It would be interesting to have a rough translation of the voices heard on that video. (I would assume that it is something along the lines of can you believe what is happening, someone should stop this.) It also seemed like there was an announcer talking as the Georgetown team left and bottles flew - that would be really interesting to have translated.
OK - true confession time. My recording of yesterday's Duke game did not happen. How was the attendence at our two games? This video of the Georgetown games looks like it was a really empty arena. Just curious for a crowd size comparison.
Talking to someone in Beijing last night around midnight and they said news of the Georgetown incident was blocked in China. Hmmmmm.
Adding a little levity.... the Taiwanese animation news report is out. I think it pretty much nails it.
I've spent many years in China and I'm somewhat surprised by this incident. On the one hand, sports are so tied up with nationalism that it's easy to see how the passion of the Chinese players and fans elevated quickly and dangerously. On the other hand, Chinese place a great deal of emphasis on being gracious hosts and it is very rare for a foreigner to ever feel threatened with physical harm in China. Undoubtedly this is a tremendous embarrassment to China's leaders, which likely explains the media blackout.
As to who is at fault, of course it is hard to say. My sense of the video is that the precipitating incident was a Georgetown player that threw a shove/ punch to the shoulder of a Chinese player following a hard foul. This was likely in response to the harsh play and uneven referees, but that is a reason not an excuse. Technically I would say G-town started it. But, as the picture below and video captures, the Chinese side really escalated and showed an appalling lack of control. My conclusion is that it is an embarrassing incident to both sides, but a deeply shameful event for the Chinese. I know I'd be humiliated to see a Bulls assistant stomping on a student from Beijing University.
Brawl.jpg
I agree that the particular incident started with the shove/punch. But I have trouble believing the shove/punch alone was enough to start the melee that resulted. There had to be a LOT of questionable incidents (both ways) leading up to that shove/punch. I just can't imagine an isolated swing setting off such an incident so quickly. The Chinese had to be ready to fight already, and that was likely spawned by previous proceedings.
Given the location, the difference in ages/experience, and the way it escalated, I'd have to put a LOT more blame on the Chinese side. Georgetown certainly isn't without blame, though, as it's hard to excuse taking a swing at someone in a basketball game.
For all the folks who doubted me when I said that the Chinese government would not be pleased with this...
-JasonBut even if Beijing has since come to believe that gold medals are lovelier than bronze, senior leaders here are clearly displeased that players from its most popular men’s basketball team got into an ugly, full-court brawl Thursday night with the Georgetown University Hoyas.
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?
But does it really surprise anyone that G-Town would be involved? Clearly, the Chinese were as much
if not more at fault, but G-town is known for playing rough, period. My bet is that all this stuff built up
throughout the game; we only saw the end of it. My bet is G-town provoked a lot of it earlier.
More from that same article:
In a country prone to nationalistic sentiment, most microblog remarks were surprisingly critical of the home team, a once-reliable champion that has in recent years fallen off its pedestal after losing some of its best players to retirement.
“Aren’t Bayi players soldiers? Why would they beat up a bunch of college students?” asked one posting. “What a loss of face for the people’s army!” Others made light of the situation. “The Bayi team sure is lousy at basketball and should try some other sport — like boxing.”
One of the few newspapers to cover the fight, The Beijing News, blamed the referee for poorly officiating the game and security guards for inaction during the fisticuffs. The paper, however, suggested that the Hoya coach, John Thompson III, had a hand in the skirmish, and that Georgetown was known for its aggressive defensive tactics.
Was fully anticipating PRC officials to spin the incident (which was clearly boorish behavior on the part of the Rockets) into some concocted position that puts the home team and crowd into a favorable light and casts the blame on Georgetown players -- which if you'll notice on this board -- plays into the initial conclusions that somehow Georgetown's previous reputation may have somehow contributed to this blowup. Yes it's a veiled, sarcastic post both poking fun at the Chinese government and the fact that if that type of fight happened in the U.S., some host players would most likely have faced charges (the ones who isolated the Hoya and pummeled him on the floor and attacked him with chairs) as it went well beyond just an on the court skirmish IMO. It's a moot point now -- both sides have said it's water under the bridge and they get to make up on Sunday. No doubt they will hug it out, exchange white doves and peace laurels and get back to playing the game.
Your selection is a NYT reporter expressing an opinion without any attribution to support it. I think the following is the more relevant passage from the article.
"One of the few newspapers to cover the fight, The Beijing News, blamed the referee for poorly officiating the game and security guards for inaction during the fisticuffs. The paper, however, suggested that the Hoya coach, John Thompson III, had a hand in the skirmish, and that Georgetown was known for its aggressive defensive tactics. " (emphasis mine)
I see no reference to the team and the spin on Georgetown and it's coach is no coincidence.
Your missing the point Jason. Of course the government apparatchik is displeased anytime a situation puts the country in a bad light, but publicly admitting as much instead of spinning is an altogether different matter.
From today's (and every day's) worst sports section in the entire universe and Miss Sally Jenkins,
"It’s one thing to have a bench-clearing brawl between New York and Detroit, or Duke and Maryland. It’s quite another to have one in China."
What? Which brawls is she referencing?
G'town is representing the youth of America and they are involved in a brawl. It's a sad reflection on their coach. He should have better control over his players. He selected them, gave them a scholly to a high academic institution in our nations capitol. A school that our President has been known to be present at their games. Why would any academic school want to be represented by players who participate in a brawl in China. This type of action is what's wrong with college sports today. I'm glad Duke athletes set the Gold standard for integrity and public behavior.