Here Is Why Premier League Teams Have Sponsors With #88

There are some things in the world of football that have nothing to do with the sport itself but nevertheless make people wondering while watching football. For some, one of these things might be that English Premier League teams have sponsors with the number 88. We find out why.

#88 Symbolizes Fortune and Luck In Chinese Culture

The reason why the sponsors of four different EPL teams feature the number 88 is simple - they are sponsored by betting companies that include the #88 in their name & logo. But why?

Number 88 symbolizes fortune and good luck in Chinese culture, since the word 8 sounds similar to the word fā (发, which implies 发财, or wealth, in Mandarin or Cantonese). The number 8 is considered to be the luckiest number in Chinese culture, and prices in Chinese supermarkets often contain many 8s. The shape of the Chinese character for 8 (八) implies that a person will have a great, wide future as the character starts narrow and gets wider toward the bottom. The Chinese government has been auctioning auto license plates containing many 8s for tens of thousands of dollars. The 2008 Beijing Olympics opened on 8/8/08 at 8 p.m.

However, the number 88 also has a very bad history as one of the most common symbols used by white supremacist. 88 is a white supremacist numerical code for "Heil Hitler." H is the eighth letter of the alphabet, so 88 = HH = Heil Hitler. One of the most common white supremacist symbols, 88 is used throughout the entire white supremacist movement, not just neo-Nazis.

In fact, all of these betting companies sponsoring Premier League teams are mainly active in China (and Asia), while they have no (W88) or only secondary activities in Europe (Fun88 & Mansion).

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