Chinese singer-actor Kris Wu performs at the Super Bowl Live Concert held at the VerizonUp Stage on the corner of Nicollet Mall and 8th Street in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, Feb 3, 2018. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

While Manchester United and the NBA won't have enjoyed the backlash by Chinese sports fans, Mark Dreyer, a Beijing-based sportswriter who edits the China Sports Insider website, said he does not see a "big issue", as the aim of these partnerships is to tap into new demographics.

"One big question is whether Cai's fans will become long-term NBA fans, or whether non-sports fans of Lu will be fans of Man Utd, respectively, a year from now," he said. "But with each side basking in the perceived coolness of the other side, it's an arrangement that appears to work, and I would expect to see more of this in the future."

The United States' National Football League, known as the NFL, has been embracing entertainment partnerships to good effect in recent years.

Chinese pop star Kris Wu partnered with the NFL last year, becoming the first ever Chinese artist to perform at a promotional event for the Super Bowl, the league's annual championship game, with Wu reportedly initiating the partnership himself.

"Wu valued the association he would get from tying himself to one of the world's biggest sporting events and the NFL saw huge engagement numbers in China from a new demographic.

"His fans may not have tuned into to watch the big game, but they were certainly more aware of the event after Wu's performance the previous day. So this is an approach that clearly seems to work for both sides," Dreyer explained.

However, Dreyer cautioned that sports brands must tread carefully when selecting ambassadors, as today's hero can quickly turn into tomorrow's villain.

"Most brands quickly dumped Tiger Woods, for example, once news broke about his many affairs, and, whether or not brands decide to stick with their athletes in times of crisis — as some did with badminton star Lin Dan when he had a very public affair — it puts brands in a very tough position, because none of them will want to answer uncomfortable questions," he said.