US Congressman Calls Out NBA’s Human Rights Hypocrisy

Earlier today, Mike Schottey laid out a solid business case for the NBA’s decision to pull the 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte due to outcry and opposition to HB2, “the bathroom bill.”

In its official statement, the League cited its “long-standing core values” that “include not only diversity, inclusion, fairness and respect for others but also the willingness to listen and consider opposing points of view.”

With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if they uphold those values in listening and considering the opposing viewpoint of Congressman Robert Pittenger, a Republican who represents parts of Charlotte in North Carolina’s 9th District.

Pittenger called out Commissioner Silver on his “hypocrisy.”

"Last week, I met with constituents from China who outlined the Chinese government practice of forcefully harvesting vital organs as part of their oppression of religious minorities. Meanwhile, the NBA will start selling tickets for preseason games in China next week. Is the NBA implying China’s abhorrent violation of basic human rights is acceptable, but North Carolina saying men shouldn’t use the girls’ locker room is a bridge too far? What is the NBA’s true priority? The unmistakable hypocrisy is clear to me. You be your own judge."

Regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum, or on these issues specifically, it does become clear that when leagues, teams and athletes make a stand, they generally do so when it is in their best interest.  Schottey’s piece indicated that, but so did Outsports’ Cyd Zeigler when I followed up with him and other panelists on their 2015 BWB discussion.

Said Zeigler:

"The problem I have with the advocacy [is] almost all athletes focus on what affects them. Black athletes will get active when race comes up. Female athletes will get active on income equality. But for truly marginalized minority groups in sports, like Muslims or LGBT people, we’re just left out in the cold. So it’s great to see Melo and others want to use their public profiles to fight for justice, but they’re almost always just focused on justice for themselves. None of them were calling for activism after the killing of 49 people in a gay club in Orlando. None of them are upset about anti-LGBT discriminatory laws in North Carolina. Is Melo going to play in the All-Star game in North Carolina next year? LeBron? They won’t even think for a second about it because the discrimination doesn’t target them."

Now, it should be noted that Zeigler has praised the move by the NBA.  But Schottey’s points and Rep. Pittenger’s call on Silver to “[p]lease justify how you can be engaged with a country who has flagrantly violated human rights with forced abortions and selling human organs” can lead one to wonder whether, in fact, it is the League’s morality or profitability (be it financially or through, say, positive coverage) that is driving it on social “causes.”

Below is Rep. Pittenger’s full letter to Silver. But first, here is a supercut of Donald Trump saying “China.”

Rep. Pittenger's Letter to NBA Commissioner Silver by The Outside Game on Scribd