OT: Donald Sterling

[Southpaw]

There was a story out that ESPN was talking about the other day that said Sterling thinks he's losing his memory due to age and routinely tapes conversations so he won't forget what was said. They suspect strongly that the tape was actually his tape, released by the woman.

So it may well be he DID know he was being taped, she just baited him into saying what he really thinks

and apparently the California statute requires CONSENT by both parties, not just they know it's being taped but they consent to it being taped. But if it was his tape that would imply consent from him.

and did ESPN determine how the tape got to TMZ if he in fact recorded it?

NSA?

 

[Russ Smith]

and did ESPN determine how the tape got to TMZ if he in fact recorded it?

NSA?

Oh I think everyone assumes the girl gave it to them, which is likely illegal but difficult to prove.

 

[Cardinals.Ken]

Oh I think everyone assumes the girl gave it to them, which is likely illegal but difficult to prove.

The smoking gun points toward her legal team IMHO. When questioned about who leaked it they routinely invoke their 5th Amendment right not to answer.

 

[Cardinals.Ken]

Oh, and for the record, my problem with this is that it didn't happen sooner...

You must be registered for see images

 

[BillsCarnage]

I hear what you're saying, but this is one of the biggest stories in sports history!!!

I'd disagree. Marge Schott's comments were made in public. Oh yeah, the MLB eventually forced her to sell the team too. This is just a TMZ society we live in and there's much more media attention to it.
Just my .02, but any story with deaths such as the Marshall plane crash are significantly bigger than this. But, that's not as juicy of a story as this TMZ crap nowadays.

This league is so much better off without him.

I liked what Silver said when asked about it being recorded in a personal conversation..."It doesn't matter, it represents his views now".

Yet his personal beliefs didn't seem to affect how he's been running the Clippers of late. I don't recall him making his personal beliefs public when it came to running an NBA team.

Proud of Sarver for taking a strong position against this.

Puhlease... Sarver is a smart business man. Smart businessmen know that what is unpopular with society is unpopular for the bottom line.
Now suddenly the fans go soft for Sarver?

Funny thought this morning:

Sterling says something racist: banned for life.

Riley cooper yelling racist expletives: Shiny new contract.

The power of the (players)union. That's why any player gets away with what they do - the union has their back no matter how bad it is.

Here's a funny thought... If the Gov't were involved, wouldn't this be called oppression? This fiasco has burst the door open on something that no one wanted to talk about before... Societal Oppression. If society deems it bad, you're screwed for thinking or talking about it. Herd mentality at its worst... Chew on that.

 

[desertdawg]

NBA (no bigots allowed)

 

[BillsCarnage]

Things are about to get real interesting if Sterling wants to fight against this & remain as owner...

Maybe not.

It looks like they'll use 13(a) and maybe 13(j) as the violation - assuming there is actual wording somewhere that states anything that brings embarrassment or financial damage to the league can be a violation. Maybe in the bylaws or owner contract. This is where it could get tricky if he wants to fight.

From there 14(j) waives legal proceedings

And then, 14A allows the NBA to seize his Clipper assets (share), sell it, pay off any bills and send him the balance. Sounds kind of like foreclosure.

In the end, he's better off not fighting it.

 

[overseascardfan]

The idea of selling the Clippers could turn into irony as Magic Johnson, the primary target of Sterling's rant to his girlfriend, has stated that he and his group of investors would be interested in purchasing the Clippers. How funny would that be?

 

[Kel Varnsen]

The idea of selling the Clippers could turn into irony as Magic Johnson, the primary target of Sterling's rant to his girlfriend, has stated that he and his group of investors would be interested in purchasing the Clippers. How funny would that be?

Then Sterling takes the money and buys the Redskins.

 

[AzCards21]

Maybe not.

It looks like they'll use 13(a) and maybe 13(j) as the violation - assuming there is actual wording somewhere that states anything that brings embarrassment or financial damage to the league can be a violation. Maybe in the bylaws or owner contract. This is where it could get tricky if he wants to fight.

