PBL Files Another Lawsuit

[misenern]

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/basketball-team-files-suit

Chicago-Based Pro Basketball League Files Breach of Contract Suit
Basketball League Files Breach of Contract Suit

Updated: Friday, 12 Feb 2010, 7:08 PM CST
Published : Friday, 12 Feb 2010, 7:08 PM CST

Sun-Times Media Wire

A Chicago-based professional basketball league filed a breach of contract lawsuit Thursday against a New York-based company and employee who allegedly took money from the league but failed to fulfill an agreement to help expand to China.

Former Chicago Sun-Times high school Player of the Year DeAndre Thomas is a player in the league.

Premier Basketball League, Inc., which is headquartered at 4958 W. Irving Park Rd., filed the suit in Cook County Circuit Court against New York-based Clemente Asset Management, LLC. and employee Lilia C. Clemente.

The Premier Basketball League is comprised of “well-funded” partners and teams from “top-caliber” organizations. It offers “a new kind of basketball” designed for fans, according to the league’s Web site.

The suit claims that on March 25, 2009, the league entered into an agreement with Clemente for professional fundraiser and investment advisor services. The league hired her to raise $1 million to help expand the league to China and offered a 10-percent commission, according to the suit.

On June 15, 2009, Clemente requested $50,000 to begin work, which the league paid, according to the suit. As of Feb. 11, 2010, Clemente has not performed any of the services agreed upon, the suit said.

Former Robert Morris University (IL) players Marcus Hall (Buffalo Stampede), DeAndre Thomas (Halifax Rainmen) and Melvin Council (Rochester RazorSharks) all play in the league, the site said.

Thomas, a 2005 graduate of Westinghouse High School, was named high school Player of the Year by the Sun-Times following his senior season. He attended Chipola Junior College, Indiana University and Robert Morris University (IL) before joining the league.

The four-count suit seeks more than $200,000 plus statutory pre-judgment from Clemente Asset Management, LLC. and employee Lilia Clemente.

So I guess China didn't work out too well.

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

What next??? Patrick Dempsey is sued because he won't leave his doctor show for the nonexistent PBL reality doctor show???

This is what happens when a league is headed by a frustrated lawyer. More time is spent in litigation than time spent organizing the business of basketball.

[elearn]

These guys have a rec league website and they were trying to expand to China????? This league is a joke and will be dead within 3-4 years. Why not focus on your teams before you turn your attention to China?Joke

[nksports]

These guys have a rec league website and they were trying to expand to China????? This league is a joke and will be dead within 3-4 years. Why not focus on your teams before you turn your attention to China?Joke

The same can be said for the ABA and IBL as well. There's waayyy too much strange Kool Aide out there in minor league hoops right now. To paraphrase the Bard from Romeo and Juliet: "A pox on all your houses." These broke a$$ leagues need to all go away.

[robster2001]

It's the New American Way. If you can't succeed in business, try to succeed via litigation.

[panchess]

One of the main concepts behind the PBL was that there would be substantial league revenues to split between the teams, and the season would be condensed with almost all the games on the weekends in divisions with limited travel.

There isn't any top-line revenue to speak of for profit sharing, so the teams are just poking along trying to survive. Hence the bottom half is showing zombie signs. Vermont and Quebec change management mid-season, Buffalo loses its coach and travels short, and Manchester sells a player a week overseas to pay the bills. Halifax's past debts surfaced as well.

As the CBA is dormant and the ABA too crippled to generate good moving-up franchises, the PBL is likely to continue to shrink.

[LightningMan]

What next??? Patrick Dempsey is sued because he won't leave his doctor show for the nonexistent PBL reality doctor show???

This is what happens when a league is headed by a frustrated lawyer. More time is spent in litigation than time spent organizing the business of basketball.
First of all, you are possibly the only person on Earth who cares either way that the PBL bought a patch on Patrick Dempsey's racing suit.

Next, AFAIK, this is the only lawsuit actually brought by the PBL on someone. A subsidiary bought the right to enforce judgment on someone else's ABA lawsuit.

