Recently, the 2025 "Gan Chao" reached the milestone of 100 days of opening. From surpassing the attendance rate of 13392 people per game in the first round of the China League One, to setting a record of 50168 people watching a single match between Nanchang and Ganzhou in the quarterfinals, to over 1.15 million people attending the final - this national event that spans 110 days and covers 66 matches showcases the vigorous power of a sports powerhouse with constantly refreshing data, igniting summer and autumn with football enthusiasm. The popularity of 'Gan Chao' is another vivid manifestation of the vigorous development of mass sports. In recent years, "Village BA" and "Su Chao" have frequently emerged, creating a spectacular scene of "people following the crowd" offline, and "hot topics" online. This may seem like an accidental surge in traffic, but behind it lies the deep connection between grassroots sports and regional culture, as well as the resonance with public emotions. For example, at the "Village BA" competition in Qiandongnan, Guizhou, people use local language to explain the competition, use pots and pans to "support", and the audience can win prizes such as pig legs and cat slope watermelons by shooting a ball... These are all in line with the local folk customs of the "New Food Festival" for decades, which is a vivid expression of local culture carried by sports and also interprets the most authentic longing of the public for sports activities. Gan Chao has become unique and exciting due to its red culture. I still remember at the end of August when Ganzhou played against Ji'an at home, the lights on the stands gathered into a galaxy, reflecting the dancers walking on the field. The field echoed with the singing of "Ten Farewell to the Red Army" by 40000 fans; The song 'Good Work Style of Soviet Area Cadres' combines situational dance with red songs to create an immersive cheering effect, with the slogan' Working in Grass Shoes on the Day and Visiting Poor Farmers with Lanterns at Night '; In the music and dance poem "The Scenery is Unique Here", 80 performers hold a 1500 square meter red giant image to showcase the magnificence of "Qingping Music · Huichang"... When red cultural resources are organically integrated with mass sports events, the generous ambition of the children of the Soviet area to "dare to teach the sun and moon to change the sky" and their eternal ideal beliefs are stirred in the hearts of every audience member. The rise of new mass sports has driven the popularity of cultural tourism and consumption. Currently, innovative models such as "sports+city" and "sports+cultural tourism" are flourishing, injecting new vitality into creating local business cards and driving economic growth. According to statistics, in 2024, the total revenue of China's tourism industry will reach 5.75 trillion yuan, and the total scale of the sports industry will be 3.89 trillion yuan. The sports tourism industry, with a market size of 1.79 trillion yuan, has created new industrial space and consumption momentum. For example, this year's Wuxi Marathon attracted 426000 spectators and runners, directly creating an industrial benefit of 505 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 78.2%. Driven by this sports event, hotel rooms were sold out in one go, restaurant turnover rates tripled compared to usual, and vehicles from surrounding cities such as Nanjing, Suzhou, and Shanghai flooded in, turning the streets of Wuxi into a flowing economic landscape. This economic form centered on sports events not only attracts people to "play a game and go to a city", but also effectively drives the development of related industries such as catering and accommodation, transportation, cultural and creative retail, venue operation, etc., releasing multiplier effects in dimensions such as industrial chain extension, urban upgrading, and cultural dissemination. New mass sports activities are not only a stage for competition, but also a "bond" that connects people's hearts. During the "Gan Chao" competition, official new media platforms of the host cities wrote "city letters" one after another, showcasing the city's charm, discussing the long-lasting friendship, promoting cultural and tourism resources, and triggering a wave of cross city communication among fans. Some sports centers and competition venues in certain places have been transformed into "citizen fitness complexes" after the competition, which can be open to the public for football training, individual kicking, etc. The ancillary space of the venues can also host community sports events, becoming an organic part of the "15 minute fitness circle". Not only that, the vigorous development of mass sports has also had a positive impact on the healthy growth of young people. For example, in Sichuan, "Chuanchao" has become a "mobile red classroom". Teachers combine the turbulent years of "crossing the Red River four times" with competition scenes to carry out real-time ideological and political education, so that children can learn respect and friendship, responsibility and accountability, and pass on the revolutionary spirit in the movement. The success of new mass sports activities such as "Ganchao" inspires us that the vitality of mass sports events comes from the nourishment of local culture and the resonance of public emotions. When the red melody echoes on the green field and grassroots players strive for collective honor, the competition can become a new carrier to activate regional resources and consolidate urban spirit, igniting a new engine for building a sports powerhouse. (New Society)