The NBA bans customers from putting 'freehongkong' on customized league jerseys - <AUTHOR> https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/1282731020647895043 <comment><USER2> Here's another angle. The increasing censorship within China leaves less and less opportunity for the greater Chinese population to learn about the capabilities of other countries. A few examples of excellence that are still available to Chinese citizens are the NBA, Apple products, US education and Tesla cars. Most nations export excellence of some type to China.

Having these examples in their hands or on their screens likely initiates a mild cognitive dissonance: "The CCP news tells me how terrible the USA is, yet, these elements in my life are excellent beyond what is created by my own country." It's reminiscent of Russian defectors who couldn't rationalize the images they were shown of US poverty, illustrated by films from the Great Depression wherein the 1930s streets of New York were clogged with cars. Or, Boris Yeltzen visiting an American grocery store in 1989, and being overwhelmed at the variety of products and full shelves [0].

As the reins of censorship and propaganda tightens in China, there may be less and less of the world to pierce through and belie the narrative they are fed. Perhaps we should not abandon them any sooner than we must.

With that said, if it's a deliberate approach, we need to get the messaging right. The NBA should stick to 'we are ambassadors for the USA to the world' and leave any politics at that.

[0] [https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/bayarea/news/article/When...](https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/bayarea/news/article/When- Boris-Yeltsin-went-grocery-shopping-in-Clear-5759129.php)

<comment><USER3> Your comment is about 15 years out of date. There isn't much that is "excellent beyond what is available" in China anymore. This type of thinking is why western foreign policy continues to get China totally wrong. Chinese people who study abroad are more often confused by the things missing in the west than they are liberated in the way you describe, in my experience.

<comment><USER4> > There isn't much that is "excellent beyond what is available" in China > anymore.

Democracy and freedom of thought.

Despite your experience of Foreign Chinese Students being confused rather than liberated by the West...in my experience I've never met a Foreign Chinese Student that didn't want to permanently relocate to Canada or the US.

<comment><USER5> For those in an (economic) position to emigrate, China lacks nothing in a material sense. Cars, electronics, clothes - they're not only available, they're well within the purchasing power of these people. In fact, what I dislike most about modern China is the endless gleaming shopping malls full of the same (mostly Western) brands.

But not everything is material, and creativity and freedom of expression definitely have an impact. I have a reasonably large circle of Chinese acquaintances via my wife, and anecdotally, I've never met a single emigrant who actually returned.

A lot of them definitely complain regularly about how much better China is, but none of them actually pack up and head back. I think that's telling.

<comment><USER6> Not sure how much of that is political rights, and how much of it is just less competitive pressure abroad because of lower population. Easier to get into colleges and find jobs. Might want to ask and confirm.

<comment><USER7> > less competitive pressure abroad

Or in other words, better quality of life? Yes, you can drive a new beemer, have a house with a pool and and 3 holidays abroad every year in China too -- if you are the one in a hundred to win the job lottery and work 60 hours a week not to get sacked (or if your daddy is a CCP aristocrat).

In the US/Western Europe/Japan at least half the people can affort that upper- middle class living standard, while only working 40 hours.

It's less competitive pressure because everyone can achieve it.

<comment><USER8> Never thought I would type these words but if you think half the people in any place can manage an upper middle class lifestyle, you need to check both your statistics and your privilege.

<comment><USER9> If you drop the 3 vacations abroad and the 'new' appellation to the car, then 1/2 of the people in the US can reasonably aspire to the rest of that with hard work and self discipline.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> This shouldn't be surprising to people. The NBA has a bigger fanbase in China than in the USA.

[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-09/china-s-5...](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-09/china-s-500-million- nba-fans-face-loyalty-test-in-standoff)

<comment><USER11> It seems really random that the Chinese are so into NBA. What next, Greeks being really into American gangsta rap music?

<comment><USER12> It's spycraft, a way for US culture and influence to penetrate China. It's deliberate.

