With the Chinese government and Shanghai Sharks taking a huge chunk of Mings salary who here thinks he will eventually defect? Zhi Zhi might be considering it already. Personally I think after he is eligible to become a free agent and is about to make some serious cash he will give China the finger and defect. If he is the real deal then he is going to get paid the max. No way do you hand over 5+million dollars back to the government especially after he starts living it up in America and sees how it's like not to be shackled down by communism.
As Americans we give good ole Uncle Same almost half of our salaries and pay taxes on almost everything. How is that different than China? He LOVES China and is very faithful to their system. He'll be happy to send money their way. He's just thrilled to be playing basketball at the higest level on the planet. Money doesn't drive him. A lot of other players should learn from him.
Yao loves his country, and Wang is not trying to be American; he just doesn't want to be Cuban. The Real Shady...every star in the NBA is in a 40% tax bracket, plus FICA is another 7.5%. And many of them have State taxes, too. China is placing a 50% tax on his income. If he defects, the US then gets to grab at least 47.5%. What is it they say, "There is only two things in life you can rely on: Death and Taxes."
I am not saying Yao should or shouldn't defect, and I don't have any problems with him loving his country. I just wanted to say, in America, you can atleast do as you please with the remaining 50% of your income and stand to benefit from it.
Damn... right now I'm 1 to 27. I kinda feel like Jerry McGwire when he was getting fired and saying, "now who's with me." Isn't Ming going to get taxed by the US also. He is going to be living here during the season. So the US is going to grab 47% then China is going to grab 50% of that. That sucks! I don't care if you're communist or not but when you start to see the other players like Francis or even Cato who is worse than you pulling up to practice in Bentleys and Ferrari's while you're pulling up in a Hyundaii you're going to get pissed. Now who is with me???? Do you mean egocentric. I'm not being racist, I'm just being a cocky American.
Shanghai is more like Hong Kong now than rural China. Wealth is being created at an astonishing rate there, and Communism is being ignored by many people.
eth·no·cen·trism Pronunciation Key (thn-sntrzm) n. Belief in the superiority of one's own ethnic group. Overriding concern with race.
I thought that Yao would have to pay US taxes as well as the tax to China. In fact on ESPN I remember them saying that he would have to pay 50% of his taxed income back to China. I don't think you can come to the US, work here, and not pay taxes. So I say I think he will defect.
So, what's it like to be shackled down by communism? I'll admit I don't know what experience you've had with communism and communism as it is employed in modern China, but I'd hazard to guess your idea of it is bleaker than the reality. I think the fact the Chinese are willing to let their players come to the States to work and live should be some indication that this is not the China of the Cold War anymore. Again, I don't know specifically about this, but I'd guess that Yao is already living a blessed life in China. He's likely well cared for and well paid. The extravagance in the States may be an order of magnitude higher than what he's used to, but I don't think he's got it so bad in China as it is.
Yao Ming defecting for the money would be like Allen Iverson trading his corn-rows for a crew-cut, multiplied by about a thousand. Yao Ming's a self-declared lover of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", a traditional Chinese saga from around 200-300 AD. The heroes and goats of that saga are oft-discussed or remembered today, with the great patriots of Chinese history regularly remembered, and the self-serving traitors regularly denounced. Yao Ming might not be remembered for *quite* so long... but he knows that he may be lionized (or demonized) for what he does for, say, the next 300-400 years or so. Yao Ming defecting would be like your local Cardinal deciding that being Muslim isn't so bad, as long as he gets some nice bling-bling out of the deal.
You guys are crazy if you think Yao will defect or that the Chinese gov’t would let him. What I mean by “let him” is that he is a special celebrity in China and the government will be very relaxed in the way they handle him once he is here. Even Wang is defying their request to return home now. They are not going to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs by making demands on him that piss him off.
Don't underestimate the power of the all mighty dollar. I've seen it corrupt the most non-materialistic people in the world. Here is how I see it going down after Ming gets a little touch of money and in 5 years when he becomes a unrestricted free agent: David Faulk: "Hey, Yao Ming congratulations on winning the championship this year and also on that MVP trophy. It looks like all that hardwork that you've done is finally paying off, now it's time to get what you've rightfully earned." Ming: "Thanks, I practiced 10x harder than anyone else on this team and I'm tired of getting the NBA equivalent of minimum wage." Faulk: "Let me represent you and I'm gonna make you rich, Yao Ming. I'm talking about liquid. Rich enough to have your own jet. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars, Yao. A player. Or nothing." Ming: "I just don't know?" Faulk: "The point is, Yao, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed - you mark my words - will not only save you, but that other malfunctioning corporation called China." Ming: "Mr. Faulk....you've got me."
In the Chinese basketball forums, a lot of people are suggesting Ming should defect once he comes to US. Myself won't blame Ming if he defects. I think his defection would not mean he is against China. It would only mean he is against the rules made by the Chinese basketball association. I've stated before that I don't want a sudden collapse of China's political system, but I do hope China to have a gradual change toward democracy. Ming's refusal to pay 50% of his income to those corrupt officials would be an good effort from Ming for reforming China. Every Chinese should do something, small or big, to reform China. In fact, I don't think Ming will defect in the future. However, he may just refuse to pay the money to China. In the end, the Chinese basketball association has to find a way to compromise because there is not much they can do about it. When I came out of China 10 years ago, I paid $1500 to my university for my education there. Then I have nothing to do with the Chinese government. In my opinion, Ming should pay a certain amount of money such as one or two million dollars to China, then he becomes a free agent. He should not become a slave labor for China's basketball officials. This is indeed against China's labor law.
I don't know where you got your definition of "ethnocentric" but it is incomplete. The correct definition is: 1. the belief in the inherent superiority of one's own ethnic group or culture. 2. a tendency to view alien groups or cultures from the perspective of one's own You are advancing cultural ethocentricism by your assumption that the whole world wants to be an American. Some people (the Chinese in particular) feel that they are fine just the way the are.
