Photo Courtesy of Forbes.com
Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl
Morey stirred up controversy earlier this week when he posted a tweet in
support of the Hong Kong protests.
Morey tweeted an image that said “Fight
for freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in
support of Morey, “The long-held values of the NBA are to support freedom of
expression, by members of the NBA community, and in this case, Daryl Morey, as
general manager of the Houston Rockets, enjoys that right as one of our
employees.”
It is surprising how well the NBA has
handled the backlash from defending Morey’s tweet. They have been spot-on regarding
how they are dealing with the censorship they face from the People’s Republic
of China’s government.
The Hong Kong protests have been one of the biggest stories in the news for the past few months, caused by the PRC’s proposed extradition bill, with tensions rising even after the bill was pulled by the government.
We’ve recently seen companies like
Activision Blizzard and Apple choose to make contentious decisions when faced
with their handling of business in relation to the Hong Kong protests.
I understand that companies will avoid
losing insane amounts of money by caving to the Chinese government’s demands,
but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating when they decide to take extreme measures
to ensure a good relationship.
It would be sad to see an American sports
company like the NBA cave to the will of a totalitarian government that has a
history of violating human and civil rights, such as their treatment of the
Uyghur Muslims, Tibetans and similar minority groups by putting them in
so-called “Re-education camps.”
As a huge fan of the NBA, I’m glad to say that
I am content with how they are allowing their public figures to go uncensored,
even if it means potential losses for the league.
Even with the NBA’s stance on China, it’s
inevitable that some people will still be uncomfortable with how much vested
financial interest the company has in a government that is undemocratic by its
nature.
The NBA looks extremely progressive with
its position. This is by far the most tumultuous situation that Silver has ever
had to deal with as commissioner, and he is handling it as well as one could
expect given the international and political implications.