M.O.E (Money Over Everything)

I am a huge sports fan. Sports have always been a central part of my life. I love watching baseball, football and college basketball. Wait, why did I mention college basketball? Why not just "basketball"? Well, one of the few major sports I do not watch is the NBA. I'm not a fan of the brand of basketball that is played in the NBA. However, something caught my attention from the world of the NBA as the preseason is getting underway.

The NBA, like many other professional sports organizations, has worked to increase its global outreach. In an attempt to expand market share and as a result increase revenue, the NBA has begun playing in an international setting. So far this preseason, several teams have played games in India and China. While getting into these markets is a potential boon for professional sports franchises, it may appear to come at a cost. 

Most people that are ardent sports fans will tell you; they don't want to mix politics and sports. We have seen this within our own country with the division among players in the NFL as it related to kneeling during the anthem. The movement to protest the manner in which law enforcement officers treat minorities in a sports arena left many teams and media in a precarious position on how to cover the topic. Again, many fans were apoplectic to the situation, still some simply wanted a clean break between sports and politics. 

So how does this relate the NBA and the move to overseas markets? Recently, Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey tweeted out his support for the protesters in Hong Kong. This drew the immediate ire of the Chinese Consulate in Houston, who called for an apology to be issued. More importantly (at least to the Rockets) was the push back from the Chinese government and the Chinese Basketball Association. Morey deleted the tweet and issued a thread of clarifying tweets, quipping the traditional "I did not intend to offend anyone" which is code for "I'm sorry that I have brought on financial issues with my statements..." Many other dignitaries and NBA officials quickly joined in to make sure Chinese officials knew they did not appreciate or support Morey's position.

General Manager Daryl Morey of the Houston Rockets.

Bill Baptist | National Basketball Association | Getty Images

Clearly this issue is like so many today, where having an opinion or "take" on a topic is only acceptable when, as Tom Woods says, it fits on the "3 x 5 card of allowable opinion." In this particular case an opinion on a political manner from a figure in the sports world is being shut down because it potential harms the bottom line, again very similar to the kneeling issue, where NFL officials encouraged teams to make sure the situation was taken care of, as ratings were hurting. China is the largest international market for the NBA. It is clear from the response the NBA is not going to risk having this cash cow jeopardized by a GM expressing his own personal opinion about the abuses carried out by the Chinese government. 

Many will yell to keep sports and politics separate. They will use the old "stay in your lane" technique, which is of course ridiculous. Often times sports figures have some of the biggest platforms and microphones to help influence and inform people. We need people in these positions to feel confident and free to voice their opinions. Of course people may or may not agree with those positions, but censoring or shutting them down because they intimated through money sends the wrong message. In this case, the NBA and the Houston Rockets are cowering to the potential market value of China. What signal does this send in the future when people want to speak out against injustice and abuse when they are told to keep quiet because it risks financial blowback? We cannot promote a society where the bottom line silences opinion of citizens.