Four individuals have been banned for three years! Let's discuss the Chinese Basketball Association's harshest penalty notice regarding the brawl.

The official website of the Chinese Basketball Association has released a statement about the penalties for the brawl incident involving athletes during the national U21 Youth Basketball Championship. Huang Qiushi, Zhang Junhao (Liaoning), Yuan Shuai, and Cui Jiahang (Shandong) have been disqualified from the 2025 U21 Championship and suspended for three years.

Other players involved in the brawl from the Liaoning team, including Xing Weihai, Liu Xingyan, Ge Hongming, Zhang Jiacheng, Li Yaxuan, and from the Shandong team, Qiu Xing, Ma Yandong, Xu He, Mi Jianrui, Peng Hongsen, Fang Yuhan, Chen Zihao, and Zhao Junhao, have been suspended for eight games.

Their respective head coaches and team leaders also received penalties.

Incident review:

During the first phase of the 2025 National (U21) Youth Basketball Championship held in Henan on July 30, a fierce physical conflict erupted among multiple players from Liaoning and Shandong teams during the third quarter, leading to a chaotic brawl that went viral.

Two days later, the heavy penalties were announced.

Many people in the media are saying "the penalties are too severe," so I'd like to share my personal thoughts on this.

Let's step back from basketball for a moment.

Those with some life experience will notice that when incidents of a collective nature occur, they are often dealt with harshly; government departments pay great attention to the prevention and handling of collective incidents.

The core logic is to establish a firm bottom line through strict sanctions to prevent the spread of risks.

So, don’t bring up the United States or use the Palace of Auburn Hills incident as a counterargument. Can we compare situations when NBA players like Morant can handle guns...?

When 20-30 people fight during a game, the impact is extremely negative; the scene is too chaotic.

In-game conflicts change in nature once substitute players enter the court. This scale reminds me of the fight between Australia and the Philippines...

If these people were fighting on the street, it wouldn't just be a basketball ban; they would be arrested.

Once it trends online, do you think the leaders of the Basketball Association feel no pressure?

The national team is already underperforming, and now this public sentiment arises...

Subsequently, Xinhua News Agency even announced the penalty decisions... As fans, we shouldn't think too simply about this matter.

What I find most incomprehensible about this incident is not the penalties.

Some self-media outlets from Liaoning even went to the airport to welcome them, shouting that they played well and presenting flowers to Huang Qiushi and Zhang Junhao...

The two players involved in the fight received a "heroic" welcome at the airport, and they even accepted flowers, which is absurd.

On the surface, it seems like fans are just enjoying the spectacle to support their players, but such grand gestures ultimately "harm" them.

If I were a parent of one of the players, I would be furious...

This isn't something to be proud of, right? It's not a championship win, yet it feels like a triumphant return...

Let’s not even mention the players' inability to discern right from wrong; how do you think the leaders perceive this?

It’s not an exaggeration to say that the initial plan was to ban them for 1-2 years, but seeing the live footage of the airport welcome and flower-giving, that would have to be changed to three years.

After all, there was online applause and promotion following the incident; if they weren’t severely punished, what would that imply?

If they are even slightly criticized for "negatively influencing the youth," not just the Basketball Association, but the General Administration of Sport would also face pressure—no one can withstand that...

Many people who usually don’t pay attention to basketball, even the elderly next door, can come across videos of the brawl... This is what we call public sentiment influence, which transcends basketball and sports.

In the information age, events can easily escalate, and there’s no choice but to impose heavy penalties.

Regarding regulations.

In the past two years, the General Administration of Sport has placed great emphasis on sportsmanship and discipline.

The core focus is on institutional development and special rectification.

The most significant action in terms of regulations is the "Management Measures for Sports Events' Ethics and Discipline," which took effect in July 2024. This is the first departmental regulation specifically targeting sports ethics and discipline in China, incorporating "zero tolerance" into its general principles.

This brawl incident essentially collided with the "gunpoint," serving as a typical case.

Can the Basketball Association ignore the regulations above? It is clearly stated in black and white regarding fighting:

If three or more (including three) athletes, coaches, or staff members are involved in a fight, it is considered a brawl.

Those who instigate trouble or are the first to strike will face harsher penalties, including disqualification from the current competition. In severe cases with negative impacts, suspensions of one to three years may apply, up to revocation of the athlete's technical title.

The main logic is to impose heavy penalties on those who instigate or strike first.

Therefore, the three-year ban for those four individuals is based on established rules; as for the severity, that is subjective.

It is certain that, given the widespread social impact, this time it was a maximum penalty.

For self-media and spectators, the thrill often comes at no cost.

But for the U21 players, who are young, it's unfortunate.

They are all adults now and must take responsibility for their actions.

Huang Qiushi and Zhang Junhao are registered players for the Liaoning team, with Zhang Junhao having already played two seasons in the CBA.

They will miss the next three years of CBA matches, which is a significant blow to their careers and a painful lesson.

For their respective clubs, it’s also a major loss, as nurturing young talent requires substantial investment.

Sometimes I think about how much effort parents put into raising an athlete; it’s no easy task.

In the end... this is the consequence of impulsive actions.

“Is that all there is to it?”

That truly is all there is to it...