"Messi is bigger than China." An American left a comment on an article saying that Messi was beaten by China for not playing in a friendly match in Hong Kong. Lionel Messi, an Argentine soccer player, is 169 centimeters tall. It makes no sense to rank him above China with 1.4 billion people. However, did he do that if he felt a bit awkward about China's character?
Originally, Messi did not say or act against the Chinese government's displeasure. China canceled the Argentina national team match even though he did not play due to injury. The Chinese have come under fire. Messi uploaded a video of his utmost apology, saying, "I am not politically opposed to China." Was he that wrong?
China's Money Dominates NBA
The majority of Americans are sick and tired of China. Only 15 percent of people in the Gallup survey said they had a crush on China. Probably, people who like the National Basketball Association (NBA) would hate China even more. China uses its money to play in the NBA. Still, players, coaches, and owners such as LeBron James are stuck.
NBA is the most popular sport in China. It is more popular than Premier League or World Cup soccer in the U.K. The NBA will make 10.6 billion dollars in total revenue in 2023. Among them, the Chinese market accounts for 10-15 percent. NBA China is valued at 5 billion dollars.
That's not all. Forty owners are investing more than 10 billion U.S. dollars in China. The Miami Heat owner is the world's largest cruise shipbuilder, with Chinese accounting for 8 percent of all passengers. It also operates a joint venture with China. The U.S. government has listed the company as one of the foreign companies that threaten national security.
The co-owner of Secramendo Kings owns more than $200 million in shares in Qualcomm, a wireless technology company that makes two-thirds of the company's total revenue in China and Hong Kong. The Houston owner runs 10 restaurants in China and makes $57 million in annual sales. The Brooklyn Nets are Chinese.
As he is deeply tied to Chinese money, the NBA cannot help but tighten its head on China.
China's tyranny and the subjugation of the NBA are represented by the sufferings of Enes Kanter Freedom, the former Boston Celtics center. He was chosen as the third in the 2011 NBA Rookie of the Year. Playing for six clubs, his life has changed drastically since he criticized the oppression of human rights in Tibet and Xinjiang. A Turkiye native, he had his passport revoked and his father imprisoned for criticizing his motherland's dictatorship. After naturalizing in the U.S. in 2021, he added "freedom" to his name. Suddenly in 2022, he was sent to the Houston Rockets from Boston. He was then released immediately afterwards. He drove out a strong critic of China to punish and silence it.
In 2021, Kanter protested against Tibet's oppression and called Xi Jinping a "brutal dictator." China shut off the Internet for all Boston games. In 2022, he claimed to reject the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. He wore shoes with "freedom to Tibet" on them. China banned broadcasting of all Boston games.
"I played 748 games for 11 years, and I had no problem criticizing the Turkiye government. However, it becomes very difficult for anyone to criticize China. When I talk about suppressing human rights in Turkiye, the NBA gave me a lot of support. It gave hope and courage to the chairman, players, and coaches to fight against dictatorship," he told a congressional hearing last year.
NBA owner coach who gets smaller in front of China
However, it was the NBA's betrayal and double behavior that hurt Kanter more than China's oppression.
"What broke my heart was that after I was kicked out, no one in the NBA texted me or called me. It was a shock. They were afraid of where I would do the press conference. They didn't even want to say my name. If a player says yes to me, he's done dealings with China. Aren't they the ones who carve letters in their shoes that support black protests? Why do they keep quiet and stay away from me when they criticize China when they support Turkiye?"
It doesn't make sense for them to shut up on the China issue and turn a blind eye to Kanter, who usually does not hesitate to make political statements or actions.
On Feb. 24, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr agreed to a two-year contract extension for $35 million (W35 million). The highest amount ever paid by an NBA coach. The former coach of the U.S. national team is famous for his political speeches. He is known for his political views on social issues as well as politics.
In 2019, the Houston Rockets general manager was kicked out under pressure from China after supporting the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests. Kerr avoided reporters' questions then. After a long time, he made an excuse, saying, "I regret not being able to lead the general manager stronger," but he still ignores China's massacre of Uighurs or slave labor. The same goes for Kanter. His hypocrisy is completely different from his usual strong political rhetoric.
LeBron James said that many people were hurt not only by their finances but also by their physical, emotional and mental health. James signed a one billion dollar lifetime contract with Nike, which has a factory in China. James or the San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich often make sophisticated political statements and actions while calling for social justice. However, they do not mention China or Kanter. Many owners are the same. 토토사이트 순위
They should not make any other political statements if they are not confident of criticizing China. Or they should criticize China just as they criticize their enemies in the United States on political and social issues. It is the height of contradiction and hypocrisy to call for "social justice" while trembling at China for fear of money. That's why China is controlling the NBA at will.
"Freedom is bigger than the NBA," Kanter Freedom said. "Of course, it's bigger than China.