From there 14(j) waives legal proceedings

And then, 14A allows the NBA to seize his Clipper assets (share), sell it, pay off any bills and send him the balance. Sounds kind of like foreclosure.

In the end, he's better off not fighting it.

First of all don't think I'm in any way defending what Sterling said. All I am doing is approaching this from business standpoint, like any owner in the league would do.

No matter what the NBA rules are it can't trump his first amendment rights. Sterling has the right to be the biggest ******* he can be. And he does have the money to fight any superfluous bs charges the NBA can come up with.

Now speaking of money the team is currently valued at I believe I saw somewhere between 700 and 750 million. Silver, the obviously not very stable voice of the NBA shaking in his boots said he would do anything in his power to get the team sold. Could any sports club get a weaker sounding guy to be the face of their sport? I'm thinking the value of this team just jumped way up. How far up depends on just how bad and how fast the NBA want's to get this done.

The NBA has the most to lose right now and as crazy as it seems Sterling is in the drivers seat for any sale the NBA may want to make without dragging this out too far.

The Clippers may very well be sold for 1 billion dollars. I don't see how they can just cancel his franchise with all of the contracts involved.

Like I said, Sterling is a dick. But from a business standpoint he is in the drivers seat. The sales price of getting rid of him is going to be very high.

 

[JCSunsfan]

First of all don't think I'm in any way defending what Sterling said. All I am doing is approaching this from business standpoint, like any owner in the league would do.

No matter what the NBA rules are it can't trump his first amendment rights. Sterling has the right to be the biggest ******* he can be. And he does have the money to fight any superfluous bs charges the NBA can come up with.

Now speaking of money the team is currently valued at I believe I saw somewhere between 700 and 750 million. Silver, the obviously not very stable voice of the NBA shaking in his boots said he would do anything in his power to get the team sold. Could any sports club get a weaker sounding guy to be the face of their sport? I'm thinking the value of this team just jumped way up. How far up depends on just how bad and how fast the NBA want's to get this done.

The NBA has the most to lose right now and as crazy as it seems Sterling is in the drivers seat for any sale the NBA may want to make without dragging this out too far.

The Clippers may very well be sold for 1 billion dollars. I don't see how they can just cancel his franchise with all of the contracts involved.

Like I said, Sterling is a dick. But from a business standpoint he is in the drivers seat. The sales price of getting rid of him is going to be very high.

First Amendment has nothing to do with this. This is a club with bylaws and a constitution. There are rules of conduct for being a part of it, and if he is in violation of those rules he can be kicked out. The government is not a party to this matter. Its a violation of a contractual agreement.

 

[Hoop Head]

I thought all the debate about the First Amendment was finished in this thread. I recommend AzCards21 go back and re-read this whole thread and see how it's been mentioned numerous times the First Amendment has nothing to do with this case.

 

[Catlover]

First of all don't think I'm in any way defending what Sterling said. All I am doing is approaching this from business standpoint, like any owner in the league would do.

No matter what the NBA rules are it can't trump his first amendment rights. Sterling has the right to be the biggest ******* he can be. And he does have the money to fight any superfluous bs charges the NBA can come up with.

Now speaking of money the team is currently valued at I believe I saw somewhere between 700 and 750 million. Silver, the obviously not very stable voice of the NBA shaking in his boots said he would do anything in his power to get the team sold. Could any sports club get a weaker sounding guy to be the face of their sport? I'm thinking the value of this team just jumped way up. How far up depends on just how bad and how fast the NBA want's to get this done.

The NBA has the most to lose right now and as crazy as it seems Sterling is in the drivers seat for any sale the NBA may want to make without dragging this out too far.

The Clippers may very well be sold for 1 billion dollars. I don't see how they can just cancel his franchise with all of the contracts involved.

Like I said, Sterling is a dick. But from a business standpoint he is in the drivers seat. The sales price of getting rid of him is going to be very high.

I'm going to ignore your 1st Amendment comment as it's not applicable to this situation.

