The Chinese Communist Party has long cherished competitive sports as a conduit for geopolitical détente. For decades, the slogan “Friendship First, Competition Second,” guided the nation’s approach to international sporting events. It was dueling table tennis teams, after all, that 40 years ago paved the way for the historic thaw in relations with the United States.
But even if Beijing has since come to believe that gold medals are lovelier than bronze, senior leaders 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.
It does not help that the melee took place on the second day of Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s first official visit to China.
The violence, captured by amateur video cameras and broadcast around the world, occurred during the final minutes of a “good will” match between the Hoyas and the Bayi Rockets, a team whose members are drawn from the People’s Liberation Army.
In the video, a Rockets player can be seen ramming the guard Aaron Bowen through a partition and pounding on him with fists as he sat on his chest. Before the Georgetown coach pulled his men off the floor and called the game quits, Chinese players and spectators threw punches, folding chairs and full bottles of water. With that, the game officially ended in a tie, 64-64.
But even as members of both teams met Friday morning at a Beijing hotel to make peace, the country’s propaganda maestros were trying to ensure that the brouhaha did not find its way into the national psyche. Censors quickly deleted videos and chat room comments, although by evening, the restrictions appeared to be easing.
In a country prone to nationalistic sentiment, most microblog remarks were surprisingly critical of the home team, a once-reliable champion that has 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.
But one member of the Hoya entourage, in an anonymous posting on a chat board for Georgetown fans, blamed the Chinese referee for overzealously calling fouls on the visiting team — the Bayi Rockets were awarded 57 free throws, and Georgetown just 15.
Mr. Thompson could not be reached for comment, but in a statement posted on Georgetown’s Web site Thursday night, he took a decidedly diplomatic tack. “Tonight, two great teams played a very competitive game that unfortunately ended after heated exchanges with both teams,” he wrote.
Despite the sport’s soaring popularity, the reputation of the Chinese basketball league has taken a beating in recent years. Game fixing and bribery scandals have fueled widespread cynicism, and on-court fisticuffs have been a perennial problem. Last year, a friendly warm-up match between the Brazilian and Chinese teams turned into a kicking-and-punching fracas just one minute into the game. Officials suspended the team and issued an apology.
The Bayi Rockets, despite their military provenance, are not especially known as brawlers. Lin Kunyi, a veteran reporter for Basketball News China, said the team — the first part of its name refers to the founding date of the People’s Liberation Army — is better known for endurance. “The team is celebrated for what people call ‘the Bayi spirit,’ which means you are tough, you eat bitterness and you don’t leave the court even if injured,” he said.
After watching footage of the brawl, Mr. Lin, too, blamed poor officiating and suggested the whole matter was best forgotten.
By Friday afternoon, many of the players seemed to agree. After flying to Shanghai, members of the Hoyas and the Rockets shared the lobby of the Portman Ritz Carlton without any palpable tension. One Georgetown player shrugged off the contretemps. “Man, it’s just a game,” he said.
newyorktimes
