球，并向养育了自己的上海做出回报。
A few days before our most recent interview, Yao was asked to attend an awards ceremony for top athletes in China. He realized his superstar friends and fellow athletes were often forced to take low-paying jobs because they had little formal education.
最近一次采访之前几天，姚明受邀参加了一次中国顶级运动员的颁奖仪式。他发现同样是明星运动员，有的人不得不在退役后接受工资很低的工作，因为他们没有受过多少正式教育。
As boss of the Shanghai Sharks, Yao has invited both teachers and mentors to help his players better manage their financial futures.
作为鲨鱼队的老板，姚明聘请了教师和导师来帮助自己的球员好好把握“钱途”。
Another of Yao's problems has been balancing the knowledge he has gained in the NBA with the traditions of home.
另一个挑战来自如何将他在NBA学到的经验和本地实际情况融合到一起。
As head of the Sharks he has to consider what's best for his team, even if it means hurting some of his closest friends.
他必须为自己球队的利益着想，即使要伤害最亲密的朋友。
Navigating traditional Chinese society, he said, can be tricky at times. He sometimes wistfully thinks back to his early days, when he just played basketball. Even so, he never shies away from the challenge.
传统和人情有时候很难处理。姚明有时候会回想自己早前打篮球的时候，那时他只要心无旁骛地打球就行了。不过他绝不会躲避困难。
When I think about these five aspects of Yao's life, I admire him as an example of someone who is down-to-earth and has not let fame go to his head.
当我想起姚明生命中这五个方面时，我很钦佩他。作为一个名人，他能够做到平易近人，不会让名气冲昏头脑。
As Yao enters a new phase in his life, his 30's, fatherhood, returning to the NBA, and the next step in his career as manager, he shows the courage to make a difference in the world.
30岁的姚明又进入了一个新的阶段，当上父亲，重返NBA，掌管鲨鱼队，他向世界展示了自己能够大有所为的勇气。