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Former ESPN journalist Bob Ley expressed his surprise in a recent podcast interview about whether the same criticism LIV Golf and its The relationship with Saudi Arabia should be applied to the NBA and its relationship with China.
Le Michele Beadle’s podcast “What Did I Miss?” appeared in And this Two Former ESPN Personalities Talked about sportswashing amid the emergence of LIV Golf.
Players joining rival golf tours and leagues have been heavily scrutinized and accused of helping Saudi Arabia use sportswashing to downplay criticism of the kingdom’s human rights violations.
Many players have accepted large amounts of cash to join the league, but most have turned down the money by joining the league and leaving the PGA Tour.
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Longtime ESPN anchor Bob Lay speaks with ESPN’s Coordinating Director Chip Dean at the company’s 40th anniversary celebration on Friday.
(Getty Images)
Lay told Beadle on the podcast that the NBA’s relationship with China should be subject to the same scrutiny.
“The LIV Golf thing has sparked a fury of convenient and easy outrage, not that I disagree with it at all. …P—– Really easy to shut down and get angry about LIV Golf and Saudi All I want is philosophical and ideological stability. Apply this consistently to China, LeBron,” he said.
Le mentioned NBA reaction Former Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s 2019 tweet supporting the Hong Kong protesters put the NBA’s ties with China in a bind, which later opened the door to how close the two entities were. The result was a blackout of NBA games in China for several months, costing the league millions.
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LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman stands on a tee box during the final round of the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational at Centurion Club on June 11, 2022 in St Albans, England.
(AP photo/Alastair Grant)
“There has been other reporting. I mean, the Fenaru brothers on ESPN.com have shown some things with information on what’s involved with the camps and the NBA,” Lay said. “China has as many issues as any other country, and is there outrage over the popularity of the sport and the dollars at stake?”
He also specifically mentioned that LeBron James had an “opportunity” to cover up the issue. He hasn’t done so. James’s Los Angeles Lakers team was in China when the result of the tweet came to light. He waited until everyone was back America to make a statement,
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots a free throw during a game against the Detroit Pistons on November 28, 2021 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
(Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
“LeBron, I think, is a responsibility, and more important an opportunity.” Le said. “And it’s easy for people to jump to the conclusion that sportsmen, at a time when social voice and equality are a part of the game, more than ever, have an opportunity to make a stand here.
“If you’re a billionaire, you can probably afford to make a stand and at least become educated. freedom of expression in china It’s a very different thing. Freedom of access to the Internet is a very different thing. Is there any opposition party in China? Oh no, not for the last 60 or 70 years. Are we comfortable dealing with such a nation and putting everything on one table? Those are questions that people must answer.
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“If you want to get into a gag about LIV golf—and you have every right—take a pause, take a deep breath, and look at China. Should this outrage and this introspection extend to the NBA?”