Finally, you cannot possibly be saying that they should have let this woman rip them off for $50K without even trying to get it back.

I will say that this does call into question their ability to vet people yet again. As I have mentioned before, the best PBL only team has either been the defunct Arkansas Impact or the Buffalo Stampede. Think about that.

[CHris902]

Here's the website from the company they're suing:
http://www.clementecapital.com/index.htm

Without knowing the details it seems to me to be a pretty reasonable lawsuit. On the other hand, it also seems to me that LM is right and they didn't properly vet their business partners.

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

First of all, you are possibly the only person on Earth who cares either way that the PBL bought a patch on Patrick Dempsey's racing suit.


I may also be the only person who cares about the necessity of luxury suites, but that doesn't mean I don't have a point to drive home. Are YOU making a point??? The Patrick Dempsey sponsorship, like the China deal, was yet another financial dead-end for the PBL. Yet another demonstration of misdirected resources at a time when teams (and indeed society) are struggling with an awful economy.

[LightningMan]

I may also be the only person who cares about the necessity of luxury suites, but that doesn't mean I don't have a point to drive home. Are YOU making a point???
Yes, I am making a point: you like to go on about things that don't matter.

The Patrick Dempsey sponsorship, like the China deal, was yet another financial dead-end for the PBL. Yet another demonstration of misdirected resources at a time when teams (and indeed society) are struggling with an awful economy.
The Patrick Dempsey sponsorship was not fraud. You're comparing apples and hand grenades. Buying a patch on a racing suit may or may not have been a smart move but it has nothing to do with being defrauded. The China deal wasn't a dead end. It was a ripoff.

[elearn]

No matter how you look at it, the PBL has one of the worse business models in minor league sports. They waste money on China (when they barely pull fans in the US). They sponsor a car, and why? Do you really think one fan is going to now come to a game because of it? Do you think one owner joined the PBL because of it?

Bottom line, they are a joke. Where is the revenue sharing? Where is the free travel for all teams? TV contract? @sportsTV (which is a joke). I hear they are now requiring all new teams to pay for the travel of teams that came with the PBL???? That is a great model.....No. It is a way of trying to keep the top 4 teams going with the hopes that some other teams might later come. Save the tops during the bad economy.

Here is the funny thing.....The WBA and the EBA might be the most steady leagues in minor league basketball. They might be single A level, but at least they are not trying to kill the bulk to save a few.

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

Yes, I am making a point: you like to go on about things that don't matter.
...


That's strange coming from a person who went on and on about which was the correct usage, admittance or admission...and who are YOU to decide what does and does not matter as it relates to the PBL??? The PBL spent money to sponsor the Patrick Dempsey LeMans car. Is Patrick Dempsey starring in a Doc and Doyle produced reality show? Remember the blue ninja on the chest of Dempsey's fire suit? That was the supposed reality show. Was Patrick Dempsey literature and posters distributed to the member PBL franchises to help with season ticket sales and sponsorship packages? Any follow-up at all? The entire Patrick Dempsey experiment was a financial dead-end for the PBL.


...
The Patrick Dempsey sponsorship was not fraud. You're comparing apples and hand grenades. Buying a patch on a racing suit may or may not have been a smart move but it has nothing to do with being defrauded. The China deal wasn't a dead end. It was a ripoff.

Who said anything about fraud??? The Dempsey deal was a dead-end and the China deal was a dead-end. Personally, I think the Chicago ESPNZone drafts are financial dead-ends as well. Why??? Do you think the China deal is salvagable? If not salvagable, it is dead as a doorknob. Apples and apples.

If Ms. Clemente has the resources as suggested when googled then litigation may last years. More money. I don't think it was a ripoff. What was Clemente's experience expanding American minor league basketball leagues into China? None. Doc and Doyle knew this beforehand. I think it was a matter of a couple of guys (the PBL) playing with the big boys with limited budgets and with limited business sense.

[LightningMan]

Who said anything about fraud?
If she took the money and didn't render the services contracted, it's fraud. The Patrick Dempsey sponsorship was not.

