OT: Donald Sterling

[Buckybird]

I'm not saying that the allegations are false or that he's not a racist, but you would think he isn't. Hasnt Sterling had African American GMs in the past? And several coaches, including Rivers whom coaches them today? Isn't his GF black? The lady whom is in a lawsuit with him said she was "gonna get even".

Hmmmm something stinks here...maybe he's guilty or maybe he's not, I haven't a clue. If he is a racist & had past issues, why is he still an owner in this league? Being at his age, he could even have a brain disease where his true feelings blurt out every so often, which still isn't an excuse. But I'm not gonna beat the hell out of him just yet!

 

[SO91]

I'm not saying that the allegations are false or that he's not a racist, but you would think he isn't. Hasnt Sterling had African American GMs in the past? And several coaches, including Rivers whom coaches them today? Isn't his GF black? The lady whom is in a lawsuit with him said she was "gonna get even".

Hmmmm something stinks here...maybe he's guilty or maybe he's not, I haven't a clue. If he is a racist & had past issues, why is he still an owner in this league? Being at his age, he could even have a brain disease where his true feelings blurt out every so often, which still isn't an excuse. But I'm not gonna beat the hell out of him just yet!

Racism isn't this narrowly defined idea of 'I hate this race or that race and want nothing to do with them', IMO. There are levels and this is a wealthy, powerful, old white dude. IMO, it's a power trip with him. He "owns" all these players, coaches and management personnel that work for him. It's like the old slave-owner mentality. Hell, even openly racist people usually have 1 or 2 minorities in their lives they consider "different" and "not like the rest of them", still doesn't mean they're not racists

 

[Buckybird]

Racism isn't this narrowly defined idea of 'I hate this race or that race and want nothing to do with them', IMO. There are levels and this is a wealthy, powerful, old white dude. IMO, it's a power trip with him. He "owns" all these players, coaches and management personnel that work for him. It's like the old slave-owner mentality. Hell, even openly racist people usually have 1 or 2 minorities in their lives they consider "different" and "not like the rest of them", still doesn't mean they're not racists

I truely understand what you're saying & I'm not saying you're wrong, but a true racist wouldn't hire people of ethnic backgrounds repeatedly in management decisions IMO like he has...would they? He even dates an African American. Maybe I'm naive, but that goes against the grain of being a racist IMO. The guy was even scheduled to be honored by the NCAAP for the 2nd time, which I'm sure will be revoked.

But...if it's proven he did said these things, I think the team should be taken away from him & his family & sold to someone else. I think it's almost a given that needs to happen.

 

[az jam]

I listened to the whole conversation. Its on YouTube. No doubt about the racism. However, she did set him up and kept "egging" him to say more. She sure got him.
By the way, she isn't his girlfriend. He has been married for 50 years. She is his mistress. Media should tell it like it is.

Sterling is finished in the NBA. Not sure why the new commissioner is sitting on this.

 

[marios13]

This is so much fun

I just love how everyone is pounding on Sterling fearing a mass boycott of NBA if there isn't something done about him.

 

[Catlover]

I think the man is guilty as sin and I think once all the facts are out, he'll be forced to step away from the team. I think it makes a lot of sense for us to sit around and pass judgement on him, that's what we do. We're fans (or not) and most of us tend to rush to judgement. I think it's inappropriate for people like Jalen Rose to condemn him publicly though until all the facts are known. This isn't a court of law so innocent until proven guilty means nothing but at least some work needs to be done before people in the public eye start condemning Sterling and calling for extreme action.

 

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

You cannot be provoked to be racist: you're racist or you're not. Sterling us roar... Good riddance.

 

[Cheesebeef]

The woman with the tape is an alleged extortionist. I'm not defending Sterling in any way, but this is likely more complicated than it sounds. Audio files can be manipulated pretty easily, and much more dramatically than I realized until I started playing with the process myself.

The "extortionist" of all is kind of a joke. Sterling's WIFE is suing her for "extortion" alleging she convinced Sterling to buy her a 1.8 million dollar condo and jewelry and HE used joint marriage funds to do it. Looks to me like a guy who got his hand caught in the cookie jar and a wife who's pissed or in utter and complete denial about how much of a
POS Sterling is.

The dude's been outed a racist a loooooong time ago, but now he's relevant, thus the ensuing firestorm.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I truely understand what you're saying & I'm not saying you're wrong, but a true racist wouldn't hire people of ethnic backgrounds repeatedly in management decisions IMO like he has...would they? He even dates an African American. Maybe I'm naive, but that goes against the grain of being a racist IMO. The guy was even scheduled to be honored by the NCAAP for the 2nd time, which I'm sure will be revoked.

But...if it's proven he did said these things, I think the team should be taken away from him & his family & sold to someone else. I think it's almost a given that needs to happen.

Anyone who knows and the follows the Clippers has seen that until last year, no matter who was GM, sterling did whatever he wanted and rarely listened to his basketball people, black or white.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I listened to the whole conversation. Its on YouTube. No doubt about the racism. However, she did set him up and kept "egging" him to say more. She sure got him.
By the way, she isn't his girlfriend. He has been married for 50 years. She is his mistress. Media should tell it like it is.

