A man in China who declared his love for Pokémon’s Team Rocket in a recent social media post was forced to apologize by his employer for posting content that “adversely affects society.”
The man, who works at Guangzhou Central Sports Co., Ltd., a company that organizes sporting events, said that he has always loved the antagonist trio, whose unrelenting schemes have taught him to be resilient.
“I love Team Rocket!” the post stated, according to SoraNews24. “No matter how many people say they’re bad guys, I’ve loved them since I was a little kid. No matter how many times they fail, they get back up and keep chasing after their dreams, and seeing them do that gives me courage too.
In a bizarre turn of events, Guangzhou Central Sports released a statement shortly after the man’s post, apologizing on his behalf for posting “inappropriate content that adversely affects society.”
The company’s statement included a signed letter from the employee himself, declaring his love for his mother country and apologizing for “causing a controversy and hurting everyone.”
It can be thought that the man’s affiliation with Team Rocket was harmless, but his company allegedly took offense at one of two images that accompanied his post.
Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey recently angered the Chinese government after tweeting in support of the Hong Kong protests.
The scandal escalated to affect not only the NBA’s reputation in China but a number of companies affiliated with both the league and Rockets.
In his apology, the man pointed out that he was referring to Pokémon’s Team Rocket, not to the Houston Rockets. However, the inclusion of the article screenshot did little to support his defense.
Many people might not know this, but NextShark is a small media startup that runs on no outside funding or loans, and with no paywalls or subscription fees, we rely on help from our community and readers like you.
Everything you see today is built by Asians, for Asians to help amplify our voices globally and support each other. However, we still face many difficulties in our industry because of our commitment to accessible and informational Asian news coverage.
We hope you consider making a contribution to NextShark so we can continue to provide you quality journalism that informs, educates, and inspires the Asian community. Even a $1 contribution goes a long way. Thank you for supporting NextShark and our community.