The Women's Tennis Association decided to stop doing business with China because it was getting too expensive, but the right decision could come with a significant financial cost. The organization will be suspending all tournaments in China, including Hong Kong.
Since her social media post was deleted, the whereabouts of the Chinese tennis player have been questionable.
The third paragraph is the most damning part of Simon's statement. The leadership in China has not addressed the issue in a credible way. I have serious doubts that she is free, safe and not subject to intimidation, as we now know where she is.
There is a doubt that she is free, safe, and not subject to censorship, coercion and intimidation, that is not from the head of a worldwide sports organization that feels they are being lied to by a government.
This was the right thing to do, but sometimes doing the right thing doesn't come with a reward. Sometimes it comes with an invoice.
The Association of Tennis Professionals, the NBA, the IOC, J.P Morgan, and others have not yet made a decision about human rights being worth more. Every year, nine tennis tournaments are hosted in China by the WTA. It could lose hundreds of millions of dollars if it pulls out.
The hit that could come from leaving was already seen on a smaller scale. China did not want to host the tournament due to concerns about COVID. The prize money was lowered to $5 million.
That is why the WTA deserves to be acknowledged for making it. China is making it harder for the United States to do business in America because of its strong hold on corporate America. When the American Chamber of Commerce surveyed over 300 American companies in China, 77.9% were optimistic about their five-year business outlook, and only a small percentage of them wanted to move production out of China.
Despite the well-publicized human rights violations that take place in China, private enterprise is enthusiastic about doing business there. The justice system in China islagued by unfair trials and torture, and they are placing Muslims and other ethnic minorities in internment camps.
It wasn't an easy decision for the WTA to make, but by doing so, they have drawn a line in the sand. It has done what many businesses wouldn't do in a moment of need.
The country that is suspected of abducting one of its players will not be supported by the WTA. It's absurd that anyone would question the decision. This situation is a reminder that many find it too expensive when it comes to virtue.