<comment><USER13> If anything, it seems more like spycraft for Chinese culture and influence to penetrate the U.S.:

American Basketball vs. Chinese Hardball: Guess Who Won [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/13/world/asia/china-nba- cens...](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/13/world/asia/china-nba- censorship.html)

NBA Stars Study Hollywood's Playbook in China [https://www.wsj.com/articles/nba-stars-study-hollywoods- play...](https://www.wsj.com/articles/nba-stars-study-hollywoods-playbook-in- china-11570852864)

NBA, 'South Park' episodes spotlight Hollywood's China dilemma [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-hollywood/nba- south...](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-hollywood/nba-south-park- episodes-spotlight-hollywoods-china-dilemma-idUSKBN1WP1BJ)

'South Park' creators issue mocking 'apology' after China reportedly bans sitcom [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1KCVj_v0ik](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1KCVj_v0ik)

Band in China [https://southpark.cc.com/full-episodes/s23e02-band-in- china](https://southpark.cc.com/full-episodes/s23e02-band-in-china)

<comment><USER12> How many Chinese-broadcast basketball games are American basketball fans watching? :)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER14> This is a couple days old. The NBA has since taken down the ability to customize jerseys at all. Not sure if this is worse.

[https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/voa-news- china/nba...](https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/voa-news-china/nba- halts-personalizing-apparel-following-freehongkong-controversy)

</comment><comment><USER15> This is why I'm not hot on big corporations virtue signalling to us consumers.

It seems that they all have moral, _entanglements_ (to borrow Jada Pinkett's parlance), with China that they cannot seem to reconcile.

But they want to lecture us about important cause du jour?

Please! Spare me the self righteousness.

<comment><USER16> IIRC McDonalds banned black people in China, however they virtue signal about BLM in the USA.

[https://heavy.com/news/2020/04/mcdonalds-bans-black- people-c...](https://heavy.com/news/2020/04/mcdonalds-bans-black-people-china- video/)

Coke Cola used to be pretty pro Nazi back in the 1930s.

[https://www.adbranch.com/coca-cola-ads-in-nazi- germany/](https://www.adbranch.com/coca-cola-ads-in-nazi-germany/)

Corporations don't care about anything other than keeping the money coming in. So they will support any cause as long as it seems trendy.

<comment><USER17> > Corporations don't care about anything other than keeping the money coming > in. So they will support any cause as long as it seems trendy.

Fair enough. But next time either read your own links or get better at obfuscating. Neither of them says what you imply.

<comment><USER16> Fair enough on the first one as I was guilty of reading the headlines.

> Athletic competition was a Nazi ideal and the Coca-Cola GmbH cashed in > heavily on this infatuation by becoming one of the biggest sponsors of > sports events, most notably the annual Deutschlandrundfahrt (National > Bycicle Championships) and the Soccer Cup.

The second is fine.

<comment><USER17> It is not. [https://hoaxeye.com/2018/01/19/nazi- cola/](https://hoaxeye.com/2018/01/19/nazi-cola/)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER18> The funny thing that you can order it from SEA (mostly Thailand) for roughly ~$30 through [https://www.dhgate.com/](https://www.dhgate.com/) DHGate is perfect to buy fake jerseys that are pretty much the same with genuine tags. Either stolen from the factory or they work overhours, I don't know. But the quality and the actual product is almost always the same.

<comment><USER19> This is also a good way to get in trouble with customs.

Source: Have a friend who bought counterfeit items and got held up at customs for it.

<comment><USER20> How?

They get seized at worst, you get a reship. Nobody cares about it as long as you aren't getting 50+ for resale.

<comment><USER19> >It is illegal to purchase counterfeit goods. Bringing them into the United States may result in civil or criminal penalties.

[https://www.cbp.gov/FakeGoodsRealDangers](https://www.cbp.gov/FakeGoodsRealDangers)

<comment><USER21> Realistically though, CBP isn't going to come after you if you're buying a few hundred bucks of apparel for personal use.

<comment><USER22> You can find yourself on a CBP list if you import counterfeit goods.

[https://www.racked.com/2018/1/8/16849298/amazon- counterfeits...](https://www.racked.com/2018/1/8/16849298/amazon-counterfeits- global-entry-customs)

<comment><USER23> Funny how there's a list for natural persons, but not (large) corporations.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER24> Economics can explain so much.

There is a huge cost to the NBA if they stand with Hong Kong.

There is also a very small cost to the NBA and or more probably no cost at all if they fully embrace other movements such as BLM.

People upset about this are upset because the NBA (and other sports leagues and media) have become more socially active or political lately but they still refuse to speak up on topics that hurt their bottom line.

<comment><USER25> I don't exactly get it...will Chinese people just start enjoying a different sport if they think few people in basketball don't like how mainland China treats Hong Kong?

