Marbury Departure Sparks Angry Backlash Against Beijing Ducks
The Beijing Ducks' long road towards restructuring its team is off to a very rough start after fans reacted angrily towards their decision to refuse star player Stephon Marbury's request to play one last season with them.
With both sides unable to come to an agreement over Marbury's role in the upcoming season, the Ducks agreed to terminate Marbury's contract so that the 40-year-old point guard will be free to compete in the Chinese Basketball Association for one last season.
Although Marbury and the Beijing Ducks (called "Shougang" in Chinese) have both been cordial regarding the departure, basketball fans have vociferously protested against the decision to cut Marbury from the team.
Under the headline "The Beijing Ducks have completely lost face," a Sina Sports article summarizes the general mood of the Chinese internet as being shocked and dismayed over the Duck's "betrayal." Many fans believe the Ducks were wrong to let go of Marbury, who failed to bring his team into this year's CBA playoffs after playing for most of the season with an injured hamstring.
Comparing Marbury's tenure with Beijing with Lebron James' success with the Miami Heat, an internet user named Lee Dongao accused Beijing of "not properly respecting its heroes. By doing this, the Beijing team is not worthy of our respect," he said. "Venerable Marbury is the CBA's best and most accomplished foreign player, this is indisputable."
Fans think the decision to have Marbury suit up again for the Ducks is a no-brainer. One netizen asked, "Is it not worth the money to allow a top notch NBA-caliber player who has won three championship for Beijing to play one more year?"
Some fans think the Beijing Ducks have acted unethically. One person wrote: "The way that Beijing has treated Marbury is like the way a man treats a woman he sleeps with. Beforehand, he gives the woman whatever she wants, and he agrees with whatever she says. But once the man has gotten what he wants and pulled up his pants, he doesn't want to pay the bill."
Other fans cite Marbury's championship legacy as reason enough to have him compete one last time for Beijing. Another person wrote: "Throughout all of history, there has never been a more unfeeling basketball team! Everything that celebrates Marbury in Beijing – his statue, his museum, his film – it's all just a joke to the CBA. This is so ridiculous that it makes me want to vomit!"
Beijing fans have been renouncing their loyalty to their home team. "From now on, Beijing fans are going to desert the Shougang basketball team," wrote one highly-upvoted comment, while another reads: "As a diehard Beijing fan, from now on I heartily support the rest of the country to insult Shougang! This is inhumane!"
"Ever since it was published last week, the Sina article has attracted some 30,000 comments, many of which think the Beijing Ducks have made a bad decision.
As much as he says he loves Beijing fans, Marbury has told his supporters that they need to face reality.
During an interview conducted in a museum made in his honor, Marbury said: “What I would say to [my fans] is [that] they have to be understanding about the team moving forward and getting better and getting somebody they feel can be a part of the Beijing team for the future to continue to win championships here."
Although he hasn't yet named which CBA team he'll be playing with, Marbury is crystal-clear on what he wants. "I would like to win a championship next year," Marbury said, adding that his age does not influence his ability to perform. "I'm looking to play better. That's my goal; to be better every year."
Marbury isn't the only professional athlete looking to keep competing after entering middle age.
At 40-years-old, Vince Carter is the oldest active player currently playing on the NBA roster. Carter showed he still has total control over his skills when he was recently seen casually sinking a basketball from half court during practice before flawlessly executing a between-the-legs slam dunk. And yet, Carter admitted that he's only been able to keep playing in the NBA after having accepted certain compromises.
"Sometimes guys aren’t willing to part ways with that role as a starter, go-to guy," said Carter. "The adjustment is tough. It’s humbling. I had to balance 'do I still want to play this game' or get caught up in the 'I’m a starter and I’ve [already] done this in this league?'"
Carter said aging basketball players must be honest with themselves. "You can’t cheat the game," he said. "It’s not good getting hurt at a later age."
Marbury was seen boarding a plane headed for the USA on Sunday, but vowed he would return and begin training once the summer begins.
Images: Weibo, Sina Sports
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