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Sharks fined for MC’s comments
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THE Shanghai Sharks were fined 70,000 yuan (US$10,190) by the Chinese Basketball Association after its British MC made improper comments during their home match against the Beijing Ducks on Wednesday.
The Sharks lost 104-107 in their 36th-round clash at Pudong’s Yuanshen Stadium. Beijing was leading 103-102 and asked for a timeout with 11.3 seconds left on clock in the fourth quarter. During the timeout, some away fans cheered for their star player, Stephon Marbury, shouting “Marbury MVP”.
To which the Sharks’ courtside MC James Lawman reacted, saying through the microphone: “I heard some Beijing fans shouting MVP several times. A team ranking 8th will not have an MVP.”
His remarks drew flak from non-local fans and the CBA punished Lawman and the Sharks yesterday morning. “Shanghai’s MC James Lawman made provocative comments against the visiting team and its followers on court,” said the statement. “Also, the visiting team was abused by fans several times during the match. The security staff did not fulfill their duty and caused a negative impression.”
Lawman was given a warning. The club was fined 50,000 yuan for his comments, and another 20,000 for its fans improper conduct.
Lawman posted an apology to the club through his personal Weibo account yesterday afternoon, and appealed to Sharks’ fans to respect the visiting teams. He missed Sharks’ home match against another Beijing team Fly Dragon last night due to “personal reasons”.
The 26-year-old Lawman is the CBA’s first foreign courtside MC. Fluent in spoken mandarin and even Shanghai dialect, Lawman, who teaches sports at an international school, is in his third year as the Sharks’ match MC.
Shanghai sits second in the 20-team CBA table, behind Xinjiang, after yesterday’s 104-87 victory. The Ducks are 8th and battling to reach this year’s playoffs with one regular season match left.
It’s not the first time the CBA has fined match MCs. During the 2014-15 playoff finals, Liaoning Jiebao’s MC Chen Tong ignored warnings and kept talking during the match against the Ducks. Chen also made provocative comments against Marbury. Liaoning was then fined 40,000 yuan and was ordered to change its MC.
In March, 2014, Xinjiang was fined a total of 310,000 yuan for a series of regulation violations when hosting a playoff semifinal against Dongguan Leopards. Its MC was suspended for three matches.
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