With sponsors jumping ship I kind of doubt Sterling is in the driver's seat here. If he's voted out, that's pretty much it, he's out. But even if they don't vote him out he's still going to need to sell. There is a minimum salary now so he can't just go back to his old ways where he made money by not spending any and without sponsors he's going to end up cracking open his own piggy bank. He's not going to like that and I think it's a safe bet that his local TV deal will be the next thing to disappear.

Donald loves being on the cusps of celebrity and this fiasco has made him persona non grata to that world he so very much wants access to. So now he has no real reason to stick around. If he fights this it won't be to win, it will be to entice the NBA to compensate him for quietly going away. IMO, the only possible way this team is still in the Sterling family in a year or two is if they end up revealing that Donald is not and has not been fully competent (mentally).

 

[overseascardfan]

Very interesting article in yesterday's AZ Central. It was Tom Chambers prospective on his feelings and personal experiences with Sterling. We knew he was a cheap scumbag but TC's account really gives us a clear cut picture of how really cheap and sleezy Sterling really is.

 

[elindholm]

We knew he was a cheap scumbag but TC's account really gives us a clear cut picture of how really cheap and sleezy Sterling really is.

Yeah, I expect great insight from a guy who drives drunk at three times the speed limit and seems to suffer no consequences whatsoever. Oh please enlighten me, Mr. Chambers sir!

 

[Cheesebeef]

First of all don't think I'm in any way defending what Sterling said. All I am doing is approaching this from business standpoint, like any owner in the league would do.

No matter what the NBA rules are it can't trump his first amendment rights. Sterling has the right to be the biggest ******* he can be. And he does have the money to fight any superfluous bs charges the NBA can come up with.

Now speaking of money the team is currently valued at I believe I saw somewhere between 700 and 750 million. Silver, the obviously not very stable voice of the NBA shaking in his boots said he would do anything in his power to get the team sold. Could any sports club get a weaker sounding guy to be the face of their sport? I'm thinking the value of this team just jumped way up. How far up depends on just how bad and how fast the NBA want's to get this done.

The NBA has the most to lose right now and as crazy as it seems Sterling is in the drivers seat for any sale the NBA may want to make without dragging this out too far.

The Clippers may very well be sold for 1 billion dollars. I don't see how they can just cancel his franchise with all of the contracts involved.

Like I said, Sterling is a dick. But from a business standpoint he is in the drivers seat. The sales price of getting rid of him is going to be very high.

What in the world are you talking about? From 1st Amendment rights to Silvers a weakling to "they can't just cancel his franchise" not a lick of the above makes much sense.

 

[AzCards21]

What in the world are you talking about? From 1st Amendment rights to Silvers a weakling to "they can't just cancel his franchise" not a lick of the above makes much sense.

You are thinking too emotional to see it but in the end emotions aren't going to move the team to new ownership. Cold hard cash and solid negotiation will.

The quicker and quieter the NBA wants to move him out the more money it will cost. That's my point and I'll leave it at that.

 

[Cheesebeef]

You are thinking too emotional to see it but in the end emotions aren't going to move the team to new ownership. Cold hard cash and solid negotiation will.

The quicker and quieter the NBA wants to move him out the more money it will cost. That's my point and I'll leave it at that.

Um...isn't the above blatantly obvious? I'm still failing to see what any of your rambling about 1st amendment or canceling the team has to do with anything here considering forcing him out isn't a 1st amendment issue and no one is talking about "canceling" his team.

Bottom line is the league is well within its rights to force him to sell and he'll likely make another fortune when he does (after a nasty legal battle I expect from him)

 

[Southpaw]

I am hard pressed to find many NBA (NFL,MLB,NHL) owners who have come by their fortunes without some sleaze and who are in line to be nominated for sainthood. Sterling happens to stand out as the villain of the month. Which NBA owner is going to be the guy who will open up his own closet in a vote?

