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Before I begin my blog, I feel that since I am discussing the NBA, it would be wrong for me not to at least mention the loss of the NBA legend: Kobe Bryant. May he, his daughter, Gianna, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, Christina Mauser, and Ara Zobayan, –the victims of this past Sunday’s horrific tragedy– rest in peace. God Bless.
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The NBA is THE most popular sports league among the Chinese Youth, and the NBA is making billions of dollars off of this popularity. In fact, there has even been talk of creating a new franchise in China. However, there has been some turmoil between China and the NBA ever since this past October when Houston Rockets’ General Manager, Daryl Morey tweeted out his support for the Hong Kong protestors while visiting the city for the Rockets-Raptors pre-season game in China.
Morey quickly deleted the tweet after all the turmoil it caused. However, the original tweet featured a symbol of Stand With Hong Kong, the main activist group involved in the protests, as well as the group who has been reaching out for intern
ational government intervention in Hong Kong.
The tweet has created all sorts of problems with the relationship between the NBA and China, including all the millions Chinese NBA fans. There have been apologies issued, questions raised, and lots of controversy around this subject ever since. The NBA has been left with a highly consequential choice: they can either end the relationship with China through officially supporting the Hong Kong protests; or they can totally distance themselves from Hong Kong, therefore not supporting the freedom ideals the protests stand for. Ending the relationship with China would cost the NBA an insurmountable amount of money, but should the NBA choose to side with the Hong Kong protestors fighting for their right to freedom?
Since the tweet gained popularity, NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, issued a statement apologizing for the situation (referring to the tweet, and its impact, as “regrettable”) but stating that he will not restrict the freedom of speech of the franchise owners. However, the Chinese state-run broadcast network (CCTV) did not think this statement was sufficient and they even went so far as canceling the broadcasting of all the remaining NBA preseason games.
Image of a worker taking down an advertisement for the NBA preseason game featuring the Brooklyn Nets.
In addition, Silver’s response received much backlash from both the right and the left in the United States. Many of whom argue that Silver is conforming to what the Chinese government want to hear, or rather are not standing up for Democracy and freedom.
Few NBA players have shared their opinions, while most have chosen not to comment on the situation. Criticism has been issued to the players who haven’t responded as the players have a reputation for taking a stance on issues, particularly those involving the US government, but they haven’t responded to Hong Kong. Further criticism and controversy arose with LeBron James’s response to the tweet when he stated:
“Yes. We all do have freedom of speech. But at times, there are ramifications for the negative that can happen when you’re not thinking about others and you’re thinking about yourself. So many people could have been harmed, not only financially but physically, emotionally, spiritually. So just be careful what we tweet.”
Protestors in Hong Kong were deeply upset about this statement, as, being one of the league’s best players over the course of the last decade, he has a lot of power, influence, and recognition. Some protestors made clear their opinions on James’s statement and responded by burning his jersey.
Houston Rockets’ owner, Tilman Fertitta, responded to the backlash by attempting to distance the team, its shareholders, and its sponsors, from Morey’s tweet. Fertitta has tried to make clear that the Houston Rockets, and the NBA as a whole, are not a political organization and therefore, Morey’s comments related to Hong Kong should not be associated with the organization and franchise.
This whole situation has raised the question for big businesses: should they stay true to their values and advocate for what they believe in even if it costs them millions of dollars in business? This is a question the NBA is faced with today, and it will be very interesting to see what happens next.