China's CCTV threatens to cut NBA broadcast ties as commissioner defends free speech
Source: CBS News
The commissioner of the National Basketball Association tried to walk a fine line on Tuesday, keen to defend the league's reputation as a progressive purveyor of free speech but also to limit the financial damage caused by a single tweet that China took as a direct insult. China's behemoth national broadcaster announced it would no longer air the two NBA preseason games set to take place in China this week. CCTV said it was in response to Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey's "inappropriate Hong Kong-related remarks."
Morey sent a tweet voicing support for Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters over the weekend, then deleted it. He sent a couple new ones apologizing for offending any Chinese people, and Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta also tweeted what amounted to an apology and distanced the team from the general manager's remarks.
The NBA and its commissioner, Adam Silver, came to Morey's defense, but tried to keep the league's stance neutral. The league released a statement on the controversy accepting that Morey's remark might have "deeply offended" some fans in China, and stressing that the Rockets GM "does not represent the Rockets or the NBA."
That qualified defense brought criticism from U.S. politicians of all stripes, who slammed the league for bending to Chinese pressure. Republican U.S. senators Ted Cruz of Texas, Rick Scott of Florida and Josh Hawley of Missouri and Democrat Brian Schatz of Hawaii all chimed in to criticize the apologetic tone adopted by the NBA.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/daryl-morey-china-tweet-economic-impact-nba-adam-silver-chinese-television-cctv-cancels-today-2019-10-08/
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