Announcement

Collapse

Civics 101 Guidelines

Want to argue about politics? Healthcare reform? Taxes? Governments? You've come to the right place!

Try to keep it civil though. The rules still apply here.
See more
See less

NBA Caving To China...

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • NBA Caving To China...

    Craven suck ups...

    NBA Fans Supporting Hong Kong Protests Are Getting Kicked Out Of Games And Their Signs Confiscated

    https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article...signs-protests

    A CNN reporter was cut off by an NBA spokesperson while asking Houston Rockets stars James Harden and Russell Westbrook about the ongoing free speech furor surrounding China.
    During a press conference in Japan, CNN’s Christina Macfarlane asked Harden and Westbrook if China responding in anger to a now-deleted tweet by Rockets general manager Daryl Morey in support of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong had changed the way they thought about weighing in on social issues.

    https://www.breitbart.com/the-media/...china-scandal/

    Sports agents warn NBA players to avoid China talk as athletes, executives walk ‘fine line’


    https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/10/spor...fine-line.html

    How one tweet snowballed into the NBA's worst nightmare


    https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/09/busin...ner/index.html
    Last edited by seer; 10-10-2019, 12:23 PM.
    Atheism is the cult of death, the death of hope. The universe is doomed, you are doomed, the only thing that remains is to await your execution...

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbnueb2OI4o&t=3s

  • #2
    From another thread:
    Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
    Who exactly did they call out? Daryl Morey, the general manager of the Houston Rockets or China.

    You can see the NBA groveling before China here:

    [ATTACH=CONFIG]40175[/ATTACH]




    And published in the New York Times editorial section:

    Source: The World’s Wokest Sports League Bows to China


    The N.B.A. apologizes on behalf of Daryl Morey, a general manager who voiced support for democracy.


    The national editor of this newspaper last year asked the commissioner of the N.B.A. at a conference how it felt “to be the wokest professional sports league.” It was a fair description: While Colin Kaepernick has been unable to find a job in the N.F.L. after kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality, basketball stars like LeBron James, Derrick Rose and Kobe Bryant have freely expressed their support for the Black Lives Matter movement, even on the court.

    It’s a reputation — and a brand — that the league has cultivated. “I didn’t know we were given that designation,” Adam Silver, the N.B.A. commissioner, responded. “But I understand the sentiment and we’re proud of that.” He went on to insist that “political speech” is players’ “absolute right within the league.”

    Absolutely, that is, unless the subject of that political speech is the Chinese Communist Party, which presents perhaps the greatest strategic threat to our freedoms of any regime in the world. On that subject, Mr. Silver and the league he runs are shamefully silent.

    A stunning instance of N.B.A. acquiescence to Beijing began on Friday evening when Daryl Morey, the general manager of the Houston Rockets, put out a tweet expressing support for Hong Kong’s democracy movement: “Fight for freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.” You might assume that the wokest professional sports league — this is a business, after all, that pulled its all-star game out of Charlotte, N.C., in 2017 because of that state’s anti-transgender bathroom bill — would see human rights, representative democracy and freedom of conscience as core virtues. But you would be wrong.

    The Morey tweet, though promptly deleted, went viral in China, where outrage from sponsors and fans was fast and furious. But the swiftness with which the N.B.A. bent its knee to Chinese sensitivities was truly breathtaking for a league that prides itself on a “sense of an obligation, social responsibility, a desire to speak up directly about issues that are important,” as Mr. Silver has boasted. Perhaps the fact as many as 500 million Chinese watched at least one N.B.A. game last season and the N.B.A.’s business operations there are valued at more than $4 billion had something to do with it.

    The owner of the Houston Rockets, Tilman Fertitta, didn’t hesitate to throw his general manager under the bus: “Listen … @dmorey does not speak for the @HoustonRockets. Our presence in Tokyo is all about the promotion of the @NBA internationally and we are not a political organization,” he posted late Friday night, a few days before a Rockets preseason game in Japan.

    Soon after came Mr. Morey’s walk back: “I did not intend my tweet to cause any offense to Rockets fans and friends of mine in China. I was merely voicing one thought, based on one interpretation, of one complicated event. I have had a lot of opportunity since that tweet to hear and consider other perspectives.”

    Among the offended was the Chinese Basketball Association, which immediately suspended its relationship with the Rockets. The association is headed by Yao Ming, a former Rockets player who made the team by far the most popular N.B.A. franchise in China. By Monday, the current Rockets star James Harden offered a full-throated apology on behalf of his boss: “We apologize. You know, we love China. We love playing there.”

    The N.B.A.’s official Chinese apology, put out on the social media site Sina Weibo (China’s version of Twitter), was something to behold: “We are extremely disappointed in the inappropriate comment by the general manager of the Houston Rockets,” it said. Mr. Morey “undoubtedly seriously hurt the feelings of Chinese basketball fans.”