What sport isn't going to have athletes using the bully pulpit for their cause, which sometimes is HK?

<comment><USER24> No, the CCP will censor the NBA out of the country if they stand for things like Free Hong Kong.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER26> Who's really in power? They're the ones you can't offend. Or else.

<comment><USER27> This sounds like a play on the old Voltaire quote, "To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize."

A common joke response is "wow, we'd better rise up against kids with leukemia."

<comment><USER26> I'm the sort of person who would tell that kid to clean up their room. Normalcy is underrated.

As for Voltaire, while I'd buy that guy some wine, the lack of meaningful progress on something at least like CFE from RFC 5984 is somewhat of a barrier. My limited understanding is that its still in development rather than anything near production ready.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER28> its funny to me that you can put "fuck the police" on NBA jersey but you can't put "freehongkong". its kinda double standards, isn't it?

NBA really want that Chinese market. i find it interesting that Western corporation is willing to abandoned the western values they championed for money or rather i guess Corporation don't give a fuck about anything as long as they make money.

<comment><USER29> That seem to be the strategy of the CCP. Blocking foreign influence (Google, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, etc...) with the Great Firewall while taking advantage of the West's openness to promote their own platform TikTok, WeChat, ...

That allows them to promote their ideologies and export "The China Way" to becoming the next World's superpower without changing. Great way to take advantage of the asymmetry to have your cake and eat it too.

</comment></comment><comment><USER30> I tried buying some custom Nikes with "ADIDAS" written on the side. The online tool explicitly banned it. I got the online form to take "PUMA" but the shoes arrived with no custom message.

</comment><comment><USER31> Can you put "Free Palestine" on them?

<comment><USER32> Free Palestine from Hamas would be perfect.

</comment></comment><comment><USER33> China won, they already hold power on all relevant companies in the US and Europe. Thing is, how can we make sure we at least keep some individual liberty as they slowly take control of the world.

</comment><comment><USER34> When was the last time Hollywood made a major movie about the Tiennamen Square protests? Or the Chinese war against Tibetan autonomy?

Notice how in Top Gun 2, the Taiwanese regalia had been removed.

American elites have no problem censoring American citizens (in America) to appease Chinese elites.

This has been going on for a very long time. What's different is people are realizing it.

</comment><comment><USER35> One could try fr33h0ng|<0ng

<comment><USER24> Numbers wouldn't work either.

</comment></comment><comment><USER36> What about the WNBA, can you buy their jerseys do customization and irritate the NBA?

</comment><comment><USER37> America's organizations want access to the Chinese market and, absent any regulations to the contrary, when necessary are willing to compromise the values of our American Way of Life. But those regulations are (finally) coming. In the meantime, when they are caught doing things like this, they risk being attacked on Twitter by the President.

</comment><comment><USER38> When I first read this headline, I thought it was referring to the social justice statements that NBA players now have the option to add to their jerseys in lieu of their names. Only after a double take did I realize that this is about the jerseys that fans customize and purchase for themselves!

</comment><comment><USER39> There are more people playing basketball in China (300 millions) than people in the USA.

Think about that for a moment. How many friends of you, American citizen, don't play basketball but like to watch it?

This is why China is more important to NBA than America.

</comment><comment><USER40> How about: Free China of CCP

That'll take care of all the underlying issues.

<comment><USER41> It won't change the minds of the millions of people in political power in China. Lots of Chinese feel quite strongly that the Taiwan/Tibet/Hong Kong claims are legitimate and that the international community is attacking China.

I guess it would be like if the US was forced to cede Texas back to Mexico because they lost a war. Most Americans, regardless of political party, would hold the opinion that Texas is still American territory, regardless of international opinions on the subject.

<comment><USER42> How can anyone hold a political position in China and not hold those viewpoints? It's illegal, in practice, to speak or take actions otherwise.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER43> This mass censorship that we are living in allows and promotes all sorts of manifestations of the so called anti-racism white over black. It's of interest to the controlling regime to do so. But, when there are manifestations against the totalitarism, they are forbidden. Because, again, the deep govern owns the political, economical, mass-media and so forth all over the world.

</comment><comment><USER44> I recall Nike being in a similar situation. As I recall, they forbade terms like "sweatshop".

