GOLDMAN: And rare, says longtime sports business expert Kenneth Shropshire, head of the Global Sport Institute at Arizona State University. KENNETH SHROPSHIRE: I think it's commendable. But we are steadfast in that approach, and I don't see that changing. STEVE SIMON: We are prepared to move on and deal with the challenges that will come with that. The Women's Tennis Association CEO has demanded a guarantee of Peng Shuai safety, or else the WTA pulls its business from China, a move that potentially could cost more than a billion dollars in revenue. GOLDMAN: An NBA team executive's tweet in 2019 supporting Hong Kong protests against the government reportedly cost the league several hundred million dollars in Chinese business, which is why Steve Simon's message to China has been so notable. UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The financial fallout over the NBA just continues for a second day. TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE: For sports leagues, there are vast sums of money to be made in China and lost if you end up on the wrong side of the government. Now China critics have their eye on next February's Beijing Winter Olympics, where they hope others will follow the WTA's lead and condemn the country for human rights violations.

The group's CEO praised her for speaking out and demanded proof of her safety. Throughout the saga, the Women's Tennis Association stood firmly behind Peng. Earlier this month, Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai disappeared and then reappeared after publicly accusing a Chinese government official of sexual assault.

Chinese lost saga