Whitlock: The NBA and Adam Silver remind Kyrie Irving to ignore God and obey money
I wish they’d all just admit it. Adam Silver, Roger Goodell, Phil Knight, the executives running the TV networks in bed with the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL.
Professional sports are hostile to religious faith. Just admit it.
The widespread, orchestrated rebuke of Kyrie Irving has nothing to do with anti-Semitism and everything to do with removing faith in God from sports. Admit it.
You will never convince me that the controversy that has sidelined Irving’s 2022 basketball season is about a 2018 documentary. No way. Neither is it about Irving’s assumed position on the true origins of black Americans. Not buying it.
“Hebrews to Negroes,” the so-called sequel to Adolf Hitler’s anti-Jew manifesto "Mein Kampf," is too confusing, too boring, and too dated to justify the relentless public trashing of Irving and his reputation.
The flogging of Kyrie is a message to athletes that their multimillion-dollar paychecks are dependent on their willingness to serve money above God.
The sports world no longer tolerates legitimate religious faith. Faith made Muhammad Ali refuse military induction. Faith compelled Martin Luther King Jr. to demand equal rights. Faith motivated white men to sacrifice their lives in the Civil War for the freedom of black people.
People of faith cannot be controlled. We live in a time when the elite seek unprecedented control of the American people. They want to tell us when we can worship, which experimental medical trials we must take, when we must wear a mask, which politicians we can support, and what is OK for us to think.
Kyrie Irving’s religious faith – no matter how misguided – makes him impossible to control. He wouldn’t take the vaccine and missed a significant portion of last season because of that decision. He’s refusing to fully grovel and beg forgiveness for a thought crime allegedly committed against Jewish people.
Irving’s mind is “diseased” with religious courage.
Professional sports cannot tolerate that. The NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB climbed into partnership with the secular left, Black Lives Matter, and the other political descendants of Karl Marx.
The secular left – the true bigots – recognized 60 years ago that religious faith is what made America great and granted all of this country’s citizens freedom and opportunity. The proponents of Marxism and its systems of governance (communism and socialism) are systematically detaching all American institutions from religious faith to stop the rise of another Muhammad Ali or Martin Luther King.
Live televised sports are the strongest influencer of American culture.
That’s why the sports world has been seduced into adopting the satanic values of the music industry, particularly hip-hop music. You can’t enter a basketball arena at the high school, college, or professional level without hearing commercial rap music. Football practices and 7-on-7 tournaments pipe in commercial rap music.
Commercial music is traditionally rebellious and debaucherous. Generally speaking, parents drop their kids off at concerts. In contrast, sports have traditionally been patriotic and moral. Families enjoy sporting events together.
Now Jay-Z is an important partner and consultant with the NFL. Dr. Dre and Snoop starred during the Super Bowl halftime show. NBA All-Star weekend is the Lollapalooza of hip-hop.
Under the pretense of diversity, inclusion, equity, and racial sensitivity, professional sports – like all of corporate America – have been radically changed. Religious beliefs are seen as transphobic, homophobic, and racist. Kyrie’s form of religious conviction is considered anti-Semitic and dangerous.
Irving tweeted an image of a four-year-old documentary and has undergone a two-week public trial for anti-Semitism.
Adam Silver, the Jewish commissioner of the NBA, told the New York Times on Thursday that he found Irving not guilty of anti-Semitism. You might wrongly conclude that Silver’s verdict is a positive step. It’s not.
The public announcement to the New York Times is justification of the kangaroo court proceedings that occurred. The NBA owes Irving an apology and the money it stole from him during his five-game suspension. The league owes punitive damages for the smearing of Irving’s reputation, which caused Nike to end its relationship with Irving.
Had the NBA ignored Irving’s harmless tweet, America would have continued to ignore the four-year-old documentary. Instead, the Brooklyn Nets and Silver stirred more racial animus.
What was the real purpose?
The purpose was to remind athletes, celebrities, and influencers to avoid taking any stance on religious principle. It’s the same reminder Democrats give black voters during every election cycle: Ignore what the Bible tells you about marriage, the sanctity of life in the womb, the importance of family, and gender. You ain’t black if you don’t support same-sex marriage, abortion, the disruption of the nuclear family, and kids and surgeons picking genders.
We’re being programmed to ignore God and obey secular elites.
