2C z WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019 z USA TODAY E2 SPORTS
best-compensated and most-globally-
recognized pitchman, and Nike does big
business in China. How big?
In the most recent quarter, Nike’s
Great China revenue increased by 22%
to almost $1.7 billion, according to The
Wall Street Journal. In early 2016, not
long after James signed a lifetime en-
dorsement deal reported to be worth
$1 billion, he had made 12 trips to China
for Nike, according to cleveland.com.
Financial pressure might test the
depth of LeBron’s commitment to social
issues outside the United States and a
commendable off-the-court reputation
he has earned by doing the following:
zDonning a hooded sweatshirt in
2012 after the death of Trayvon Martin,
an African American teenager who wore
a hooded sweatshirt when he was shot
to death by a white Hispanic neighbor-
hood crime-watch volunteer.
zCriticizing President Donald Trump
for divisive politics and saying, “We’re
not gonna let ... one individual no matter
the power, no matter the impact that he
should have or she should have, ever use
sports as a platform to divide us.”
zSupporting Colin Kaepernick in his
protesting of racism and police brutality
and once telling the Los Angeles Times,
“I think with Kap, I stand with Kap, I
kneel with Kap.”
zLamenting hate in America before
the start of the 2017 NBA Finals after a
gate outside his home was vandalized
with the N-word.
And, most recently, speaking out in
favor of the new California law that will
allow college athletes to be paid for use
of their name, image and likeness. He
even had California Gov. Gavin New-
some on his HBO show, “The Shop,”
where LeBron, in his own words, likes to
chop it up while discussing important
social issues.
Now’s the time to chop it up again.
Oppression in Hong Kong is an issue
that deserves LeBron’s considered view.LOS ANGELES – When LeBron
James gets off a plane in China on Tues-
day, he better be ready.
Reporters surely will be waiting.
For the Nets.
For the Lakers.
But especially for LeBron. If he wants
to preserve his sterling and well-de-
served reputation as an athlete willing
to risk backlash while speaking out
against social injustice, here’s what he
must convey:
zHe supports the right to free
speech.
zHe believes in a free and open soci-
ety.
Anything less will leave him looking
like a sellout as he and members of the
Lakers and Nets walk into controversy
sparked by Rockets general manager
Daryl Morey, who on Friday tweeted
support for Hong Kong independence.
Morey’s tweet was a nod to the Hong
Kong protesters fighting a plan that
would allow extraditions to mainland
China, where democratic rights cease to
exist for those accused of crimes.
Hong Kong, once a British colony, has
been under China’s control since 1997.
When Morey’s tweet angered China’s
government, the NBA initially all but
genuflected, issuing a statement that in
part read it was “regrettable’’ that Mo-
rey’s tweet “deeply offended many of
our friends and fans in China.”
On Monday in Tokyo, NBA commis-
sioner Adam Silver told Kyoto News, “I
have read some of the media suggesting
that we are not supporting Daryl Morey,
but in fact we have.”
There should be no appearance of
equivocation from LeBron, as delicate
as the situation might be. He is Nike’s
Time for LeBron to exercise free speech again
Josh Peter
Columnist
USA TODAYLakers forward LeBron James is a lifetime ambassador for Nike, which does
billions of dollars in business in China.KELVIN KUO/USA TODAY SPORTScomplete control over how much or how
little the league’s product is distributed
in China.
Either way, this much is clear: If the
red line for China’s relationship with the
NBA is this easily crossed – we’re talk-
ing about one comment by one league
employee on a website that is blocked
on China’s internet to begin with – how
can you expect that relationship to last
in the first place?
Although there’s certainly an argu-
ment to be made that the NBA has a so-
cial responsibility as an American cul-
tural institution to stand up for free
speech as well as the fragile rights of
millions of Hong Kongers – many of
whom also watch the NBA – you don’t
really need to even delve into the poli-
tics to see why it’s critical for the NBA to
draw its own line in the sand, even if it
puts the Chinese market in jeopardy.
The NBA isn’t the first American enti-
ty to bend itself into ethical knots to
keep China happy. But unlike an airline
or a tech company with anonymous em-
ployees who do their jobs and go home,
the NBA is uniquely situated in that its
employees are public promoters with
huge platforms who answer questions
every day about all kinds of things.
Though Morey’s tweet was certainly
a self-inflicted situation, something like
this was bound to happen. And if one
tweet that isn’t even controversial to an
American audience is enough to pro-
voke the Chinese into suspendingtele-
vision deals and various business ar-
rangements with the Rockets, it’s truly
worth wondering whether the NBA can
really operate in that kind of environ-
ment without walking on political egg-
shells every time it sends a team over
there for a game.
Though there will be a lot of bad-faith
criticism of the NBA for being hypocriti-
cal from people who don’t like the
league’s “wokeness,” the reality is that
these kinds of uncomfortable arrange-
ments are going to come with the terri-
tory of global expansion. And it’s not
just China.
The NBA is currently partnering with
FIBA to build a professional basketball
league in Africa, which makes perfect
sense for a variety of reasons, not the
least of which is that a country like Ni-geria is projected to have a population of
400 million by 2050.
“I think ultimately it’s because of
(the) transformational nature of digital
media where in Africa, a continent of
over a billion people, where there are
something like 700 million cellphones,400 million of which are smartphones,”
Silver said at this year’s NBA Finals. “So
we see enormous growth opportunities
both in terms of players and for partici-
pation and ultimately an interest for the
league.”