<comment><USER14> But that's a bit different. For Nike, writing "sweatshop" on a show is equivalent to bashing _Nike_. Freehongkong isn't a negative message against the NBA itself.

<comment><USER45> Almost as bad as the taxation without representation some cities have to endure.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER46> I wonder if "Free Portland" would fly.

</comment><comment><USER47> 140 bucks for a jersy, damn lol

<comment><USER48> I bought one of these for about $80 nearly a decade ago and still holds up good despite all the sun and abuse. Compared to most clothing out there it's certainly made well. I have a lot of respect for clothes that last, too much stuff, even high priced, is basically unwearable in a year or two, which is incredibly wasteful.

</comment></comment><comment><USER49> I'm continually surprised at how willing the elites, the media, corporate America and our elected politicians are to carry water for China.

Our elected politicians expend endless breath calling "Wuhan virus" racist but don't even dare utter a word about an active genocide against Uighur minorities? No problem with the president of one of our largest rival countries effectively becoming a dictator for life?

Let's all keep calling people xenophobic while Xi consolidates power and swallows HK.

</comment><comment><USER50> They had fixed it so you could as of 1830cst 13jul2020 last I was poking around

</comment><comment><USER51> You don't know how communism works. There are no "Chinese companies" or "Chinese investment founds", or "Chinese 5%". There is only the Party. The single and only united entity, political and economical. There are wealthy people but they don't own any capital or means of production. They may own a Ferrari but can't own a wheelbarrow. They may decide if they want to buy a villa in Italy, but they can't decide to buy a Pizzeria in Verona.

There is no difference between political and economical power. If you accept any Chinese capital, you are dealing with the Party. The Party's decisions are not economical, they are political. They will destroy any company for a political gain. They don't make any decisions that are apolitical.

It's not about selling your products or services to China, it's about following the politics of the party.

There are no Chinese students. You can't leave a communist state just like that. Money don't matter. You have to be a good citizen, you must leave your family behind, you must agree to cooperate with the intelligence and to follow politics of the Party or you will never will be allowed abroad again or something bad will happen to your family.

There is no China, there's just the Party. There are no individuals, there's just the Party.

</comment><comment><USER52> The West has been through this version of the fight before. Can't draw Muhammad cartoons? Can't say Free Hong Kong?

I don't want to see our top institutions buckle like this.

This is a real fight, it keeps popping up. These things are worth protecting.

</comment><comment><USER53> It's ~$80 for a men's NBA jersey. I've never been able to understand why they want to charge me out the ass for me to advertise their product. If I was the NBA, I'd give jerseys away like candy and install basketball courts in every park I could in the US to keep interest high in basketball.

<comment><USER54> Because the best advertisement for their product is people who are actually _into_ the product. You don't need to give away stuff to them to keep them interested, because the product speaks for itself. Furthermore, seeing more basketball around is not going to turn non-fans into fans. To do that you need something that transcends the sport such as a Michael Jordan or 2015 Warriors.

Now, outside the US in places where NBA has not yet saturated your approach makes more sense, but you could also burn a lot of cash for no returns if you're not careful.

</comment></comment><comment><USER55> [http://www.reddit.com/r/avoidchineseproducts/](http://www.reddit.com/r/avoidchineseproducts/)

</comment><comment><USER56> I don't understand why stories like this get thru, but other extremely relevent/interesting stories like medical data related to COVID get absolutely no coverage. Is "China Censorship" so relevant to HN that even an NBA-related story is okay?

</comment><comment><USER57> You know, people are absolutely free to buy the shirt and stencil on any sentiment or message they feel.

Or is speech only meaningful if you added it to your shopping cart and it went through the pipes of commerce? Kind of exactly what people are upset about in the first place?

<comment><USER58> People are upset because more and more companies are ceding to a government which is actively committing genocide, suppresses ideas and free speech of its own people, all so that these companies can make more money.

<comment><USER57> How about not buying the shirt then, instead of complaining about the message you're helping to fund while buying it?

<comment><USER59> I mean, people would prefer to not have to walk away from the things they enjoy.

You're being a little pointedly obtuse here. People want the world to reflect their values. Very few political vegans would prefer to ignore that there are still restaurants serving meat, they'd rather the culture shift away from that sort of practice. Similarly, people would prefer the sport they enjoy watching not support the government policies they don't support.

"Why not just ignore anything you don't like" isn't how the world works.</comment></comment></comment></comment>