News Local/State

Mandarin Play-by-Play At U of I Boosting Fan Base

 
In this Sept. 5, 2015 photo, David He, left, and Bruce Lu broadcast a University of Illinois NCAA college football game from Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. The two Illinois students are broadcasting Illini football games online in Mandarin Chine

In this Sept. 5, 2015 photo, David He, left, and Bruce Lu broadcast a University of Illinois NCAA college football game from Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. The two Illinois students are broadcasting Illini football games online in Mandarin Chinese this fall. David Mercer/AP

For the first time, Illinois football will have a Mandarin play-by-play and color team calling the game for streaming in China.

The University of Illinois has a huge number of Chinese students, and the activity has been getting the community more involved in campus culture.