During an appearance on Tuesday’s CNN Tonight with Chris Cuomo’s temporary replacement, Michael Smerconish, veteran Olympics broadcaster and sports commentator Bob Costas called out the International Olympic Committee for their “affinity for authoritarian nations” and their snubs against the U.S. He also surprised viewers by calling out “the likes of Colin Kaepernick and LeBron James” who get rich off their made in China shoes and don’t speak out against the evilness of the regime.
Originally speaking about President Biden’s decision to implement a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, Costas took a detour and noted: “One of the big questions now that you can't evade is, what is it with the IOC and their affinity for authoritarian nations?”
He then explained that the IOC had been snubbing the U.S. for years because they were scorned by our media:
There will be an Olympics – a summer Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles. It will have been since 2002 when the winter games were in Salt Lake since there was an Olympics on American soil, and yet American television is the single greatest source of revenue for the IOC.
Many IOC delegates remain ticked off at the U.S. because a free press blew the cover off the Salt Lake bidding scandal. Mitt Romney had to come in and set the thing straight. The whole thing was up in the air. Whole thing might have fallen apart.
“They have long memories about this stuff, and the IOC and many of those delegates act in a high-handed way. And in that sense, you can see where the affinity for authoritarian nations comes in,” he chided.
And it was Smerconish who got Costas on track to call out the NBA for being in bed with Communist China. “I have to believe there are guys holding their breath watching this because if this is sufficient grounds for this to be a diplomatic boycott, then what does it say about the NBA doing business in China,” he wondered.
“The NBA is up to its neck in China,” Costas said noting how China bats them around. He recalled that China had pulled broadcasts of Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics games because members of the teams were outspoken against China. Including NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom:
COSTAS: More recently, Enes Kanter who grew up in Turkey, so he knows what authoritarian –
SMERCONISH: Celtics?
COSTAS: Yeah, Celtics. He’s a Turk, he spoke out against China. Same thing. Celtic games [snaps fingers] like that, gone.
“I guarantee you that the feed of this conversation is gone in China right now,” he added.
A short time later, Costas took aim at “the likes of Colin Kaepernick and LeBron James” who had their Nike shoes made in Chinese sweatshops. “And those outspoken individuals and in many cases, I think millions of Americans would agree with their positions on domestic issues, but they are conspicuously mum when it comes to China,” he said.
He added: “And no matter what the issues are here, and they're serious issues, in terms of dimension, they pale alongside what's going on in China.”
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN Tonight
December 7, 2021
9:21:36 p.m. Eastern(…)
BOB COSTAS: One of the big questions now that you can't evade is, what is it with the IOC and their affinity for authoritarian nations?
There will be an Olympics – a summer Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles. It will have been since 2002 when the winter games were in Salt Lake since there was an Olympics on American soil, and yet American television is the single greatest source of revenue for the IOC.
Many IOC delegates remain ticked off at the U.S. because a free press blew the cover off the Salt Lake bidding scandal. Mitt Romney had to come in and set the thing straight. The whole thing was up in the air. Whole thing might have fallen apart. They have long memories about this stuff, and the IOC and many of those delegates act in a high-handed way. And in that sense, you can see where the affinity for authoritarian nations comes in.
MICHAEL SMERCONISH: I have another acronym for you. It's not the IOC--
COSTAS: Yeah?
SMERCONISH: -- it's the NBA. I have to believe there are guys holding their breath watching this because if this is sufficient grounds for this to be a diplomatic boycott, then what does it say about the NBA doing business in China?
COSTAS: The NBA is up to its neck in China. China is a huge sports market. Basketball is especially popular there. But they will put up with not even the slightest criticism. They reject it out of hand, and when they can, some of it may just be saber rattling like saying today the U.S. will pay the price for their wrongdoings. But to the extent they can, they exact a price.
I’m repeating myself here because I’ve said it before to you and others on CNN, but back a couple years ago when Daryl Morey, then the GM of the Houston Rockets –
SMERCONISH: Sure.
COSTAS: -- tweeted: “stand with Hong Kong,” rockets games were suddenly off the air for an extended period in China. And the Rockets are one of the most popular teams there because Yao Ming was the first big Chinese star in the NBA.
More recently, Enes Kanter who grew up in Turkey, so he knows what authoritarian –
SMERCONISH: Celtics?
COSTAS: Yeah, Celtics. He’s a Turk, he spoke out against China. Same thing. Celtic games [snaps fingers] like that, gone. I guarantee you that the feed of this conversation is gone in China right now.
(…)
9:24:23 p.m. Eastern
COSTAS: By the way, a lot of Nike's goods—
SMERCONISH: Sure.
COSTAS: -- that benefit the likes of Colin Kaepernick and LeBron James –
SMERCONISH: No doubt.
COSTAS: -- made in China.
SMERCONISH: Yeah.
COSTAS: And those outspoken individuals and in many cases I think millions of Americans would agree with their positions on domestic issues, but they are conspicuously mum when it comes to China. And no matter what the issues are here, and they're serious issues, in terms of dimension, they pale alongside what's going on in China.
(…)
