China wipes Boston Celtics from existence over one tweet

See link : " China wipes Boston Celtics from existence over one tweet" in the NZ news (Good job Mr. Kanter for speaking your mind )

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I LOVE when China gets triggered.

It’s a shame the NBA will probably bend over to appease Xi like they’ve done in the past when Chinese snowflakes have a cry.

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There must be hundreds of millions of NBA fans in China who won’t like that. They are not punishing the Celtics or the NBA with this but their own fans.

:man_facepalming:

Denying freedom of speech and censorship like this will always hold them back on the way to a modern, world-leading country.

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One giant 玻璃心

It shows the government fear there of civil society having a debate on political topics.

This Kanter guy is an interesting character.

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They do this because they can and because people always fold. If you want to understand the CCP and their mentality, watch narcos or something like that.

The NBA have a lot of leverage though. They should not fold, they have a lot more leverage than Hollywood movies. Chinese people fucking love the NBA and they can’t really replace the product, even if they have the CBA. The league should stand tall and just hold out

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He doesn’t have a good reputation in Turkey, he is seen as a cultist idiot. My friend who hates Erdogan, also think Kanter is a brainwashed fool

Some asked from the news link , “A handful of confused fans asked on Tencent’s website and Weibo social media page why the streams were pulled.”

Mr Kanter did good, and China’s over reaction makes it so more people will find out what he said instead of blocking out comments to the domestic media in China.

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They are not really triggered though, they are just do this shit because they can get away with it.

Honestly NBA is one of the only overseas brands or products in China that have actual leverage, they need to rally and hold tight and not blink.

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Do you really think they will?

Look at their reaction when a coach tweeted support for the Hong Kong protests. I expect LeBron to pipe up soon, expressing support for China again. He’s the biggest shill on the planet.

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No I don’t, but they could.

If it was an single brand like say Chanel, with billions invested in China, Beijing know they will always kneel and acquiesce. At the end of the day , there are other luxury brands consumers can buy.

Same with Hollywood movies. If Disney don’t do what Beijing wants, then someone else will. There are very limited number if foreign films that are permitted to show in Chinese cinemas every year.

NBA position is unique as they are really the only product in that market. They are irreplaceable and hope they realize this

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Just look at Chinese forums like Tieba. The busiest chats by far are always the NBA ones.

I agree. Additionally, fully blocking the NBA in China (no coverage, no exchanges, no kids b ball camps, etc.) will limit basketball development there. The NBA doesn’t have to be a beggar in this situation. But they probably will because it only takes a few to cave in to demands from China.

More in that he is willing to go against the crowd and make public statements in what he believes in…

Bullyboy tactics of China will eventually get their bluff called. That day is coming soon . More and more people around the world are aware of this now.

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So what would the NBA do to appease China? Pressuring Kanter to have an apologetic press conference? Fining the Celtics a huge sum of money for not shutting up their players? Whether political statements are permitted in the NBA is crucial here. If players are not allowed to speak their mind about politics, they could fine the player or the organization, while keeping a bit of face.

Freedom of speech is enshrined in the US constitution. They, the NBA, could try to fine him or fire him but I assume he has a very good case to fight back

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He makes a lot of political statements though. This one is just a bit pertinent.

He’s the GOAT.

The answer to these problems is that the State needs to step in and take the decision from the NBA, otherwise the CCP will keep winning. I know that a lot of Americans have a libertarian streak and would object to this though.

The way the CCP see things , and they are pretty explicit about this, is that in most situations they have the upper hand because Western capitalist societies are really controlled by big finance and the capitalist class. By definition these groups are amoral and will always value profits over anything. This goes for business, ethics and politics, especially in the case of the US. Beijing see this as an inalienable weak point in our systems that they can always take advantage.

And the thing is, they are kinda correct. They nearly always win in these situations.

You can’t expect corporations to act in the best interests of the population, it’s not realistic, they have to answer to shareholders. The State needs to step in and stop companies who compromise morals and also national laws from doing business in China, or cut them off domestically. It’s the only way to win.

People not liking China doesn’t really mean shit unless there are real world actions or repercussions

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…and that’s ok. The day you aren’t able to make political statements, that’s when you are in China.
Actually I believe a similar rule kind of exists in Taiwan lol. Foreigners are not supposed to interfere in local politics or some such nonsense , I cant recall.

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