Sen. Cory Booker blasted the NBA for not standing up to China after the league canceled all media appearances by their players during the remaining games in the country.
“What’s often lauded as the most progressive major sports league in the country is quickly cowering to an authoritarian regime in the name of profits,” the New Jersey Democrat said Friday on Twitter. “You can’t stand on principle only when it’s convenient.”
What’s often lauded as the most progressive major sports league in the country is quickly cowering to an authoritarian regime in the name of profits. You can’t stand on principle only when it’s convenient. https://t.co/GgM4tlN2Ba
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) October 11, 2019
The NBA announced Friday it was revoking all media access in China until the end of its visit.
“They [the teams] have been placed into a complicated and unprecedented situation while abroad, and we believe it would be unfair to ask them to address these matters in real time,” the NBA said in a statement.
Just a day earlier, the league was forced to apologize to CNN reporter Christina Macfarlane after two officials tried to keep her from asking players about China and free speech concerns.
The NBA has found itself in the crosshairs of both the Chinese communist government and its American fans. Last week, Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey tweeted support for Hong Kong freedom protests, which brought swift rebuke from the Chinese government. The NBA originally apologized to China before saying they would stick behind Morey’s freedom of expression.
Players and coaches have faced questions from the media about their thoughts on the ongoing feud. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, when asked by the media about the situation, deflected the question and called it a “bizarre international story.”
After the president called him a coward, Kerr responded by comparing U.S. gun violence to China’s human rights abuses. It was after public outcry from Kerr’s comment that the NBA decided to end media access in China.