Sterling is finished in the NBA. Not sure why the new commissioner is sitting on this.

No doubt about it. She cold and calculating with every response, but as good of a calculatining woman as she is, that doesn't change his masers which are, quite frankly, horrifying.

 

[Chaplin]

Hey cheese, I saw a woman in Trader Joe's in Montrose today wearing a Clipper sweatshirt. First thing I thought was, what was she THINKING?? She was a white woman.

 

[Bert]

Who is this guys "Friends"?

That's what I kept wondering listening to the tape. Who is "they"?

I mean its like he kept saying the girl could hang out with black people just as long as she didn't post pics on-line cuz then "they" will call him.

Is he in the Klan or does he just have a bunch of racist friends who strangely enough dont mind that he has a mixed race mistress, however they are appalled by pics of her with other black people on her instagram feed? WHAT?

The whole thing is sad and bizarre. The part where he talked about his players had to affect them. I mean tell me it wouldn't make you feel like crap to hear your boss talk about you that way, especially based on something as superficial as the color of your skin.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

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[Rivercard]

I saw a woman in Trader Joe's in Montrose today wearing a Clipper sweatshirt. First thing I thought was, what was she THINKING?? She was a white woman.

Why would you judge her? Donald Sterling does not represent Clipper fans or the city of Los Angeles in any way. Fans root for the team, the players, and the uniform, not the owner. Arizona Cardinal fans should be able to relate to that!

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Why would you judge her? Donald Sterling does not represent Clipper fans or the city of Los Angeles in any way. Fans root for the team, the players, and the uniform, not the owner. Arizona Cardinal fans should be able to relate to that!

Is there a moratorium on fans supporting the Clippers now just because their owner is an idiot?

 

[Phrazbit]

He is done, whether the NBA has the power to force him out or not. I expect that multiple Clipper players will request out this off-season if Sterling is left in place with no real repercussions.

If Chris Paul and Blake demand trades, Doc threatens to quit, Sterling will be left with choosing between keeping his team while its value plummets and he is so despised he cant appear in his own building, or selling them for something like a billion dollars and retiring into obscurity where he and his "friends" can talk amongst themselves about how those dastardly minorities ruin everything.

Sadly, the lesson Sterling probably sees in all this is dont date outside of his own race.

 

[elindholm]

... or selling them for something like a billion dollars and retiring into obscurity where he and his "friends" can talk amongst themselves about how those dastardly minorities ruin everything.

Sadly, the lesson Sterling probably sees in all this is dont date outside of his own race.

Sardonically funny, but probably not too far off the mark.

 

[JCSunsfan]

He is 81 years old. People can tend to become much less guarded when they get that old. But that is also a reason to step away from ownership. I don't know if it is a family business that he wants to keep in the family. If so, its time to let someone else take charge.

 

[KloD]

I've known Sterling was a scumbag and a racist for a number of years, he's been sued by the federal government twice for refusing to rent apartments to blacks and latinos, he's been sued by his former GM, there's been several stories written about other racist allegations about him. So this whole thing is kind of odd to me, not that folks are upset at what was said, but I find it hard to believe NBA players, staff, and coaches are acting like they just found out about this man and are calling for his head. I guess if he went in front of camera's and said these horrible things I could see the outrage, but being illegally taped in a private conversation isn't the same. He wasn't announcing to all how he felt. I don't know, the outrage feels almost staged. Please, don't get me wrong. I find him to be a poor excuse of a human being, but none of this should be this shocking. It seems weird that this man being sued 2x by the Feds for his racist business practices wasn't enough to piss off these people who NOW don't want to work for him because of what was said in the recording, but it was ok to work for him when he was actually treating minorities bad, breaking laws and being sued? I just don't get it?

Also, I find it odd that as many anti-gay things that have been said by some professional athletes and fans, probably some of the same that are outraged over this, don't see that their comments are just as despicable. That hate is hate. Kobe the saint is tweeting stuff about Sterling and we all know his immoral past and things he said, yet he felt an apology was sufficient in his case, but is calling for Sterlings head. I guess what I'm saying is these folks that have said hatful things themselves got a taste of that hate and are acting like they are saints.

Anyway, as bad as Sterlings comments are, the positive out of this is the unity of everyone surrounding it. It sends a message to those racists and bigots out there that their bull**** is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. That's a good thing.

 

[elindholm]

Also, I find it odd that as many anti-gay things that have been said by some professional athletes and fans, probably some of the same that are outraged over this, don't see that their comments are just as despicable. That hate is hate. Kobe the saint is tweeting stuff about Sterling and we all know his immoral past and things he said, yet he felt an apology was sufficient in his case, but is calling for Sterlings head.

That's a good point. There's a pretty clear double standard that some kinds of hate speech demand outrage and other kinds are just, "oops, I was being insensitive."

Anyway, as bad as Sterlings comments are, the positive out of this is the unity of everyone surrounding it. It sends a message to those racists and bigots out there that their bull**** is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. That's a good thing.

