First let me say that the reason I did not post this in the existing Sterling thread is that I believe Bomani's take deserves a separate discussion. Let me begin by saying that the one thing that bothers me regarding this sterling issue is that it was not done sooner. I am glad we finally have a commissioner with a spine that took care of sterling but this should have happened years ago. I am 100% sure David Stern knew that Donald Sterling was a racist *******, a bigot, and crony business man. But what bothers me is that because the clippers were horrible that Stern simply turned a blind eye to the issue because no one cared enough about the clippers. Now the clippers have 2 superstars, a HOF coach, and all hell breaks loose because of Sterling's comments? That is BS. Skip to 3:40 <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/g6bLKe9-Mto" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I agree. If you disagree, consider this: If a black NBA team owner had a well-documented history of anti-Semitic comments and behavior, the league would have taken action against him immediately instead of ignoring him for years.
Yep. Sterling was not hurting the NBA brand because they were hush hush about his ****. But this incident got out. Sponsors left the clippers in a mass exodus and money was in question. Why do you think silver took 1 DAY to nuke Sterling. Hell he could have simply banned him for the playoffs but NO the dude banned him for LIFE. Money is and always be the biggest motivator. Lets not sit here and pretend that the NBA did this because of Racism.
And here is a article Jones wrote SIX years Ago. SIX! And not a single finger was laid on Sterling until 2014. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=jones/060810
Wiat... before answering you... would that NBA Team have a Griffin-like and CP3-like superstar in their roster and possibly could go all the way to the Championship?!?? If so, then we will just make that black NBA Team owner write an apology.
When you're dealing with bylaws and franchise agreements then, yes...money is the biggest factor. It's the factor that allows the NBA to take these steps, because the others owners can say clearly that he's impacting the value of their investments. This was particularly so as sponsors started to back away from him. That's much more sustainable for ouster than all those other allegations. I'm not saying that's a good thing.
Money is the big motivator unfortunately, like it is for a lot of businesses. Sterling being racist in his other businesses didn't damage the NBA's brand. That's our fault though (society as a whole). The league didn't care until we cared enough.
He makes some very good points. One thing i'm not liking is how much credit people are giving the league and Silver. Everyone is talking about how it's a LIFE TIME ban, wow, and 2.5 million fine....but isn't that just a slap on the wrist, for someone who's 80 years old and a billionaire? It was a very easy decision to make, IMO. I would say anyone could have come up with that ruling.
Businesses are amoral, they will only be as progressive as society demands them to be. That's why I'm glad this is now a major issue. This could have been another TMZ snippet, come and gone with no fanfare like the previous lawsuits levied against Sterling. Now everyone, all fans and players everywhere are standing united against racism. The league didn't care before we cared, but now we do. Isn't that a good thing?
The legend Kareem Abdul Jabbar states a very similar position. Great read if you have a few minutes... http://toprightnews.com/?p=2777
Brilliant reporting. Right to the heart. All Sterling did was say I don't want my girlfriend hanging in public with another black man. I would even go further to say he especially didn't want here hanging with a powerful black man like Magic. That's what triggered his outburst. The bottom line is Donald Sterling is not alone. The way he feels is the consensus feeling of most white man his age. You're talking about a man born in the 1930's. Most white men back then believed that way. That's the reality. (Pulling out my mexican race card) If you didn't seriously do some introspection and open up to the fact that racism is wrong you stay stuck in that mindset 70 years later. Rich men don't have to change. Donald Sterling mostly didn't but his racism is mild compared to many. No need to for white people to jump up and down in outrage like it is an atrocity when their grandpa probably thinks the same way.
While there are so many closet racists, Sterling will have to be crucified so that the next owner in any sport has a precedent set. They can lose their team by making dumb comments. Also, I do hope the courts allow criminal prosecution of that skank who recorded Sterling without his knowledge. We ripped the NSA for recording and invading privacy, and this despicable human did the same thing. She too deserves what she gets.
Bringing the focus to Sterling's role in housing discrimination is a significant point. Sterling actively wields power that seriously affects the lives of others he is targeting via race. That is racism at its essence: the expression of personal prejudice base on race through real social, economic, political power. And pointing out the flack he -- Bomani -- gets when he reports on racism is important. As he said, in the article he wrote 6-8 years ago, he didn't see someone coming, he just wrote what happened. The audio is just a guy articulating the social rules as he sees them in a white supremacist society. He didn't drop any N-bombs (as far as I have heard/read). He articulated a clear argument about the social rules he thinks manages relations between races.
I'm sure people in the 3rd ward would jump at the chance to leave the third ward. Have you heard the phrase "escaping the ghetto"? The people in the 3rd ward live there because that is what they can afford and or are trapped in an unforgiving situation. Just because Jones does not live there does not hurt his credibility speaking about low income housing. I'm not sure what your point for making that statement was.