The Dempsey deal was a dead-end and the China deal was a dead-end.
This doesn't even make sense. Yes, they're both dead. So is Abraham Lincoln. It doesn't make him a poor advertising choice nor does it make him a fraud the PBL failed to see through. If you're seeing the racing thing and the Chinese opportunities thing as the same thing then you're simply focusing on things that didn't work out for the PBL, regardless of what their purpose or effect were.

I don't think it was a ripoff.
Good thing you're not the judge.

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

...
This doesn't even make sense. Yes, they're both dead. So is Abraham Lincoln. It doesn't make him a poor advertising choice nor does it make him a fraud the PBL failed to see through. If you're seeing the racing thing and the Chinese opportunities thing as the same thing then you're simply focusing on things that didn't work out for the PBL, regardless of what their purpose or effect were.
...


Apparently it DOES make sense to you because we've reached the same conclusion. Regardless of the purpose or effect I'm focusing on the things that didn't work out for the PBL. Your words paraphrased and I couldn't have put it any better. My posts are quite clear. IMO, the PBL has made one bonehead financial move after another.

[Juniper]

LightingMan, I am just wondering now. Should Battle Creek have sued the PBL, for not sending them the 25 grand they owed them? We all know the league made a deal with them to help cover the money they would lose by not having 2 games in Battle Creek. BC made the same kind of deal the PBL made with this lady. Should they take the PBL to court for changing there contact at the last minute? Championship was to be played at location of the team that had the best regular season record. BC lost so much money, and faith in minor league basketball there fine owners gave up the team. Of course the players and coaches that were playing for a Championship may never get that opportunity again. Don't people get involved with a court system when they take things that did not belong to them, or they did not earn? Everybody on this board knew the China deal was a joke. This is why most of us stood up for Battle Creek. We have seen it all before. I am with Ken all the way on this one.

[LightningMan]

LightningMan, I am just wondering now. Should Battle Creek have sued the PBL for not sending them the 25 grand they owed them?
If they believed they were owed it and thought they could prove that, yes.

We all know the league made a deal with them to help cover the money they would lose by not having 2 games in Battle Creek.
I know no such thing. You may be right. You'd have to ask the Knights why they didn't go after it if they did.

BC made the same kind of deal the PBL made with this lady.
The Knights hired the PBL to find business for them in China? :D

Should they take the PBL to court for changing their contact at the last minute?
If they can prove it, yes.

Championship was to be played at location of the team that had the best regular season record. BC lost so much money, and faith in minor league basketball their fine owners gave up the team. Of course the players and coaches that were playing for a championship may never get that opportunity again. Don't people get involved with a court system when they take things that did not belong to them, or they did not earn?
Already answered twice now. As to the championship thing, as many have said, it was a raw deal, but your team agreed to it.

Everybody on this board knew the China deal was a joke. This is why most of us stood up for Battle Creek. We have seen it all before. I am with Ken all the way on this one.
I stood up for Battle Creek, as far as moving the championship was concerned. It seems to me that Battle Creek didn't stand up for Battle Creek when it agreed to move the games. As to agreeing with Ken, just what are you agreeing with? That the PBL has made some bad decisions? That they shouldn't sue this woman? What?

Again, if you feel the BC Knights have a legal avenue to pursue, then by all means pursue it.

[Juniper]

