Menu
Sports and Society

Sports and politics: World of uncertainty

The NBA’s China crisis is not a foreign situation for American sports — and it promises to come up again.

As the controversy unfolded, workers in Shanghai took down a sign promoting the Oct. 10 game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets.getty images

Six years ago, Scott Blackmun, then-CEO of the U.S. Olympic Committee, said U.S. athletes should “comply” with Russia’s anti-LGBT propaganda law as Team USA prepared for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.

Russia Today heavily promoted his comments. But condemnation was intense back home, where the law was seen as both an affront to gay rights and to the fundamental American expectation of free expression. The USOC had to issue clarifications, emphasizing that the body found the law inconsistent with Olympic values and that the compliance remark was for athletes’ safety.

Last week, the NBA’s own foreign political controversy in China threatened the very foundation of the league’s rapid growth, dominating business, sports and political news for a week. But it was hardly the first time a sports property has found itself caught between domestic politics and foreign affairs as it seeks a global stage, and it surely won’t be the last.

As in the USOC’s case, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver eventually found a middle ground: He expressed regret for the offense caused by Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s tweet in support of Hong Kong protestors that ignited the firestorm, but he did not apologize and pledged that the league would “protect our employees’ freedom of speech.”

Though aware of the sensitive issues at stake, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made clear the league will “protect our employees’ freedom of speech.”getty images

The explosive nature of the fight between Silver and the totalitarian Chinese government may not be matched any time soon. But the problem of balancing American values against the political and cultural norms of other nations is sure to rise again. Western sports properties are increasingly pursuing China’s tantalizing growth prospects at a time when their own customers, athletes and employees expect them to speak out on social causes. Individual athletes are now celebrated for becoming engaged in politics, and marketing experts say major sponsors also crave to be seen as “standing for something.”

But one country’s brand-safe social cause is another country’s third rail. In just 27 months, the Winter Olympics head to Beijing, where controversies like the one the NBA is embroiled in could well reappear for any number of nations or brands. It has led to an open question about where the line should be between offering domestic political opinions and commenting on foreign affairs.

“We’re American citizens, I think we have a social civic responsibility to be active in causes we believe in,” Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan, who was born in Pakistan, said from the stage at the Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit in New York. “Do we have that same responsibility to really opine on sovereign matters in other countries? I think that’s the critical issue.”

The International Olympic Committee, national Olympic committees and their sponsors have struggled with this balance for decades. Those who’ve experienced it have seen how the result has allowed those properties to maintain an altruistic brand in the West while still being welcome in China, North Korea and other totalitarian states.

“It’s a fragile alignment, it’s hard to keep together,” said Terrence Burns, executive vice presient of global sports for Engine Shop. “By necessity, they have to be extraordinarily adroit, diplomatically, and frankly respectful of every culture, in every nation, that they choose to work with.”

Expect the China issue to come roaring back after the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, when final preparations for the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing kick off. When Beijing hosted the 2008 Summer Games, human rights advocates hammered Coca-Cola, Visa and others for supporting China through the Games. Visa even scrapped an early Olympics campaign tag line, “Go Humans!” in favor of “Go World!” amid concerns that the former would draw extra attention to China’s human rights record.

USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo got a first-hand look at China’s passion for the sport during the FIBA Basketball World Cup this summer.getty images

To a certain extent, criticism is unavoidable for multinationals, and often critics will seek to amplify cross-border differences for their own gain. The Chinese government is known for using these situations to rally nationalist sentiment, and President Donald Trump eagerly framed two of his leading critics from the sports world, Warriors coach Steve Kerr and Spurs coach Greg Popovich, as hypocrites last week for their non-engagement on Hong Kong questions.

But problems can be mitigated by ensuring that companies and employees know the facts before speaking out, said Michael Payne, a former marketing chief of the IOC and a longtime consultant to Olympic brands, including Alibaba.

“When you’re going to start commenting about geopolitics, or national interests and politics, you really need to make sure you’re fully up to speed on it, and you know your history and background, otherwise you’re going to slip up on a banana skin,” Payne said.

The IOC has not totally disengaged from countries’ internal politics, Payne said. In the Middle East, the Olympic movement has “very carefully” navigated the issue of women’s equality, through “slow cajoling and coaching” to put women on equal sports footing. “Frankly, with more progress than most politicians are seeing,” Payne said.

As American leagues globalize, they’d be wise to seek out more international staffers and train themselves on other perspectives — and to generally be more risk-averse when it comes to global communications, experts said.

“When we work with our global partners in the Olympic space, it’s so innate that you look at things through so many more lenses than the gut reaction from the American seat,” said Ann Wool, president of Ketchum Sports & Entertainment, which has advised Olympic sponsors such as Chinese computing giant Lenovo and Procter & Gamble. 

Jerry Colangelo, managing director of USA Basketball, spent several weeks this summer in China for the FIBA Basketball World Cup. He said the Chinese people love the NBA and there’s lots of common ground, but the Hong Kong situation requires sensitivity.

“It is inevitable that because of where we are in today’s world that there were going to be some roadblocks,” said Colangelo. “And well, here we are.”

Additional reporting by John Lombardo.

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2019/10/14/Sports-and-Society/NBA-China.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2019/10/14/Sports-and-Society/NBA-China.aspx

CLOSE