Leaked audio exposes top NBA execs kowtowing to China, Enes Kanter Freedom declares: 'Evidence of how a 100% American-made company is run by the Chinese dictatorship'
Enes Kanter Freedom bashed the NBA for kowtowing to China once again. The outspoken human rights activist and basketball player claimed that newly-leaked audio of top NBA executives warning him not to offend China was "evidence" that the league is "run by the Chinese dictatorship."
"Tucker Carlson Tonight" aired leaked audio of NBA officials attempting to persuade Freedom to stop protesting the Chinese Communist Party during games.
National Basketball Players Association lawyer Ron Klempner is heard saying, "I got off the phone with the general counsel of the NBA, and he wants to now have a conversation about, their concern right now is not so much what you are saying off the court, but what it is you are saying on the court when you step onto the court."
In a November game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Freedom wore sneakers that depicted LeBron James bowing to Chinese President Xi Jinping, who places a crown on James' head with bags of money surrounding the pair. There is also a mask painted with the flag of East Turkestan – home of the Uyghurs – and a hand with the Chinese flag on it covering the mouth.
\u201cMoney over Morals for the \u201cKing\u201d \ud83d\udc51 \n\nSad & disgusting how these athletes pretend they care about social justice\n\nThey really do \u201cshut up & dribble\u201d when Big Boss \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddf3 says so\n\nDid you educate yourself about the slave labor that made your shoes or is that not part of your research?\u201d— Enes FREEDOM (@Enes FREEDOM) 1637255348
NBA commissioner Adam Silver is heard saying, "You're not breaking any rule in terms of the shoes."
"There's no rule you're violating now, to me, you know," Silver said. "I think it's also... look, at the end of the day, we're also a business."
Wall Street hedge-fund billionaire, big-time Hillary Clinton financial supporter, and Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry says kowtowing to China's demands is "business."
"China's taken a very aggressive stance, which is, 'Hey if you want to b***h about us, you're out.' Right? Which is – I get it," Lasry said. "It's business. So, their view is you wanna be in our country and do things. If you want to complain about us, you’re not allowed. So what happens for the NBA is the NBA's in a box.”
Freedom reacted to the leaked audio by the NBA execs.
"This is the evidence of how a 100% American-made company is run by the Chinese dictatorship," Freedom told host Tucker Carlson. "And wake up America. This is the league that you have been supporting and watching. Enough is enough. And this is unacceptable."
"It's just sad to see how these people still can lie to American people," Freedom said of NBA officials. "How can they bow down to this dictatorship?"
"They care about social justice until it affects their money and business," he continued. "The NBA pretends to care about social justice in America, but when that affects their business – they're silent."
Freedom proclaimed, "They are mad because finally, someone from the inside – I played 11 years in this league – I've finally exposed them, and I'm saying it again, 'Enough is enough.'"
Freedom claimed that the NBA is trying to force him to retire, but he is not ready.
Freedom started last season playing for the Boston Celtics before being traded to the Houston Rockets. He was immediately cut by the Rockets. Freedom believes that the NBA is trying to silence him.
He said that he plans to continue to play in the NBA and to keep exposing the league's relationship with the Chinese Communist Party.
Enes Kanter Freedom responds to audio of NBA officials appearing to admit Chinese influence www.youtube.com
China yanks Boston Celtics games from TV after Enes Kanter slams Xi Jinping as 'brutal dictator'
Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter delivered pro-Tibet remarks on Wednesday and also blasted Chinese President Xi Jinping as a "brutal dictator." On Thursday, China wiped future games from the schedule as well as yanked past replays.
Kanter – the veteran NBA player and outspoken progressive activist – shared a two-minute video on social media of him voicing his support for Tibetan independence.
"My message to the Chinese government is 'Free Tibet.' Tibet belongs to Tibetans. I am here to add my voice and speak out about what is happening in Tibet," the Turkish basketball star said in the video. "Under the Chinese government's brutal rule, Tibetan people's basic rights and freedoms are nonexistent."
"They are not allowed to study and learn their language and culture freely," Kanter continued. "They are not allowed to travel freely, they are not allowed to access information freely, Tibetan people are not even allowed to worship freely."
"For more than 70 years, Tibetan monks, nuns, intellectuals, writers, poets, community leaders, actors, and many more have been detained, sent to political re-education classes, subject to torture ... and even been executed simply for exercising their freedoms that you and I take for granted," the Celtics center exclaimed.