Thanks for the input LightningMan. One of the reasons BC did not take them to court is one of the leagues owners is an attorney. He threatened to take the Battle Creek ownership to court if they said one thing negative, about the deal at the end of last season. I feel I can say this, Doc's pockets are much deeper then most ownership in this league. They could continue to drain BC funds through litigation, to the point where after things are settled, BC may have spent more on attorney fees, then they would recover. The other part of this is, Battle Creek really wanted to stay in the league. They did not want to make the league mad. Up to the screw job the PBL and the Knights had a great relationship. It wasn't untill the league said they were not going to send the money they owed, and then it was passed along that the league said they could give a F--- about Battle Creek. After that statemant the owners decided to move on. I guess what I am trying to say here is, we all want minor league Basketball. Unfortunately it is not the PBL You just can't run these leagues with a dictator. That is poor leadership. Owners should be making decisions after getting all the information, and after a compete assessment is provide by the league. Time should be given to owners so they can do there own research. They should be part of the decision making. As far as China. There have been other leagues that have said they were going to have a relationship with China. As far as I know, not one league has a relationship with China. Bottom line, the league did not do it's homework again. I feel they acted on impulse. It is kind of like people getting on this King guy because he really does not have everything in place. I feel in a sense the PBL did the same thing. This is what most people are telling Mark. Have all your i's dotted and your t's crossed before you leep. In a sense, the league was telling owners they were getting this money form China, and they were going to share. They did not have there i's dotted and t's crossed. So, I see this as spending your money before you have it. It is too bad the sponsorship money they spent on a race car, did not go to Battle Creek. At least the league can say they have integrity. I don't know Mark, but at least appears to be a nice guy. I think the league is upset with themselves because they made a mistake on the China deal, and they did not do a compete assessment on this lady. Do like BC, eat the money and stay out of court. All he is trying to do is scare people. I will have to say, he has done a pretty good job here. Bust your butt on your league. Listen to some of the suggestion that have been suggested on this board. This board carries much experience. Sorry for going on.

[CHris902]

Has there ever been any evidence whatsoever that the league failed to pay BC what was promised?

[Juniper]

Yes, from a reliable source. Really, there is nothing that can be done about yesterday. Mistakes were made. Just like paying this lady 50 grand. I am just tired of hearing, take them to court. Just like people have told Sonny and the fans from BC to move on. Looks like they are doing that. Getting geared up for the IBL season. The PBL should do the same with the ABA. It was yesterday. There are many good things about this league. First, are the Coaches and the Players. Each year the talent is better. Most of the teams have good ownership, and good people that work in the office. Even the teams that don't have a good record, have good people running them, from what I can tell. But, probably the best thing they have are there fans. Those that really care. There are many of them. As I said before. Set up and advisory board of people that care. Most on this board have a deep passion. You don't have to bring everybody together, you can use the computer in many wonderful ways. A great way to communicate when you can't get everybody together. I, myself have learned so much from you all. Sometimes we don't like what Ken has to say, but he understands minor league basketball pretty well. NSF has great way of looking at all angles. Really understands the player side of things in these leagues. So in my eyes if the league would use all the energy on making this the best league they can w/o and distractions. We on the east side would have a fine league to follow. If Ken ever gets the time, it would be neat to see what he would do to improve this league if he was Pres. of the Advisory board? What do ya think Ken? Maybe another thread? It would be great to hear what others of you would think if you had the opportunity.

[sonnie20]

Everyone knows the so called China deal was a scam so Rochester would be Champions again. As I said before this fake league will fold and I shall LMFAO and say told you so. LM keep up the good league PR and you can join Chuck on their writing staff or write for the Flight.

[LightningMan]

Everyone knows the so called China deal was a scam so Rochester would be Champions again. As I said before this fake league will fold and I shall LMFAO and say told you so. LM keep up the good league PR and you can join Chuck on their writing staff or write for the Flight.
The Chinese television deal isn't the one being talked about here (which was not a scam) and I don't think the league would like me pointing out how poorly they vet people.

[LightningMan]

Yes, from a reliable source. Really, there is nothing that can be done about yesterday. Mistakes were made, just like paying this lady 50 grand. I am just tired of hearing, "Take them to court." Just like people have told Sonny and the fans from BC to move on, [it] looks like they are doing that, getting geared up for the IBL season.
And yet, here you bring it up in a thread that had nothing to do with it. Are you ready to let it go now too?

The PBL should do the same with the ABA. It was yesterday.
It's not quite the same situation. For starters, the league didn't file a suit against the ABA. One of Joe Newman's erstwhile partners did. The PBL bought the rights for enforcement of the judgement against the ABA. Next, no matter how poorly the PBL has conducted its business, the ABA is clearly worse. The ABA is burning markets for minor league basketball at an alarming rate. I can see why the PBL believes the ABA needs to be stopped from purely a business standpoint.