    All of this comes just as the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets are headed to China for a two-game exhibition. The Nets are owned by Joe Tsai, a co-founder of Alibaba, who weighed in on the Morey controversy in a long Facebook post that called the tweet “damaging,” the democracy protesters a “separatist movement” and the subject of Hong Kong’s independence a “third-rail issue.”

    That an Alibaba chief sees the situation this way — the company’s technology has been used by the Chinese government to surveil its citizens — should not come as a surprise to anyone. The question is how an American league that prides itself on promoting progressive values squares those values with allowing an apologist for authoritarianism to own one of its teams. What’s more, why is a league run by a commissioner who rightly criticized President Trump’s Muslim travel ban for going “against the fundamental values and the fundamental ingredients of what makes for a great N.B.A.” also running a training camp for young players in the Chinese region of Xinjiang, amid camps of a far different kind?

    Woke politics often seems to train our collective attention down on our navels rather than out at the world. Is the issue of gender-neutral bathrooms really as morally urgent as a country that is, as Pete Buttigieg sharply put it, “using technology for the perfection of dictatorship?” This is a worldview that encourages companies to take cost-free stands on the progressive cause of the moment and do absolutely nothing to uphold fundamental progressive values when doing so requires more sacrifice than the time it takes to write up a news release. A worldview that fails to force companies like the N.B.A., Apple, Google and Disney to account for the fact that they are serving as handmaidens to totalitarians is not one worth taking seriously.

    The longstanding conventional wisdom on China — that engagement and investment by America in China would inevitably lead to the country’s political liberalization — has simply not proven true. This is the chestnut Adam Silver himself insists on, when he speaks about the possibilities of “basketball diplomacy.”

    Alas, just the opposite has happened.

    China has become more repressive the more it has engaged with the West. Meantime, that economic engagement has led major Western businesses and institutions to keep quiet on a major moral issue of this century. The N.B.A.-China partnership is just one example of so many in which Beijing is calling the shots.

    Real political wisdom on this score lies with the creators of “South Park,” who, having offended China with an episode this week, dunked on the N.B.A.’s cravenness.

    “Like the N.B.A., we welcome the Chinese censors into our homes and into our hearts,” said Trey Parker and Matt Stone in a statement. “We too love money more than freedom and democracy. Xi doesn’t just look like Winnie the Pooh at all. Tune into our 300th episode this Wednesday at 10! Long live the Great Communist Party of China! May this autumn’s sorghum harvest be bountiful! We good now, China?”



    Source

    © Copyright Original Source


    The NBA's carefully concocted image of being champions of social justice has just evaporated.

    Look close kiddies. China is showing you how your Socialist utopias handles even the slightest "transgression"
    Attached Files

    I'm always still in trouble again

    "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
    "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
    "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

    Comment


    • #3
      The byline of the Breitbart article in the OP is incorrect. The reporter was cut off by a Houston Rockets employee, not an NBA spokesperson. The NBA actually threw the Rockets employee under the bus for doing so this afternoon.

      With one simple tweet, Morey is like the Franz Ferdinand of this news cycle, disrupting possibly billions of dollars (the NBA has invested significantly in China since Yao Ming entered the league in 2002), and has also raised general awareness of the Uyghur detention camps. Possibly not coincidentally, Mike Pompeo has revoked the visas of Chinese officials alleged to participate in these mass detentions. This is all for the good. But ultimately, there's little anybody can do about it. China does what China wants.
      Last edited by KingsGambit; 10-10-2019, 02:52 PM.
      "I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
        The NBA's carefully concocted image of being champions of social justice has just evaporated.
        Like going after North Carolina because of the bathroom law. Paragons of courage!
        Atheism is the cult of death, the death of hope. The universe is doomed, you are doomed, the only thing that remains is to await your execution...

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbnueb2OI4o&t=3s

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by seer View Post
          Like going after North Carolina because of the bathroom law. Paragons of courage!
          We haven't forgotten that attack on our economy over here.
          "I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by KingsGambit View Post
            We haven't forgotten that attack on our economy over here.
            Nor should you, they are only principled when they have nothing to lose...
            Atheism is the cult of death, the death of hope. The universe is doomed, you are doomed, the only thing that remains is to await your execution...

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbnueb2OI4o&t=3s

            Comment


            • #7
              China Blows Whistle on Nationalistic Protests Against the N.B.A.

              By Keith Bradsher and Javier C. Hernández
              Oct. 10, 2019
              Updated 11:51 a.m. ET
              BEIJING — After three days of fanning nationalistic outrage, the Chinese government abruptly moved on Thursday to tamp down public anger at the N.B.A. as concerns spread in Beijing that the rhetoric was damaging China’s interests and image around the world.

              For days, China’s state-run news outlets and tightly controlled social media platforms had been alight with criticism of the N.B.A. after a Houston Rockets executive expressed support for Hong Kong’s antigovernment protesters on Twitter. Plans to broadcast two N.B.A. preseason games were canceled and some Chinese companies suspended partnerships with the league.

