Posted on 10/07/2019 5:00:28 AM PDT by FreedomPoster
The Houston Rockets' general manager on Sunday apologized for a tweet expressing support for Hong Kong protesters that has sparked a harsh backlash from China's official basketball association.
"I did not intend my tweet to cause any offense to Rockets fans and friends of mine in China," Daryl Morey tweeted on Sunday. "I have had a lot of opportunity since that tweet to hear and consider other perspectives."
On Friday, Morey took to Twitter to show solidarity with a months-long anti-government protest in the Chinese territory. He sent a tweet that read: "Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong."
It was quickly deleted, but not before it attracted notice in both China and the U.S.
Soon after, the Rockets' owner, Tilman Fertitta, sought to distance the team from the controversy, tweeting that Morley "does NOT speak for the @HoustonRockets" and that the team is "NOT a political organization."
And on Sunday, the Chinese Basketball Association — headed by former Rockets center and Hall of Famer Yao Ming, announced that it was suspending cooperation with the Houston team. Tencent, a media partner of the NBA in China with a five-year streaming deal worth $1.5 billion, and China's state television also said they wouldn't be airing Rockets games.
NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement late Sunday that Morey's original tweet was "regrettable."
"We have great respect for the history and culture of China and hope that sports and the N.B.A. can be used as a unifying force to bridge cultural divides and bring people together," he said.
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz took exception to the apology, tweeting, "As a lifelong @HoustonRockets fan, I was proud to see @dmorey call out the Chinese Communist Party's repressive treatment of protesters," adding in a separate tweet, "We're better than this; human rights shouldn't be assisting Chinese communist censorship."
worm
China is a pariah
Of course. And it certainly does seem that way.
Wishful, head in the sand thinking...
Corporations and guns: How companies are reshaping the gun control debate
To be fair, I haven’t heard President Trump tweeting in support of the Hong Kong protesters either. Have you?
All statements contain political statements.
All political statements contain micro aggressions.
All micro aggressions are immoral.
Therefore, all statements are immoral.
You describe Corporate Anti-America. These are multi national corporations who do not consider themselves “American.”
We’ve become a nation of c**kolded p*****s.
The future looks bleak indeed.
You either stand for freedom or you do not. There is no in between, no middle ground, etc. Never, let us be clear, NEVER apologize for standing for or speaking for freedom!
I understand the sentiments of this NBA executive, but Hong Kong is one of those cases where there’s a fine line between political passion and meddling in foreign affairs.
I sure as hell wouldn’t appreciate hearing the GM of Real Madrid commenting on the treatment of Latin American “refugees” in the U.S.
The NBA views China as its future cash cow. Its all about the bucks. Same with Google, Nike, Hollywood and others.
Mustn’t upset our Chinese masters.
Yep, the only culture he cared about was the "here and now" of Maoism. No need for any other culture. There were some really bad tyrants in the 20th century, and IMHO, Mao was the worst.
COWARD!!!!
Hey, Daryl, did you ever consider how many people in THIS country that you’ve just pissed off by sucking off the Red Chinese tyrants?
I wouldn’t be a Rockets fan now if you paid me to do so. In fact, I won’t even go to a game in which the Rockets are playing. GFY!
Never apologize to liberals. They don’t accept it anyway.
Have we heard recently from the President or the Secretary of State on the US position with respect to the riots taking place in Hong Kong?
Mainly, Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta (largely of Landry's and Joe's Crab Shack fame) who signs his paychecks. Fertitta is a major Clintonite.
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