There are many good things about this league. First, are the Coaches and the Players. Each year the talent is better. Most of the teams have good ownership, and good people that work in the office. Even the teams that don't have a good record, have good people running them, from what I can tell. But probably the best thing they have are their fans, those that really care. There are many of them.

As I said before. Set up and advisory board of people that care. Most on this board have a deep passion. You don't have to bring everybody together, you can use the computer in many wonderful ways. A great way to communicate when you can't get everybody together. I, myself have learned so much from you all.

Sometimes we don't like what Ken has to say, but he understands minor league basketball pretty well.
I don't share your opinion of Ken's understanding.

NSF has great way of looking at all angles. Really understands the player side of things in these leagues. So in my eyes if the league would use all the energy on making this the best league they can w/o and distractions. We on the east side would have a fine league to follow. If Ken ever gets the time, it would be neat to see what he would do to improve this league if he was Pres. of the Advisory board? What do ya think Ken? Maybe another thread? It would be great to hear what others of you would think if you had the opportunity.
This might make an interesting thread, I must admit.

[CHris902]

Yes, from a reliable source..
I must have totally missed that. Do you have a link?

[basketball facts]

"The ABA is burning markets for minor league basketball at an alarming rate. I can see why the PBL believes the ABA needs to be stopped from purely a business standpoint."

You don't think the PBL is burning up markets? Look at all the teams that folded in the past three years. Where is Dallas, Sauk Valley, Rockford, Chicago, etc., etc., etc. You get on the ABA for not paying players, the PBL has some teams that are not paying players. Seems allot of the ABA woes all are the same as the PBL.

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

...If Ken ever gets the time, it would be neat to see what he would do to improve this league if he was Pres. of the Advisory board? What do ya think Ken? Maybe another thread? It would be great to hear what others of you would think if you had the opportunity.

Rebuild the foundation. Nothing can be done to save a home with a bad foundation. Nothing can be done to save a league with a bad business model.

[LightningMan]

You don't think the PBL is burning up markets?
Did I say that? I said I understood why the PBL wants to shut the ABA down.

You get on the ABA for not paying players. The PBL has some teams that are not paying players.
And I got on them, too. Who was the first here to post about Augusta's money troubles? Hmm?

Seems a lot of the ABA woes all are the same as the PBL.
They are more similar than anyone would want, but they still are not the same.

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

"The ABA is burning markets for minor league basketball at an alarming rate. I can see why the PBL believes the ABA needs to be stopped from purely a business standpoint."

You don't think the PBL is burning up markets? Look at all the teams that folded in the past three years. Where is Dallas, Sauk Valley, Rockford, Chicago, etc., etc., etc. You get on the ABA for not paying players, the PBL has some teams that are not paying players. Seems allot of the ABA woes all are the same as the PBL.

...and don't forget Augusta. The hotel was torched for $15,000 in bounced checks. Minor league teams won't be able to get rooms on credit there anytime soon.

Speaking of this lawsuit, unless their contract was worded as "we should have X-amount return on our deposit by X-date" then I don't see how the PBL can possibly win a lawsuit like this.
On June 15, 2009, Clemente requested $50,000 to begin work, which the league paid, according to the suit. As of Feb. 11, 2010, Clemente has not performed any of the services agreed upon, the suit said.
A start date of June 15, 2009 progressing to February 11, 2010 is not a long time in the grand scheme of things. What? Eight months???

If the PBL simply wants their $50,000 back because they now realize how boneheaded an idea it was to expect someone to turn 50K into $1mil like poof then the lawsuit may have legs. Lilia Clemente may settle and tell them to take their pitiful 50K and go back home.