              Now, the Chinese government appears to be reassessing its campaign against the N.B.A. and dialing down the clamor. The government is already in a bruising trade war with the United States, and a backlash against China could hurt its image in the sporting world ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics near Beijing. The dispute with the N.B.A. was also quickly politicizing an audience of sports fans who would not normally focus on issues like the protests in Hong Kong.

              Unintended consequences.

              Comment


              • #8
                Some may call me foolish, and some may call me odd
                But I'd rather be a fool in the eyes of man
                Than a fool in the eyes of God


                From "Fools Gold" by Petra

                Comment


                • #9
                  LEBRON BOWS TO COMMUNISTS

                  Los Angeles (AFP) - Basketball superstar LeBron James was accused of turning a blind eye to Chinese repression on Tuesday after he criticized a Houston Rockets executive for angering China with a "misinformed" tweet supporting protesters in Hong Kong.

                  James told reporters that Rockets general manager Daryl Morey "wasn't educated" on Hong Kong and should have kept his mouth shut, as the outspoken Lakers forward waded into a charged debate that other high-profile NBA figures have shied away from.

                  "So many people could have been harmed not only financially but physically, emotionally and spiritually. So just be careful with what we tweet, and we say, and we do," James told reporters when asked for comment in Los Angeles after returning from the NBA's annual China tour.

                  His remarks drew praise from Chinese social media users, who have savaged Morey for butting into the country's affairs, but the US reaction on Twitter was swift and harsh.

                  "@KingJames — you're parroting communist propaganda. China is running torture camps and you know it," said Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska, referring to China's reported incarceration of up to one million Muslim Uighurs in prison-like camps
                  .

                  https://sports.yahoo.com/lebron-unde...2730--nba.html
                  Atheism is the cult of death, the death of hope. The universe is doomed, you are doomed, the only thing that remains is to await your execution...

                  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbnueb2OI4o&t=3s

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    ChinaKingNew_Red_400x@2x.progressive.PNG.jpg
                    Atheism is the cult of death, the death of hope. The universe is doomed, you are doomed, the only thing that remains is to await your execution...

                    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbnueb2OI4o&t=3s

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      I've been a LeBron fan for all 16 years he's been in the league, but no longer. If I end up going to a Hornets game this year and it happens to be against the Lakers, I'm booing him.
                      "I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Now also Blizzard Entertainment, banning players from their E-Sports tournament who express sympathy for Hong Kong, and even outright banning Winnie The Pooh cosplays from an upcoming convention.

                        They banned the player Blitzchung, who is a world champion player, for a short statement he said during a stream in favor of the Hong Kong protests: This was a permanent ban and they completely revoked his price money. Later after outrage expressed from both the right and the left, they caved a bit, reduced the ban to a six-month ban and gave him back his prize money.

                        https://www.npr.org/2019/10/11/76936...=1571606131499

                        Source: NPR

                        Facing public backlash over penalizing a gamer for his statements in support of Hong Kong protesters, Blizzard Entertainment released a statement late Friday announcing a reduction of his penalties.

                        Blizzard Entertainment initially banned professional esports player Blitzchung from competitions for 12 months and rescinded his 2019 winnings, said to be $10,000, over his statements in support for Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests.

                        © Copyright Original Source

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Leonhard View Post
                          Now also Blizzard Entertainment ...
                          REGARDING LAST WEEKEND’S HEARTHSTONE GRANDMASTERS TOURNAMENT
                          One of our goals at Blizzard is to make sure that every player, everywhere in the world, regardless of political views, religious beliefs, race, gender, or any other consideration always feels safe and welcome both competing in and playing our games.

                          Well, that settles that, then.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Juvenal View Post
                            Well, that settles that, then.
                            EGbObT2U4AAQRxs.jpeg
                            EGbObKRUcAAXN68.jpeg
                            EGZoF7pVUAEyP5R.jpeg

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              I can't be upset about Blizzard banning of the Winnie the Pooh stereotypes, though. How is that not a blatant ethnic slur based on stereotypes of the happy fat Asian man? (And it's one I've seen repeated by a lot of people online.)
                              "I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill

                              Comment

                              Related Threads

                              Collapse

                              Topics Statistics Last Post
                              Started by whag, Today, 05:11 PM
                              0 responses
                              18 views
                              0 likes
                              Last Post whag
                              by whag
                               
                              Started by Cow Poke, Today, 11:25 AM
                              32 responses
                              188 views
                              0 likes
                              Last Post oxmixmudd  
                              Started by whag, Yesterday, 01:48 PM
                              24 responses
                              104 views
                              0 likes
                              Last Post whag
                              by whag
                               
                              Started by CivilDiscourse, Yesterday, 11:56 AM
                              52 responses
                              270 views
                              0 likes
                              Last Post seer
                              by seer
                               
                              Started by Hypatia_Alexandria, 03-16-2024, 07:40 AM
                              77 responses
                              383 views
                              0 likes
                              Last Post Hypatia_Alexandria  
                              Working...
                              X