BOBBY BURACK: Kylian Mbappé joins LeBron James, John Cena, other athletes in bending the knee to China

Kylian Mbappé apologised after comments about a meme depicting him as Mao Zedong drew criticism in China. The episode matters because several Chinese companies ended sponsorship relationships with him, and Chinese state broadcaster CCTV suspended La Liga coverage, prompting the league to apologise too.

Mbappé said his comment was ill-judged and that he respected the Chinese people and their history. The article compares his apology with past responses by LeBron James, James Harden and John Cena to controversies involving China, as well as tennis player Taylor Townsend’s apology after criticising food at a tournament in Shenzhen. It argues that commercial pressures influence athletes’ public statements, though that judgement is the author’s opinion.