Naw, I think the PBL is stuck with a business partner and they'll see a return on their investment...whenever. :roll:

[Juniper]

Sorry Mr. LightningMan, A question was asked so I thought I was answering the question, and saying it is time to move on. Did not mean to ruffle your feathers. I will try to be more careful with my posts. Sorry you disagree with me on Ken too. I don't agree with everything he says, but I do most. I am not sure what happened to Dazed andAmused, he had some excellent points as well. Just for information, I did talk with my contact from Battle Creek today, and I was informed that the league still has not paid the hotel or the bus company in full. For that reason the hotel and bus company are not available to the BC team for up coming season. Just wondering LightningMan, do you think the league should at least pay these bills? I hope you see this is not old stuff, it is the present. That is why I brought this up to you. I quess after reading your post, the league should go after there 50 grand. I just figured it would serve the league better to spend time on the baskeketball court instead of the criminal court. Again, I am sorry and hope you have a nice day. I hope things are going good for you and the Knights Sonnie.

[LightningMan]

Sorry Mr. LightningMan, A question was asked so I thought I was answering the question, and saying it is time to move on. Did not mean to ruffle your feathers. I will try to be more careful with my posts.
I have no ruffled feathers. I just thought it strange that you'd say for people to move on when you brought the issue up.

Sorry you disagree with me on Ken too. I don't agree with everything he says, but I do most. I am not sure what happened to Dazed andAmused, he had some excellent points as well.
Dazed drops by from time to time to read, but doesn't post much anymore. I tend to agree with Dazed far more than I do Ken.

Just for information, I did talk with my contact from Battle Creek today, and I was informed that the league still has not paid the hotel or the bus company in full. For that reason the hotel and bus company are not available to the BC team for up coming season. Just wondering LightningMan, do you think the league should at least pay these bills?
If that was the agreement, yes. I don't think the PBL should be exempt from doing what they say they're going to do, so if they said they'd pay the bills, then yes, go after them. But there comes a point where it doesn't make money sense.

I hope you see this is not old stuff, it is the present. That is why I brought this up to you. I guess after reading your post, the league should go after their 50 grand. I just figured it would serve the league better to spend time on the basketball court instead of the criminal court.
The economy of doing this is a little different. The league has a lawyer who will in essence work for nothing. And that $50K could be used to pay some debts, like, say, the one you brought up. They too need to decide when it stops making money sense.

Again, I am sorry and hope you have a nice day. I hope things are going good for you and the Knights Sonnie.
Nothing to be sorry about. I hope you have a nice day too.

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

The PBL could have saved $50,000 and a lawsuit if they weren't so reactive and were more proactive like Google. Google is sending China a clear message. The message is, China doesn't play fair:
Google's action angers China, divides Web users (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100323/ap_on_hi_te/as_china_google)
"Nobody in there could give me a clear answer," said Pan Yun, manager of a Beijing real estate Web site. "I just want to know if our business can continue but they couldn't give me an answer."
Finally, a businessperson from Beijing understands what businesspeople throughout the free world have already understood when incoming information is censored and outgoing information is withheld.
"I feel that people will greatly respect Google's action," said Beijing law professor and human rights lawyer Teng Biao. "China's censorship of the Internet search engine results is a violation of the most basic of human rights. By doing this, Google will bring more global attention to China's human rights situation."
It just boggles the imagination how people commit themselves to business relationships without knowing all the facts. There is no way China is going to divulge all the facts. If potential businesspeople aren't going to take a few business courses, then they should at least read The Art of War by Sun Tzu. ...Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him.

[LightningMan]

The PBL could have saved $50,000 and a lawsuit if they weren't so reactive and were more proactive like Google.
You mean to say they were proactive when they were censoring themselves and kissing China's butt?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4645596.stm

Google censored themselves in China for years just to get the business. They're no more proactive than you are a women's pro curling player.

Future post by Ken:
Martha Stewart has launched a new line of china; why can't the PBL be more entrepreneurial like her?

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

You mean to say they were proactive when they were censoring themselves and kissing China's butt?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4645596.stm

Google censored themselves in China for years just to get the business. They're no more proactive than you are a women's pro curling player.

