Senator Tells NBA To Put ‘Support The Troops’ On Jerseys, Not Black Lives Matter
United States Senator Josh Hawley out of Missouri encouraged the NBA and its commissioner Adam Silver to rethink its injustice messaging policy.
Specifically, Sen. Hawley took issue with the league’s decision to post certain messaging like “Black Lives Matter” and “I can’t breathe.” Instead, he urged them to take a look at phrases like “Support the troops” or “Back the blue.”
In a letter he penned to Commissioner Silver, Sen. Hawley noted that “this is a time for you to make clear what your league believes about human rights and about the nation that is your home.”
Sen. Hawley also pointed out that if the NBA wanted to take strong political stances in the name of freedom of speech, speaking out against China might be a good place to start.
Unfortunately, due to the NBA’s longstanding relationship with China, that is obviously unlikely to actually happen.
If @NBA is going to put social cause statements on uniforms, why not “Support our Troops” or “Back the Blue”? Or given how much $$ @nba makes in #China, how about “Free Hong Kong”! Today I wrote to Adam Silver to ask for answers pic.twitter.com/PthYR4OxmE
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) July 10, 2020
“Let your players stand up for the Uighurs and the people of Hong Kong,” the Senator continued.
“Let them stand up for the American law enforcement if they so choose. Give them the choice to write ‘Back the Blue’ on their jerseys. Or ‘Support Our Troops.’ Maybe ‘God Bless America.’ What could be more American than that?”
As of Friday afternoon, the NBA has yet to respond to the Senator’s request.
Based on established precedent, however, it is hard to envision a scenario where Commissioner Silver actually speaks out against China or agrees to take Sen. Hawley’s jersey suggestions under serious consideration.
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