U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R, MO) has invited ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro to Washington to discuss his association with the NBA, who is partnered with one of the most significant human rights abusers in the world, China.
Senator Hawley sent a shock wave through the world of sports on Friday by criticizing the NBA for allowing woke, Black Lives Matter slogans to appear on jerseys. Instead, Hawley challenged the league to use pro-American or pro-police slogans.
Hawley juxtaposed the league’s social justice concerns in America with their lack of criticism of China, its multimillion-dollar business partner, which is one of the worst human rights abusers in the world.
Hawley sent a formal letter to NBA chief Adam Silver asking him why the league is so concerned about social justice causes in America, but is entirely uncritical of China.
Hawley’s office sent the letter to a number of members of the sports media, including ESPN’s lead NBA reporter, Adrian Wojnarowski, replied:“F*ck you.”
The letter has also apparently spurred an avalanche of ESPN and Disney lobbyists to flood the senator’s office with communications.
The flood of communications goaded Sen. Hawley to offer a sit down with ESPN chief Jimmy Pitaro.
“My phone has been ringing off the hook with lobbyists from @espn, from @Disney, the works. Let’s make this simple. I’m inviting ESPN CEO Jimmy Pitaro to Washington. My office. Let’s sit down and discuss ESPN, #China, the @NBA. Look forward to his response,” the Missouri Republican wrote.
The question for ESPN should be, why does the cable sports network seem to have no problem whatever with the NBA’s blasé stance on China’s vast human rights abuses? And why don’t ESPN’s reporters ever ask the coaches, players, or the league why they won’t speak up for the millions of oppressed Uighurs, the Christians, or the people of Hong Kong?
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