Future post by Ken:

I assume too much. I assumed you already knew search engines are restricted in mainland China. Didn't I already post about these Internet restrictions a few months ago??? Didn't I already provide links and quotes???
http://www.oursportscentral.com/boards/showthread.php?t=14469&page=9

Okay, I give up. Why CAN'T the PBL operate more like Martha Stewart's empire? It's your question, not mine. Martha Stewart is an awesome entrepreneur. She's also someone I would consider proactive. Instead of seeking legal appeals, she said no. She did her jail time as soon as possible instead of prolonging the wait. Smart move. Who badgers Martha Stewart about her prison time?!? Her empire is as strong as ever.

[LightningMan]

Let me type it slowly for you, Ken, so you don't lose sight of the point:

What

was

proactive

in

Google's

current

course

of

action?

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

Let me type it slowly for you, Ken, so you don't lose sight of the point:

What

was

proactive

in

Google's

current

course

of

action?

Thanks for typing slowly. I thought you first said, "They're no more proactive than you are a women's pro curling player." Don't curlers sweep those brooms in FRONT of the stone to influence its direction? Fore-actions. Pro-actions.

Search engines WERE required to censor themselves (and your link confirms it). Now the state has taken over the censorship role. China changed the rules. Apparently China thought the largest search engine in the world would go along with state controlled censorship. Apparently someone at Google read Sun Tsu's, The Art of War. Self will is one thing. State will is another ballgame for a California based company.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100323/ap_on_hi_te/as_china_google
"We made patient and meticulous explanations on the questions Google raised ... telling it we would still welcome its operation and development in China if it was willing to abide by Chinese laws, while it would be its own affair if it was determined to withdraw its service," the official said.
Google, has thrown the first punch. Theyre not willing to abide by Chinese laws. They've taken a fore-action. A pro-action. Will China counter? Will China react and make an example out of Google to keep the other search engines in line?
...The Mountain View, California, company also could see its existing operations foiled by a government unhappy about being challenged by a marquee foreign investor.

Hopefully I explained why Google's current course of action shuold be considered proactive. IMO, this is a huge step. Will other search engines follow Google's lead or will communist China impose its will on free enterprise further?

[LightningMan]

Google has thrown the first punch.
No, China did when they decided not to trust Google to censor itself.

They're not willing to abide by Chinese laws. They've taken a fore-action. A pro-action.
No, they reacted to China's censorship.

Hopefully I explained why Google's current course of action should be considered proactive.
You've demonstrated that you don't understand either the word or the concept.

Will other search engines follow Google's lead or will communist China impose its will on free enterprise further?
Whatever it is, you can be sure that somehow you'll claim it makes the PBL look bad.

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

You're nitpicking again, but that's to be expected. If you want to nitpick about who acted first then who reacted, then you could actually nitpick your way back to the Boxer Rebellion and beyond.

China changed the rules for everyone. Google is changing direction, much like players with the brooms in curling changing the direction of the stone. Google is taking a stand and saying the heck with the consequences. The Chinese were clearly caught off-guard by Google's stand. That's why I feel Google's actions were proactive. They were the first major search engine to change directions. They got out of their agreement before mainland China could impose future sanctions. Only time will tell on consequences. I feel this a monumental event in history though.

As far as the PBL is concerned, I'm only expressing my opinions on a discussion board. The PBL will stand or fall regardless of what Ken thinks (as I've stated before). It's my opinion that the PBL brass could benefit from additional business management classes (if a surgeon and lawyer actually had such classes). That may sound cruel on the surface, but maybe the additional training could prevent the bonehead moves BEFORE they happen. I don't know about you or anyone else, but I was required to have additional training in every field I've entered (including additional business classes). There is also another The Art of War quote the PBL could benefit from (or words to this effect):
Never commit to a plan of action without first getting ALL the information.
It seems that the PBL has fallen into this trap time and time again.

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

More on Google's plight with mainland China in this new thread:
http://www.oursportscentral.com/boards/showthread.php?p=139864&posted=1#post139864

Information is power. Uncensored information is greater power. Well, at least I think Google's actions will have wide reaching effects for the world of sports (and beyond). 8)