At the same time, though, Nigeria is a
country where the media are heavily
censored by the government. It’s also a
country where, for instance, LGBT peo-
ple have practically no rights and can be
imprisoned or executed. In a league
where the commissioner and numerous
players march in gay pride parades ev-
ery year, you have to ask whether the
NBA can really manage to be one thing
here at home and something else to the
rest of the world.
And that’s not an easy call, because
the NBA is the only American sports
league that is positioned to make an im-
pact on every single continent, and the
financial implications of that pursuit
are very real. But the compromises are,
too, and Silver’s news conference was at
least some indication that the NBA does
have a breaking point.
It might no longer be up toSilver
what that means for doing business in
China, but at least the NBA understands
it can’t bend any further.Wolken
Continued from Page 1C
Workers dismantle signage for a fan
event scheduled d Wednesday at
Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. APfocated Baker Mayfield and the Cleve-
land offense – Sherman, 31, was in clas-
sic form. Shoot, we haven’t heard him
with as much in-your-face messaging
since his days with the Legion of Boom
in Seattle.
Please don’t stop him. He’s on a roll.
And so is his young team.
The last time the 49ers were 4-0?
Go back, way back to 1990, when Joe
Montana was in the midst of an MVP
season, throwing to Jerry Rice. When
Charles Haley was still a Niner, kept in
check (occasionally) by his big brother,
Ronnie Lott.
Now this team that coach Kyle Sha-
nahan and GM John Lynch have put to-
gether is starting to look like the grand
vision, coming to life.
Hey, it’s early. Shanahan (whose dad,
Mike, used to be a coordinator in these
parts with Steve Young throwing the
rock) told his squad, according to primo
tight end George Kittle, “All that’s guar-
anteed is that we can go 4-12.”
You know what it’s like in the NFL.
What have you done lately?
The 49ers are the NFC’s only unde-
feated team. At the moment, they are
the team to chase for the No. 1 seed in the
playoffs.
But regardless of how passionate
Sherman is, it’s way premature to as-
sume anything. Next up is a trip to Los
Angeles, where you can bet the defend-
ing NFC champion Rams will be salty.
So the 49ers will have to prove them-
selves all over again in a few days. Then
again and again.
Maybe the question of whether the
49ers’ perfect record is legit has been
put to rest. They beat the Buccaneers,
Bengals and Steelers before the Browns
came calling. That’s not exactly toppling
the 1985 Bears, ’72 Dolphins or ’66 Pack-
ers. But beating the split-personality
Browns was seemingly a quality win be-
cause, well, Baker, OBJ and the crew
have had so much hype.
As well-earned and legitimate as it is,
the Monday night massacre ranks even
higher because it came before a prime-
time audience against a formidable op-
ponent. It’s good enough because the
Browns were that next team on the
schedule.
If you want to crown the 49ers as
anything right now, call ’em honorary
AFC North champs (sorry, Baltimore),
with three of their W’s coming against
teams in that division.
And it sure is a stretch that they’re in
the same sentence as the 1990 squad,
though this is not of their own doing.
The ’90 Niners were back-to-back de-
fending Super Bowl champs, going for a
three-peat and advancing to the NFC ti-
tle game.
These 49ers are eager to establishtheir own identity. The blueprint looks
tight. It includes some major physicality
in the trenches. San Francisco has in-
vested heavily in collecting premium
talent on the D-line, including the two
edge rushers – Nick Bosa and Dee Ford –
added this year. Figure that Mayfield,
sacked four times and battered into
three turnovers, can vouch for that.
The O-line has investments paying
off, too, reflected with the season-high
rushing output. Then there’s Jimmy Ga-
roppolo, who was obtained and paid to
be the efficient marquee man. So far, so
good, so healthy. And Sherman, who
joined the 49ers as a free agent last year
after being dumped by Seattle, brings
that wise veteran presence who will
speak up when needed.
Sherman knows. He saw the Sea-
hawks develop from a collection of tal-
ented wannabes into a Super Bowl
champ, and they had arguably the
league’s best defense for five years run-
ning as it stayed in the championship
hunt during that span. One of their most
significant statement wins came when
they upset the Patriots and Sherman got
in Tom Brady’s face afterward and
asked, “You, mad bro?”
Well, the Browns aren’t the Patriots.
But at least the 49ers have some talent,
moxie and optics to work with when it
comes to statement victories. Bosa, who
became the first 49er in a quarter-cen-
tury to produce multiple sacks (two), a
forced fumble and a fumble recovery inthe same game, got a measure of re-
venge against Mayfield for that silly,
“plant the flag” act that the quarterback
pulled during their college days.
And he trash-talked Mayfield in the
process, which was his own “You mad,
bro?” moment. So there’s some in-your-
face persona being developed here, too.
It will be tempting to declare the
49ers as the best team in the NFC.
Tough to go that far given the way the
Saints have played without Drew Brees.
Sherman’s old team has a quarterback
playing like an MVP in Russell Wilson.
And the Rams are suddenly pressed to
prove their mettle.
At least the 49ers are in that conver-
sation. When you’re building a champi-
onship program, the W’s – whenever,
however and against whomever – pro-
vide the reason to keep believing.
“We’ve just got to be consistent,”
Sherman said. “When you have a young
team, it’s about teaching them how to
win.”
The 49ers scrapped against the des-
perate Steelers (sans Ben Roethlisberg-
er) and won despite committing five
turnovers. On Monday, they dominated
from the start – Matt Breida ripped off
an 83-yard TD run on San Francisco’s
first snap – and earned style points.
“Then you’ve got to learn how to win
these games,” Sherman added, consid-
ering the showcase in prime time.
Done. Now go beat a division rival.
Then keep it flowing.Bell
Continued from Page 1C