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“It can be a lot of negative that comes with [free speech].” - Lebron James

Just like Cleveland Cavaliers fans did in 2010, protesters in Hong Kong burned and trampled Lebron James jerseys this week following a very controversial comment from James.

On October 4th Houston Rockets manager, Daryl Morey, tweeted in support of the anti-government protesters in Hong Kong. This lead to some serious complications in the relationship between the NBA and one of their largest markets, China. You can read the tweet and learn more about what this means for the NBA here. This raises the question on whether NBA players, coaches, managers etc. have the right to tweet these things as employees of the NBA or not.

When asked about whether Morey should face punishment from the NBA or not James said, “Yes, we do have freedom of speech. But at times there are ramifications for the negative that can happen when you're not thinking about others, when you only think about yourself... So many people could have been harmed, not only financially but physically, emotionally, spiritually. So just be careful what we tweet and what we say and what we do. Even though yes, we do have freedom of speech, it can be a lot of negative that comes with it.” It was these statements from James that led to criticism from many in Hong Kong and here in the US as well.

Many in Hong Kong are upset as they see James standing for social change within the US, but money in Hong Kong. While James didn’t comment on that portion, he does have a lot to lose finically in China if relations between China and the NBA worsen. Some questions I would ask you to consider are: Should Morey be punished? Is James just in it for the Money? Are James’s views on free speech harmful or merely cautionary?

Comments

  1. AndyPOctober 15, 2019 at 8:21 PM

    I think that there should be some ramifications against Morey because it was his comments that initiated most of this. Additionally, I don't think that Lebron is just in it for the money. I feel that Lebron cares for the public and wants to make changes to society. Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ben kOctober 15, 2019 at 8:30 PM

    I personally believe it is up to the NBA whether or not Morey is punished because all though he has the right to free speech, the NBA definitely has the right to punish him for damaging the leagues ability to access the Chinese market. This is also what I think Lebron was trying to get at of the dangers of free speech.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mr. LawlerOctober 16, 2019 at 1:00 PM

    From George:I personally think that Morey should be able to advocate for
    what he believes in, but, as Lebron stated, there are ramifications for doing so. I don’t think Morey should be punished but believe he probably will be. Lebron isn’t just in it for the money. However, the NBA most certainly is. Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mr. LawlerOctober 18, 2019 at 8:33 AM

    Nice post, Carter! Stay tuned 2nd quarter because freedom of speech will be a major issue we explore in texts during our 2nd unit.

    ReplyDelete

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