Sterling is not long for the job with this event hanging on his head. He can't win. My guess is this has a slim chance of going to an owner's vote and if it does it will be secret ballot. Maybe TMZ can get hold of the secret vote results if it happens.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I am hard pressed to find many NBA (NFL,MLB,NHL) owners who have come by their fortunes without some sleaze and who are in line to be nominated for sainthood. Sterling happens to stand out as the villain of the month. Which NBA owner is going to be the guy who will open up his own closet in a vote?

Sterling is not long for the job with this event hanging on his head. He can't win. My guess is this has a slim chance of going to an owner's vote and if it does it will be secret ballot. Maybe TMZ can get hold of the secret vote results if it happens.

Even if an owner did support Sterling secretly, they wouldn't be dumb enough to vote for him, secret ballot or not. That gets leaked and that owner would be in a world of crap and they all know it.

 

[Southpaw]

Anyone remember Larry Miller? Utah Jazz owner until death. Son is new CEO. Wasn't forced to sell.

From 1995 to 2001, KJZZ-TV was a charter UPN affiliate. In October 2000, Miller demanded the right to breach his contract with the network if it increased its "urban/ethnic programming" to more than two hours per week, due to lack of minorities within the Salt Lake Metropolitan.[7] The incident drew nationwide attention, and UPN promptly signed a deal with another station in the Salt Lake City market to carry UPN programming.

On January 6, 2006, the film Brokeback Mountain was pulled from Miller's Megaplex 17 theater at the last minute after Miller learned from a radio reporter that the film featured a gay romance. Other R-rated films, such as the comedy Grandma's Boy and the violent horror film Hostel were still allowed to be shown. As a result, the businessman was accused of exhibiting bias against homosexuality.

The cancellation brought international attention to the theater. The Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Community Center of Utah and other gay rights groups urged its members to avoid patronizing Miller's various businesses. Jay Leno joked about the incident on The Tonight Show.

Miller later explained the cancellation, saying that he was concerned about "getting away from the traditional families", what he called "a very dangerous thing." Miller noted that several individuals purchased automobiles from his dealerships as a form of support for the decision. He also expressed regret for any feelings that were hurt as a result.[9]

John Amaechi, a retired center who finished his career with Miller's Utah Jazz in 2003, publicly announced his homosexuality on February 7, 2007. Miller issued a statement the following day, conceding that he had made a bad decision in pulling Brokeback Mountain. He described it as a "knee-jerk reaction" and said that he would probably allow the film to be shown if faced with the same decision again; however he said he was still unsure how he would react to an openly gay player on his basketball team

 

[Neo]

Yeah, I expect great insight from a guy who drives drunk at three times the speed limit and seems to suffer no consequences whatsoever. Oh please enlighten me, Mr. Chambers sir!

Just because Chambers is a drunk and jerk does not change the fact that Sterling is a sleezy, racist jerk. (Although Chambers does not comment on the racism bit, just that he is slimy and sleezy.)

Pretty much everyone new Sterling was a racist jerk before any of the most recent controversy. The is just mor confirmation.

 

[Dback Jon]

You are thinking too emotional to see it but in the end emotions aren't going to move the team to new ownership. Cold hard cash and solid negotiation will.

The quicker and quieter the NBA wants to move him out the more money it will cost. That's my point and I'll leave it at that.

Franchised operations are subject to rules/regulations from Corporate. It is not un heard of for MCDonalds, ets to force owners to sell.

This is no different.

 

[Dback Jon]

Anyone remember Larry Miller? Utah Jazz owner until death. Son is new CEO. Wasn't forced to sell.

It is still ok to discriminate against Gays and Native Americans in Pro Sports.

 

[Southpaw]

Franchised operations are subject to rules/regulations from Corporate. It is not un heard of for MCDonalds, ets to force owners to sell.

This is no different.

Difference might be that Silver, essentially, works for the owners. McDonald's franchise owners don't have that big stick. This may be one of those big Band Aid moves to stop the hemorrhaging until the season is over and a negotiated sanction is hammered out.