NBA star LeBron James has recently drawn criticism from environmentalists due to posting a video of himself playing golf in the ocean. On June 8th, Beijing time, James updated his social media profile with the caption: "If you have the guts, come catch me."
Previously, on June 3rd, James was on his private yacht near the Italian coast, swinging a club and driving the golf ball into the sea, while sharing the relevant video.
Some netizens commented: "Does the sea really need all these plastic golf balls? It's really disgusting to throw golf balls into the sea in beautiful places."
American media “AOL”
According to the Italian Ansa news agency, the Italian Consumers Association's Coda Comunicanze Campania branch stated on June 5 that they have filed a lawsuit regarding James playing golf in the sea.
The person in charge of this meeting, Ma Tai'ao Maerkety, said: “We have submitted this matter to the Prosecutor's Office in Naples for verification. We are checking if the golf balls used were made from biodegradable materials and whether or not they pose a potential threat to the environment.”
He explained that according to Italian criminal law, those who illegally cause significant and measurable damage to ecosystems, biodiversity, and plants and animals will be sentenced to two to six years in prison, along with fines of between 10,000 and 100,000 euros. If the destructive actions occur within protected areas, the penalties can be increased by up to half.
According to CNN, in Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia – five major golf markets – over 100,000 golf balls are thrown into the sea each year.
Globally, it is estimated that over three million golf balls have been released into the oceans. Non-degradable golf balls cause plastic pollution and harm marine life.
