China’s thought police silence talkative basketball stars

Los Angeles Lakers star Lebron James gestures during a preseason NBA game against the Brooklyn Nets in Shanghai, China. Picture: AP

An innocuous tweet too far? Chris Isidore, CNN Business, October 8:

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey … set off an international firestorm when he tweeted support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong” … Chinese authorities … (say) business with the (National Basketball Association) will cease until it repudiates Morey’s statement.

Associated Press, October 9:

When major corporations have done something to anger Chinese authorities in recent years, the playbook has called for one thing: an apology … The NBA … has avoided going that route — for now. But with billions at stake from things like merchandise sales and media rights, some experts are wondering if anything other than an apology from NBA commissioner Adam Silver will mend this fence … Silver has … said the league is apologetic over the disharmony caused by Morey’s tweet but stopped well short of apologising.

A worker removes from a building a promotional banner NBA preseason game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers in Shanghai. Picture: AFP

Money talks, Derek Thompson, The Atlantic, October 12:

(Last year) Mercedes-Benz apologised for an Instagram post that quoted the Dalai Lama: “Look at situations from all angles, and you will become more open.” The Chinese objected to this perfectly boring statement because the Dalai Lama supports greater autonomy for Tibet. Mercedes sells twice as many cars in China than in the US or Germany.

The Chinese point of view, Al Jazeera website, October 8:

An editorial in the official English-language China Daily accused Adam Silver of “brazenly endorsing Morey’s secessionist-supporting tweet” and giving “a shot to the arms of the rioters of Hong Kong”. It said, “If Silver thinks endorsing the indiscriminate violence the radical Hong Kong protesters are resorting to … is supporting freedom of expression, then he should think again.” The protests were “a bid to liberate the city” and “a secessionist pipedream” peddled by demonstrators “to justify their summer hooliganism”, it added.

Sound of silence, sports writer Hunter Felt, Guardian US, October 11:

After years of taking heat for voicing their opinions on political and social issues, NBA players and coaches have found themselves being attacked for the exact opposite. With a cold war brewing between the NBA and China over a tweet … the league’s biggest names have mostly responded with a very loud silence.

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey. Picture: AP

Legitimate question unanswered, news.com.au, October 11:

The latest chapter in the rift between the NBA and China occurred overnight when a CNN reporter was shut down when asking a legitimate question … Christina Macfarlane: “The NBA has always been a league that prides itself on its players and its coaches being able to speak out openly about political and societal affairs. I just wonder after the events of this week and the fallout we’ve seen whether you’d both feel differently about speaking out that way in the future.” But before the question could even be answered, a Rockets media officer quickly put a pin in it.

Editorial, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 10:

The Chinese government may be able to quash free speech in its own country, but it cannot be allowed to do so on US soil … The NBA must not be the proxy for a regime cracking down on a pro-democracy movement and legitimate American criticism … Obsequiously back-pedalling from criticism over efforts to squash protests in Hong Kong does not look good for an American professional sports league.