Several users took to social media Monday to express anger that the online system that the National Basketball Association uses to customize jerseys will not allow the phrase “Free Hong Kong.”
“The NBA bans you, the fan, from putting #freehongkong on customized league jerseys even as they allow players to wear customized jerseys,” journalist Clay Travis tweeted Monday, along with a short video clip of his computer screen.
The clip shows Travis typing the words “FREEHONGKONG” into the entry field, which typically is the space a person’s last name would go when customizing a jersey.
“We are unable to customize this item with the text you have entered,” an alert on the website displays in red text. “Please try a different entry.”
He then typed “FREEHONGKONU,” which did not trigger a warning saying it could not be customized.
The NBA bans you, the fan, from putting #freehongkong on customized league jerseys even as they allow players to wear customized jerseys. pic.twitter.com/px9enQa1qk
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) July 13, 2020
Several other users tweeted about having a similar experience.
Just tested this myself and it’s true. You can put “FreeAmerica” or “FreeCanada” or “FreeMexico” or “FreeTaiwan” but not “FreeHongKong” https://t.co/YRtmoTaYpn
— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) July 13, 2020
I just tried it and it basically lets you do “Free Anything” except for “Free Hong Kong.” https://t.co/5zv65ENS1L
— JERRY DUNLEAVY (@JerryDunleavy) July 13, 2020
FWIW I just tried this myself and it’s not a character limit or anything. System seems specifically designed to reject “FREEHONGKONG”
What a disgusting state of affairs. Try it for yourself: https://t.co/BOCusVsJIY https://t.co/xl1v4u5T2Y
— Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) July 13, 2020
The NBA’s policy toward China has been under scrutiny in recent months as the country cracks down on pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong.
In October, Daryl Morey, the general manager of the Houston Rockets, tweeted support for the protesters, a move the Chinese Foreign Ministry denounced.
Relations between China and the NBA grabbed headlines again last week when Sen. Josh Hawley sent a letter to Commissioner Adam Silver demanding that he allow players to support police, the U.S. military, and Hong Kong protesters on team jerseys.
Following the death of George Floyd, the NBA announced last month that it would display “Black Lives Matter” prominently on courts and would allow players to have the phrase customized on the backs of jerseys.
