Well, Georgetown College and the Chinese Bayi Rockets team were playing a “goodwill game” the other day and it resorted in a fight. Now, I’m sure that there are a lot of rumors and what not circulation as to why it started. Let me share my opinions.
It looks like in all the videos that the ball was loose on the ground. One American player snagged the ball from two Chinese players. He then passes it over a third Chinese player to one of his Georgetown teammates. The third Chinese player that he passed it over then rushes over to the Georgetown player and starts an altercation with him. Seconds later he is then met with another Chinese teammate for assistance in the altercation.
It was believed to have started when Bayi forward Hu Ke committed a hard foul on Georgetown’s Jason Clark, who retaliated with a shove, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/basketball/chinaus-basketball-friendship-match-erupts-in-vicious-brawl-20110819-1j1k7.html#ixzz1Vdgkt2vA
Above is what the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported.
The Georgetown player then tried to run away and head towards the bench area when he trips. Then the benches clear. A massive fight ensues and all hell breaks loose.
What do I think, well, I think China has too much pride. Or, I am completely wrong and the Georgetown player did something to provoke the Chinese team.
When ever I go snowboarding, biking, or something to that effect there is always someone that wants to try what I am doing. If say I am snowboarding and do some tricks and what not, they will also to do them as well. Before I came there as no one snowboarding, but now that I came they go grab their boards and copy what I do. But the thing is that they have not been snowboarding as long as I have. But they try. To an American it seems like they can not be outdone. They must not loose face and must do what the foreigner just did.
What does this have to do with basketball? Well, one can say that the NBA is bigger then the CBA, or Chinese Basketball Association. The NBA has better players, bigger players, faster, stronger, etc. One reason is that kids here in China are made to study and are not allowed to play sports for the most part. So Americans excel in this area. The NBA is also big here. Couple this with the fact that a club team lost to Georgetown the night before, the fact that this team was basically a government team and all members were associated with the People’s Liberation Army, and Chinese culture and you have a team that does not like to lose or look foolish. Also the fact that Georgetown is a college team and the Bayi Rockets is a Chinese CBA team. So it’s an ok American college team vs a professional Chinese basketball team. Think about that.. It would be like a little league team beating up on a high school team. Of course the high school team is going to feel like they should be better.. Now, they were tied apparently when the fight ensued. But that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t something already going on in the head of the gentlemen that started the altercation.
So what caused it? Well in my opinion it was the fact that Chinese believe that they have arrived on the worldwide stage. Sports included. You watch the Olympics? Yeah, the Chinese are so proud about their athletes. Which is a good thing. But what isn’t is not being able to lose, be outdone, out foxed, and or out gunned. I don’t know if this is what caused the basketball brawl, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Hell I could be entirely wrong. It’s just the first thing that came to my mind when I watched the video. Also it was a CBA team. They are the professional league in China. They probably feel that they also have arrived. Maybe even as good as an American NBA team.
Chinese people don’t like to be confronted, put down, shown up, etc. Read: lose face. So when in a sporting event where there has to be a loser, and one of the teams has been playing basketball for over 80 years (not sure how long basketball has been in the States) and the other is a new comer, but the new comer doesn’t like to lose, be shown up, etc. There is bound to an altercation.
It happens in America too. Sporting event fights. It’s not just between cultures.
But what doesn’t happen is the entire team ganging up, throwing chairs, sitting on a players chest and punching him in the face, etc.
So yeah. Just some thoughts. I could be over thinking this a tad. But I just get the feeling that it had something to do with something about the above. Anyway they are supposed to play again tonight.. Could be something to watch during my weekly foot rub..