It was sparked when Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted his support for Hong Kong protesters.

起火點為休士頓火箭隊的總經理 Daryl Morey 發布了一則支持香港抗議群眾的推特。

The NBA stands out from other U.S. companies and that it didn't kowtow to China's pressure, whereas other companies have.

NBA 在美國的各公司中突出，因它沒有叩首於中國的施壓。

They'll say, "Sorry," they'll express regret at what's happened.

其他公司都會道歉並對發生的事表達悔意。

The idea is for them to get their relationships with the Chinese.

為了要鞏固與中國的關係。

What's been interesting with the NBA is this backlash from American consumers has made that much more difficult for them.

關於 NBA 有趣的是，美國本土消費者的強烈反對讓他們更難做決定。

This dilemma is heightened even more as China could overtake the U.S. as the world's largest retail market as soon as this year.

這個窘境變得更加頭痛，因中國可能在今年就會取代美國成為世界上最大的零售市場。

So can U.S. brands reconcile its values and Chinese money?

美國品牌有辦法在自己的品牌價值與人民幣中取得平衡嗎？

The Houston Rockets are one of the most popular NBA teams in China.

休士頓火箭隊是在中國最著名的 NBA 球隊之一。

Chinese basketball legend Yao Ming spent his entire NBA career in Houston.

中裔籃球傳奇姚明整個 NBA 生涯都在休士頓。

A lot of American companies have made a really big deal out of China in the past few years.

許多美國公司這幾年來從中國那賺了很多錢。

It's that sort of premier growth market, it's where they see a lot of their expansion in the coming years.

因中國是首要的市場所在，所以各公司視中國為近年擴展公司的目的地。

Today, China has 300 million basketball players, nearly as many people as there are in the U.S.

今日，中國有 3 億的籃球玩家，已快要等同於美國人口。

In July, Chinese tech giant Tencent, which is the official broadcaster of NBA games, paid at least $1.5 billion to extend its streaming deal with the league.

七月時，中國科技巨擘騰訊，也是 NBA 的官方轉播公司，付了 15 億美金 (約 459 億台幣) 來延長它的轉播權。

The team tried to distance themselves from Morey, who said he didn't mean to offend anyone, but the damage was done.

火箭隊本身試著切割表示沒有想要冒犯到任何人的 Morey，但傷害已經造成。

Billions of dollars are now at stake.

數十億的金錢危在旦夕。

Chinese companies, sponsors, and the Chinese Basketball Association suspended ties with the Rockets.

中國公司、贊助商與中國籃協都暫停與火箭的交流活動。

The national TV broadcaster decided to not air two upcoming NBA games and said it would reconsider its partnership with the league.

國家電視台決定停播接下來的兩場 NBA 賽事，且表示會重新考慮與 NBA 的合作關係。

Tencent reported that 490 million Chinese people had watched an NBA basketball game last year.

騰訊表示去年至少有 4.9 億中國人至少看了一場 NBA。

That's a huge deal.

這不容小覷。

The NBA's initial response called Morey's tweet regrettable, but that drew swift criticism from U.S. politicians on both sides of the aisle.

NBA 一開始表示 Morey 的推文令人遺憾，但此舉引來美國兩大黨議員的砲轟。

The usual way that U.S. companies navigate through, and this is true of companies outside the U.S. as well, is to give in, effectively.

通常美國公司度過這種事情的方式就是屈服，許多其他國家也是。

They'll apologize or back down in whatever way they can without breaking laws in their home country.

它們會道歉或做任何能彌補而不違反自己國家法律的事。

In June, Nike withdrew a shoe collection in China after its codesigner brand supported the Hong Kong protesters' demand to kill an extradition bill that sparked the protests.

六月，Nike 在中國下架了一款鞋款，因其共同設計品牌支持香港撤除「逃犯條例」而引來中國抗議。

The luxury retailer Tiffany apologized for a tweet that Chinese netizens saw as pro-Hong Kong.

名牌 Tiffany 因中國網民將它們一則推文視為挺香港而道歉。

Covering the right eye has become a symbol of police brutality after a woman was shot in the eye by police.

在香港，遮右眼已成為暴警的象徵，因日前一名女子眼睛遭警方射傷。

The NBA took a different stance.

NBA 則選擇不同立場。

We are not apologizing for Daryl exercising his freedom of expression.

我們不打算為 Daryl 行使自由言論的權利而道歉。

What they're facing is the difficulty between their U.S. base of consumers, who don't really want them to apologize for expressing an opinion on Hong Kong, against their new Chinese consumers.

NBA 面臨的難題是，美國本土消費者並不想要他們因對香港議題表達意見而道歉，而這與新興中國市場的立場相反。

They've faced a clash between the two groups.

他們面臨了兩個族群的衝突。

The NBA is discovering that it's impossible to have it both ways.

而 NBA 發覺這事情已無法兩全其美。

The league's strong brand in the U.S. could be tarnished if its executives are seen to be in Beijing's pocket.

NBA 這強大的美國品牌的管理階層若向中國低頭可能會給品牌帶來污點。

I think it's gonna be completely impossible to avoid these scandals completely.

要完全避掉這些醜聞是不可能的。

Essentially, it's balancing the freedom of speech of your employees and the people associated with your company against what Beijing wants in your fastest-growing growth market.

說到底，就是在員工與合作夥伴的言論自由與北京當局想要的東西之間取得平衡。