The Western sports leagues best known in China are the professional ones -- the NBA, English Premier League, Bundesliga. 在中國，最知名的西方體育聯(lián)盟都是職業(yè)的——NBA（美國男子職業(yè)籃球聯(lián)賽），English Premier League（英格蘭足球超級聯(lián)賽）, Bundesliga（德國足球甲級聯(lián)賽）。 US college sports teams are little known here. What seems to be a mystery to many Chinese are the deep passions local university teams arouse among fans – they are much more widely popular than pro teams in most cases. 美國大學(xué)的運(yùn)動隊在這里鮮有耳聞。很多中國人似乎還不知道，美國當(dāng)?shù)氐拇髮W(xué)校隊在粉絲心中所引發(fā)的強(qiáng)烈情感——大多數(shù)情況下，校隊的影響力遠(yuǎn)比職業(yè)隊廣泛得多。 The Chinese system is more geared toward having the most talented athletes attend specialized sports schools. 中國的體育體系與此不同，它更加注重的是讓最有天賦的運(yùn)動員進(jìn)入專門的體育學(xué)校。 For most of us in my extended family and that of my wife, the sport that is a deep part of our culture is the one in which helmeted men bash into each other. It is known as “American football” and, in China, called gan lan qiu or olive ball because of its shape. 對于我和我妻子家族的大部分人來說，我們文化深層的體育競技就是戴著防護(hù)帽的球員猛烈地相互沖撞。這就是“美式足球”。在中國，根據(jù)球的形狀叫橄欖球。 This has been an especially exciting season because my college team, the Georgia Bulldogs, and my wife’s team, the Alabama Crimson Tide, were for a few weeks No 1 and No 2 in the national rankings. When Georgia was named No 1 in the playoff poll, it was upsetting for Alabama fans, whose perennially dominant team has accustomed them to the top spot. 這一季我的校隊Georgia Bulldogs（喬治亞大學(xué)公牛犬隊），和我妻子的校隊 Alabama Crimson Tide（阿拉巴馬赤色風(fēng)暴隊）連續(xù)幾周在全國排第一第二，所以賽事格外激動人心。如果季后賽中喬治亞隊排了第一，阿拉巴馬隊的粉絲就會忐忑不安。他們習(xí)慣了自己的球隊常年壟斷，穩(wěn)坐第一。 My team took a drubbing in a recent game and fell to No 7, and my wife’s team is No 1 again. 近來我的校隊遭到重創(chuàng)，落到第七名，而我妻子的校隊又重回第一。 Still, there’s a very good chance our two teams will play each other in the Southeastern Conference championship on Dec 2 in my hometown, Atlanta. 不過，12月2日東南聯(lián)盟（Southeastern Conference）錦標(biāo)賽在我家鄉(xiāng)亞特蘭大舉行，兩支球隊仍然很有可能同場交鋒。 My wife -- in jest, I think – has graciously offered to give me a blanket and pillow so I can sleep on the couch. 我妻子——開了個玩笑——大方給我準(zhǔn)備了毛毯和枕頭，好讓我睡在沙發(fā)上。 To understand the power of college football, especially in some areas of the United States, it’s helpful to know that the southern states long were the national family’s poor cousins, where opportunity and education were harder to come by. Strong football teams were a point of pride, and continue to be, even as more prosperity has come to the region. 想要理解大學(xué)橄欖球的作用，特別是在美國有些地區(qū)的作用，可以去看看南方各州。長期以來，他們是全國大家庭中較為貧窮的兄弟，獲得機(jī)會和教育相對困難。但他們有強(qiáng)大的橄欖球隊，橄欖球隊曾經(jīng)，并將一直是他們的驕傲，哪怕南方已經(jīng)繁榮起來。 College sports is so engrained that my wife and I often describe colors by their corresponding teams: “Sweetie, is that red more Mississippi State or Alabama?” “That looks like LSU purple!” 大學(xué)體育深入人心，生活中我和我妻子常常拿對應(yīng)球隊來描述顏色?！坝H愛，那種紅色是更密西西比州立（Mississippi State）還是阿拉巴馬？”“看著像路易斯安那州立（LSU）的紫色！” It might help to take a look at a short video showing the cultural prominence of the University of Alabama cheer: “Roll Tide”. Go to https://www.ispot.tv/ad/7AGf/espn-roll-tide. It really doesn’t exaggerate much. 有個文化短片可以一看，拍的是阿拉巴馬大學(xué)里人人常提“赤色風(fēng)暴”，請見https://www.ispot.tv/ad/7AGf/espn-roll-tide. 內(nèi)容其實(shí)并不怎么夸張。 My wife, an English teacher, even has a video of some of her students in Shanghai cheering “Roll Tide”, which she taught them. 我妻子是英語教師，她甚至還有一段視頻，錄著一些她在上海的學(xué)生歡呼“赤色風(fēng)暴”，那就是她教的。 As the number of Chinese college students attending US colleges has risen in the past decade, some US universities are reaching out. Vice Sports noted last year that the University of Illinois broadcast football games in Mandarin, thanks to students from Changzhou and Chengdu. 過去十年，在美留學(xué)的中國大學(xué)生數(shù)目有所增加，有些美國大學(xué)人滿為患。美國媒體Vice Sports注意到，去年伊利諾伊大學(xué)（University of Illinois）播報橄欖球比賽使用了普通話，因?yàn)閷W(xué)校有來自常州和成都的學(xué)生。 For us, college football is a family thing. One of my first baby pictures is me dressed up in the bright orange of my dad’s university, Tennessee. We teased my brother, an Alabama fan, when he married into a family loyal to his team’s main rival, Auburn. Luckily, they have two daughters -- one for each team. 而對我們來說，大學(xué)橄欖球是家里的事。我最早的嬰兒照里就有穿著我爸的田納西隊（Tennessee）亮橘色球衣的。我們還會打趣我兄弟。他喜歡阿拉巴馬隊，結(jié)婚卻進(jìn)了奧本隊的死忠家庭，這可是阿拉巴馬的主要對手。好在，他們有兩個女兒——兩支球隊一人一個。