He added that Chinese citizens can be arrested for having a photo of the Dalai Lama or for flying the Tibetan flag.
"I say, shame on the Chinese government," Kanter declared. "The Chinese dictatorship is erasing Tibetan identity and culture."
"After learning all of this, I cannot stay silent. I stand with my Tibetan brothers and sisters, and I support their cause for freedom," the NBA player proclaimed.
"The communist ideology of China has been around for only around 100 years, but Buddhist civilization, ideology, and philosophy have been around for thousands of years," Kanter stated. "Only the Tibetan people should decide the future of Tibet; ... Tibet belongs to Tibetan people."
"Brutal dictator of China, Xi Jinping, I have a message for you and your henchmen. I will say it again, again, and again, loud and clear; I hope you hear me. Free Tibet, free Tibet, free Tibet," Kanter concluded.
Kanter has also been an outspoken critic of Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan and this week received his 10th arrest warrant for speaking out against the Turkish government's human rights record. Turkey also revoked Kanter's passport. Turkish prosecutors have been seeking the arrest and extradition of Kanter since 2019 for an alleged connection to a terrorist group.
Dear Brutal Dictator XI JINPING and the Chinese GovernmentTibet belongs to the Tibetan people!#FreeTibet https://t.co/To4qWMXK56
— Enes Kanter (@EnesKanter) 1634749143.0
Kanter doubles down
Kanter continued his "Free Tibet" campaign during the Celtics' game against the New York Knicks on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. Kanter wore custom sneakers with the words "FREE TIBET," an illustration of a self-immolating Tibetan, and a snow lion from the Tibetan flag. The shoes were designed by Chinese dissident artist Badiucao.
More than 150 Tibetan people have burned themselves alive!! — hoping that such an act would raise more awareness ab… https://t.co/Kls7uhUwqp
— Enes Kanter (@EnesKanter) 1634771673.0
What a shame @EnesKanter was not given any time in the game tonight.But his message is clear and loud ！… https://t.co/jbOK1fKkLf
— 巴丢草 Badiucao💉💉 (@badiucao) 1634785363.0
China reacts by pulling Celtics games
According to the New York Times, "By Thursday, recent Celtics games were marked as unavailable for replay through Tencent, the Chinese internet giant that has partnered with the N.B.A. to stream its games in the country. The website for Tencent Sports also indicated that upcoming Celtics games would not be live-streamed."
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Kanter was "trying to get attention" and that his remarks "were not worth refuting."
"We will never accept those attacks to discredit Tibet's development and progress," the spokesperson said on Thursday.
A Celtics fan page with over 600,000 followers on the Chinese social media platform Weibo said it would immediately stop covering the team.
The Celtics fan page wrote, "Resolutely resist any behavior that damages national harmony and the dignity of the motherland!"
China has been censoring another NBA team
Tencent Sports has not been livestreaming Philadelphia 76ers games after the NBA franchise hired Daryl Morey to be its president of basketball operations.
Morey is famously known for writing a tweet in support of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong in October 2019, when he was the general manager of the Houston Rockets. Morey was forced to apologize for the "Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong" message. Despite the apology, China stopped broadcasting NBA games for the pro-democracy tweet.
China refused to air any NBA games from state-run CCTV for more than a year after Morey's tweet, which cost the NBA $200 million, CNBC reported.
What has the NBA said about China's censorship?
Representatives for the National Basketball Association and the Boston Celtics did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the New York Times. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has yet to respond to China's latest censorship of the NBA.
Previously, Silver was asked on Monday about NBA games not being broadcast in China.
"It's unclear whether we'll be back on CCTV this year," Silver said. "Our projections are not dependent on it."
In April, Silver was asked about the NBA's relationship with China.
"Our most significant television partner is Tencent, which is a streaming service in China," the NBA commission told Time. "And we have hundreds of millions of fans in China who we continue to serve."
Silver claimed, "That a so-called boycott of China, taking into account legitimate criticisms of the Chinese system, won't further the agenda of those who seek to bring about global change."
In 2018, Tencent Holdings Ltd. paid $1.5 billion for five years of exclusive streaming rights to NBA games in China.
www.theblaze.com
freebeacon.com
The Fly Heard Around the 2020 Election World | The News & Why It Matters | Ep 637