Chinese soccer fans are buying sick notes so they can watch World Cup games live

The World Cup hasn't even started yet and people in China are already sick of it — sort of.
Soccer fans are paying as much as $50 for a pack of paper that contains a hospital stamp and a "convincing diagnostic scrawl from a doctor" so they can use the time-tested sick leave excuse to watch the games. Feigning a cold might not be the silliest idea, since the games are scheduled to air between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. local thanks to the time difference.
Since selling forged doctor's notes is illegal, e-commerce sites are listing the pads under different names, like "proof of diagnosis note." A person told a Chinese media outlet that the hefty price is worth it because it's more fun to watch the game live.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Recordings of matches are meaningless, only live broadcasts are fun," he said. "If I stay up all night to watch the games, I will be so sleepy the next day and my boss will scold me."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.
-
Money dysmorphia: why people think they're poorer than they are
In The Spotlight Wealthy people and the young are more likely to have distorted perceptions
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Full-body scans: more panic than panacea?
The Explainer Hailed as the 'future of medicine' by some, but not all experts are convinced
By The Week UK
-
The Last of Us, series two: 'post-apocalyptic television at its peak'
The Week Recommends Second instalment of hit show is just as 'gutsy' and 'thoughtful' as the first
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK
-
Canada beats US in charged 4 Nations hockey final
Speed Read 'You can't take our country — and you can't take our game,' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted after the game
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Eagles trounce Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX
speed read The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Indian teen is youngest world chess champion
Speed Read Gukesh Dommaraju, 18, unseated China's Ding Liren
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Europe roiled by attacks on Israeli soccer fans
Speed Read Israeli fans supporting the Maccabi Tel Aviv team clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters in 'antisemitic attacks,' Dutch authorities said
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
New York wins WNBA title, nearly nabs World Series
Speed Read The Yankees with face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the upcoming Fall Classic
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Caitlin Clark the No. 1 pick in bullish WNBA Draft
Speed Read As expected, she went to the Indiana Fever
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
South Carolina ends perfect season with NCAA title
Speed Read The women's basketball team won a victory over superstar Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Iowa's Caitlin Clark breaks NCAA scoring record
speed read College basketball star Caitlin Clark set the new record in Iowa's defeat of Ohio State
By Peter Weber, The Week US