Ⓒ JoongAng Ilbo / JoongAng Ilbo Japanese version2022.01.20 07:01
With the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics imminent, a black player from the United States who is active in Chinese professional basketball has been controversial due to racially discriminatory hecklers from fans. CNN reported on the 18th that foreign player Sonny Weems of Guangdong Southern Tigers was racist by Chinese basketball fans.
During the match on the 13th, Weems and his opponent, Liaoning Flying Glepers, Hande, were in a brawl and both players were sent off. However, after the match, some spectators gathered in front of the Tigers bus and skipped “Nigger” and “Get out of China”.
With the advent of Weems, this heckler became even bigger. However, Weems seemed to try and ignore it. A video containing the situation at that time was spread through social media.
CNN then reported that Weems posted a heart-shaped rainbow-colored heart emoji on Weibo, a Chinese social network. It is analyzed as expressing respect for various races. “This racist incident happened just three weeks before China hosted the Beijing Winter Olympics,” CNN said.
Prior to this, Weems defended the “prohibition of discrimination against Asians”. After China was named as the source of the new coronavirus last year, and after a series of hate crimes targeting Asians in the United States and elsewhere, Weems posted a post on his Twitter saying, “Stop hatred of Asians.”
As the debate grew, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) went out to extinguish the fire. Through the statement, he said, “I will not tolerate any discriminatory words and actions” and “Please refrain from vulgar words.” He continued, “We must watch the game in a civilized manner both inside and outside the game. We must respect each other and do not act to disgrace the team.”
Both the Guangdong Southern Tigers and Liaoning Flying Glepers teams have also criticized that “these words and deeds detract from the image of the Chinese professional basketball league and fans.”
Jeremy Lin, a Taiwanese-American basketball player, criticized Weibo for saying, “The words that fans have directed at Weems are very rude, and the expressions contain indescribable wounds and hatred.” I left a comment.
Weibo’s Weibo has messages such as “I’m very sorry (on behalf of those who skipped the field). I’m always rooting for you” and “We’re always with you.”
Weems gained experience in the United States and Europe after being named the Chicago Bulls in the 2008 NBA Draft. After joining the Guangdong Southern Tigers in 2018, CNN reportedly has been the driving force behind the team’s third consecutive CBA Championship championship.
