Yao and China's Totalitarian Bent

In case there was any question that China still has totalitarian inclinations, there is this story about Yao Ming. Yao missed some of the Chinese national basketball team's practices because he was planning his wedding, making appearances for the Special Olympics, and helping promote China's own Beijing Games. The government is not pleased. According to The China Sports Daily, a newspaper owned by the government's All-China Sports Federation:

"No matter how lofty public welfare activities are, they can't be allowed to take first place in a player's life. No matter how sweet personal life is, it can't be compared to the exultation of capturing glory for one's nation,'' the article said.

The eerily phrased shot across Yao's bow serves as a chilling reminder of the fact that even someone as venerated and successful as Yao operates in a different climate from almost every other athlete in American professional sports when he goes back home.