I'm not sure it's a good thing, actually. It's good that Sterling's comments have inspired a vocal rebuttal, and certainly it's sad that people feel the way that he seems to. But remember, even as vile a group as the KKK is protected by our Constitution. Allowing freedom of speech means "tolerating" even that speech which offends us, as dimwitted, inflammatory, and insulting as it may be. The best way to deal with Sterling types is to ignore them, not to create excess drama over an issue where 95% of the country is already in agreement. There will always be people on the fringes who are a century or two behind; just let them be isolated by their own myopia.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I've known Sterling was a scumbag and a racist for a number of years, he's been sued by the federal government twice for refusing to rent apartments to blacks and latinos, he's been sued by his former GM, there's been several stories written about other racist allegations about him. So this whole thing is kind of odd to me, not that folks are upset at what was said, but I find it hard to believe NBA players, staff, and coaches are acting like they just found out about this man and are calling for his head. I guess if he went in front of camera's and said these horrible things I could see the outrage, but being illegally taped in a private conversation isn't the same. He wasn't announcing to all how he felt. I don't know, the outrage feels almost staged. Please, don't get me wrong. I find him to be a poor excuse of a human being, but none of this should be this shocking. It seems weird that this man being sued 2x by the Feds for his racist business practices wasn't enough to piss off these people who NOW don't want to work for him because of what was said in the recording, but it was ok to work for him when he was actually treating minorities bad, breaking laws and being sued? I just don't get it?

Also, I find it odd that as many anti-gay things that have been said by some professional athletes and fans, probably some of the same that are outraged over this, don't see that their comments are just as despicable. That hate is hate. Kobe the saint is tweeting stuff about Sterling and we all know his immoral past and things he said, yet he felt an apology was sufficient in his case, but is calling for Sterlings head. I guess what I'm saying is these folks that have said hatful things themselves got a taste of that hate and are acting like they are saints.

Anyway, as bad as Sterlings comments are, the positive out of this is the unity of everyone surrounding it. It sends a message to those racists and bigots out there that their bull**** is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. That's a good thing.

the Kobe thing is definitely a joke.

 

[slinslin]

Cuban is right though, they can't just go ahead and fire Sterling or rid him off his team. He is an owner, he owns the team. He is free to say whatever he wants and live with the consequences but the NBA can't force him out it will have to come from him really.

If the NBA forces him out it sets a precedence to force other owners out for any future fallout they might have.

The best way to counter Sterling would be for players to try to void their contracts with the Clippers and move on if they don't want to play for him. Maybe the NBA could actually allow for that but that would again be problematic.
Sponsors have to pull out and people need to stop puying tickets and merchandise.

What I am saying is - Clippers fans, players and business partners have to motivate him to sell the team not the NBA or the other owners.

 

[KloD]

That's a good point. There's a pretty clear double standard that some kinds of hate speech demand outrage and other kinds are just, "oops, I was being insensitive."

Yep, and those were from public made comments, imagine what they have said in the privacy of their own homes. Mark Jackson is another that has me rolling my eyes with his hurt feelings, he wasn't all that worried about Jason Collins feelings, but he chose his words carefully even though they were still hurtful to others. I find it hard to believe he has not said less carefully chosen words in private.

I'm not sure it's a good thing, actually. It's good that Sterling's comments have inspired a vocal rebuttal, and certainly it's sad that people feel the way that he seems to. But remember, even as vile a group as the KKK is protected by our Constitution. Allowing freedom of speech means "tolerating" even that speech which offends us, as dimwitted, inflammatory, and insulting as it may be. The best way to deal with Sterling types is to ignore them, not to create excess drama over an issue where 95% of the country is already in agreement. There will always be people on the fringes who are a century or two behind; just let them be isolated by their own myopia.

I hear what you're saying and I agree. This not only exposes Sterling, but IMO exposes the hypocrisy of others as well. Maybe what I should have said was that I hope this kind of outrage and potential backlash will have others rethinking their attitudes/beliefs? I doubt it, but one can hope.

 

[PDXChris]

Cuban is right though, they can't just go ahead and fire Sterling or rid him off his team. He is an owner, he owns the team. He is free to say whatever he wants and live with the consequences but the NBA can't force him out it will have to come from him really.

Bob Costas was on Dan Patrick this morning and disagrees with you. The NBA Owners By Laws actually says the oppisite. They have a code of ethics they must act by. There is a reason Mark Cuban himself has been fined many times for saying whatever he wants. He also stated that if 24 owners vote for something, like taking away his right to be an owner, then it will happen. Remember, you can not just buy a team, you must be approved by ownership of at least 24 other teams to even become an owner.

Costas did state that he did not think they will force him out though. They will suspend him for a year, fine him $1 million, force him to complete a treatment program and make life hell for him.

 

[elindholm]

Maybe what I should have said was that I hope this kind of outrage and potential backlash will have others rethinking their attitudes/beliefs? I doubt it, but one can hope.

Not a chance. If racists (or others with severe prejudice) were in any way reflective or introspective, they wouldn't be racists in the first place.