I usually don't post on Sunday...But in lieu of Yesterday's controversy ...I feel I have to....Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angelas Clippers....a basketball team I have admired and rooted for ,for the past few years just put his foot in his mouth and possibly killed his business...
By now you all know...On Friday night, TMZ published a recording of Donald Sterling telling his girlfriend not to "broadcast" her associations with black people on Instagram... His girlfriend is herself half African-American , half Latina...Go figure.
Donald Sterling bought the Los Angeles Clippers in 1981 for $12.5 million when the team played in San Diego. He orchestrated a move to the bigger Los Angeles market in 1984 in a move that triggered a $25 million penalty by the NBA.
He countersued for $100 million the NBA back down allowing him to pay $6 million from expansion proceeds. As the Los Angeles Lakers piled up titles over the next three decades, the Clippers racked up losses and fired coaches.
Donald Sterling was branded a cheapskate for never paying to keep star players and moves like not hiring a coach during the 1998 to save a few bucks. Sterling was lambasted for the Clippers putting up only two winning seasons over 32 years, but started making millions when the team became a tenant at the Staples Center.
The Clippers were dubbed the worst franchise in pro sports by ESPN The Magazine in 2009. But Sterling’s faults run much deeper than the inability to field a competent basketball team before the last three seasons.
If we look past this weekend's misdeeds.. The laundry list of Donald Sterling’s misdeeds include a housing discrimination lawsuit he settled for $2.7 million with the government where he was accused of not renting apartments to Hispanics and Blacks.
He was sued in 2006 by the Justice Department for allegations of housing discrimination in the Koreatown part of Los Angeles. Donald Sterling was also sued by longtime Clippers general manger Elgin Baylor for wrongful termination alleging racial and age discrimination after Baylor lost his job.
The latest blow is an audio recording released by TMZ that alleges a conversation between Sterling and his girlfriend, V. Stiviano. Sterling rails on Stiviano for associating with black people and posting a photo on Instagram posing with Lakers’ legend Magic Johnson. A couple of the stomach turning comments include: “It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Do you have to?” He later adds, ”You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on that … and not to bring them to my games.” Sterling’s girlfriend is as I stated above African-American and Mexican.
There is precedent for this kind of action. Former Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott was suspended from baseball for a full season for her derogatory comments regarding Jews and blacks. The suspension didn’t help and she uttered her famous line, “[Adolf Hitler] was O.K. in the beginning.” She added: “He just took it too far.” She was then reportedly forced to sell the club by MLB. Baseball seized control of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2011 because owner Frank McCourt used the team like his personal ATM. McCourt was forced out as the team was sold to Guggenheim Baseball. McCourt walked away a rich man when Guggenheim paid $2 billion for the club.
An NBA spokesman issued the following statement: “We are in the process of conducting a full investigation into the audio recording obtained by TMZ. The remarks heard on the recording are disturbing and offensive, but at this time we have no further information.”
Donald Sterling has not commented on the reports.No I guess he can't...Right now he's probably drunk out of his mind...
Activist Jesse Jackson has called for a boycott of Clippers games.
NBA Great , Magic Johnson took to Twitter in a series of tweets to express his displeasure with Sterling.
You'll get no argument from me there, but what he doesn't have a right to is to be shielded from the consequences of that opinion!
13 comments:
Racism is alive and well, shows in many forms. This guy will be out of the league ownership soon.
Other than the obvious (money), I wonder why the girlfriend is even with this guy, She's a pretty girl..She can do better. The Clippers is game right after the Bulls/Wizards today,I'm Sure it will get very high ratings with people tuning to see if there's progress in this situation.
I'm not surprised at all by closed door conversations, hearts have to be changed not behavior!! People can legislate all they want but if you don't get a heart transplant from God exchanging your stony heart for flesh this is what you get.
I know y'all didn't think this was the exception right? If they are blatantly disrespectful to our Black President Barrak Obama you can only imagine what is said, conspired and done behind closed doors. Wake up people @_@, you've slumbered long enough
The man would be very smart to sell quickly, and go hide under a rock. There is no possible defense, and no conceivable way he can be connected with the team going forward.
Just read that the LA branch of NAACP is rescinding his invite to get its lifetime achievement award-- they obviously didn't pay attention to Sterling's life of discriminating against racial and ethic minorities. #blindeyeforfinsncialpurposes.
You know,I'm not saying I'm not shocked and appalled. I just don't think he broke the law. I save my outrage for things that really matter. He's probably going to get fined and he'll probably apologize. Will they take away his franchise???, No. Will the black players leave the team??, Again, not Likely. Will black people stop going to the games? A few, for awhile. Magic Johnson said he would. So yes, he will be punished. I just find it hard to be too surprised or bothered that he was outed as a racist. If you knew about him and his record especially as a landlord you would know this isn't the worst he has done. He's been sued for discrimination and his racist comments have been made public record before and he has always settled. Yet that didn't outrage folks.SMDH!
Whatever court it is there is more $hit to clean up here than cow$hit on bundy's ranch. NBA has to investigate. Investigate what? NBA betta get busy .. he tellin her she can sleep with anyone at his games as long as they are not black. That is blatant discrimination.
A friend has suggested that that guy Bundy move to California so he and Sterling can wed ... Lord, I wish Richard Pryor were still with us!
As for his girlfriend... If she did not walk away instantly and refuse to ever speak to him again, she is volunteering to be Thomas Jefferson's house maid, It's the 21st century lady.... Yes I said it. Respect your people!
Pardon my language Keith ,but you know what? He can THINK whatever the fuck he wants. But the sheer lack of decency and respect for the fact that 75% of his fucking TEAM is Black and he's seemingly oblivious to how fucked up his comments are....is something that should not stand unanswered either..
He should be giving thanks by helping the community he scorns. What about donating to the boys and girls club or starting his own organization stemming from The Clippers to empower children and the community. Instead of using that pretty half Black, Half Latina girlfriend as his personal escort, put her in charge of the community outreach organization, Have her use her beauty for good. oh well. Time to click my heels three times and go back to reality.
If the players decided to boycott, seriously, What's the worse that can happen? Will they fire the whole team? I doubt it. Damn a contract. Sometimes you have to stand up for principle and what is right and take the consequences later.
My question is how can the NBA allow this person to even own a team. that's corruption at it's best......We as a nation have empowered corporate America to support these finding which is unbelievable!!
If every player playing in the playoffs right now were really grown men no matter what their race they would shut this thing down right now. This just shows that the slave mentality includes all races in sports. Mindless sheep who sell their souls for a man made dollar that gives them a false sense of being equal. They only respect their money stop being their slaves and reclaim your self respect.
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