Donald Sterling wasn’t in a courtside seat Sunday afternoon, where he would’ve had an up-close view of what his coarse words and corrosive opinions did to his Los Angeles Clippers.Let's not kid ourselves here: there is no defending what Sterling says here. Period. No qualifications. I'm sick of people who have made this a Conservative/Liberal issue (stop it already), a privacy issue (bullsh*t[1]) a free speech issue (free speech doesn't mean free of consequences) or an issue on par with the civil rights movement (please, kill the hyperbole) in some way.
The team was drained and unenthusiastic despite a crucial NBA playoff game in Oakland, Calif., against the Golden State Warriors. The Clippers’ most impactful action in a decisive loss came during pregame warmups, when they gathered at midcourt and peeled off their team-issued warmup jackets to reveal red shirts turned inside-out to hide the team logo — a sign of protest against the team’s 80-year-old owner, who allegedly made racist remarks to a girlfriend that were recorded and posted Saturday on the Web site TMZ.
The report is the latest in a series of allegations of racial and gender discrimination against Sterling, a real estate mogul and the longest-tenured team owner in a league whose player pool is more than three-quarters African American.
In the recording, a man identified as Sterling scolded the woman, identified as V. Stiviano, for posting to Instagram photographs of herself with African Americans and for attending Clippers games with them.
Sterling’s history paints a picture of a man who has let slip bigoted beliefs for years — and has, at least so far, sidestepped major repercussions. He was sued in 1996 for sexual harassment. In 2003 he testified in a separate court case that he occasionally paid women for sex. The same year, Sterling was sued by 19 tenants of a building he owned, along with the Housing Rights Center; they claimed Sterling’s employees refused repairs to black tenants and frequently threatened to evict them. Sterling settled the case for an undisclosed sum.
In 2009, Sterling spent $2.73 million to settle another suit, this time brought by the Justice Department, which alleged Sterling refused to rent his apartments to non-Korean tenants, preferring that black and Hispanic prospective tenants look elsewhere. The lawsuit quoted Sterling as saying in sworn testimony that “Hispanics smoke, drink and just hang around the building,” adding that “black tenants smell and attract vermin.”
Sterling also feuded with Elgin Baylor, a Washington native, NBA legend and the Clippers’ general manager for 22 years. Baylor, who has declined commenting publicly this weekend, sued Sterling in 2009 for discrimination and wrongful termination. In the lawsuit, Baylor, who is African American, alleged Sterling built his franchise with the “vision of a Southern plantation-type structure” and accused the team owner of a “pervasive and ongoing racist attitude.” A jury ruled in Sterling’s favor in 2011.
Nothing, though, has attracted attention like the recorded conversation that TMZ obtained and posted Saturday. Some have called for Silver to force Sterling to sell the Clippers, and others have said publicly that Sterling should face significant sanctions if the voice on the audio is proved to be his.
Nope, what's here is an employer, making comments about his employees that would constitute creating a hostile work environment in 99% of workplaces. And yes, if the CEO of your company said something similar, he'd be in trouble as well.
My biggest issue here isn't necessarily with Sterling. It's with the NBA itself, which has allowed this racist ingrate to own a team for 3 decades, despite plenty of prior evidence that he is in fact, a racist ingrate. New commissioner Adam Silver is playing things as well as he possibly can thus far, as he's obviously beholden to owners first, players second. So yeah, good job, Mr. Silver. But if you're gonna move to have Sterling ousted, make sure it's clearly understood that this isn't merely because his golddigging girlfriend[2] secretly taped him saying some really racist sh*t. Nope, make it because Sterling has a well publicized history of doing some really racist sh*t, and this was just the tipping point.
On a somewhat related note, I hate that the Clippers had to stage that paltry "protest" prior to yesterday's game, then came out and got their asses handed to them by the Warriors. To me, it sorta seems like they spent a bit too much time watching ESPN and worrying about how to publicly respond, when they really shoulda just kept their heads down, focused on the task at hand (winning a crucial game) and let others (like Lebron James, whose comments were spot-on and pretty brave) speak on their behalf. Getting blown out is the absolute last way to stick it to Da' Man, especially when Da' Man is your employer. Play for the fans and each other. Eff' the racist owner.
I obviously think Sterling should be removed as owner, just as Marge Schott was, and just as Rush Limbaugh was prevented from becoming. The NBA is a multibillion dollar, worldwide corporate entity. It has no place for idiots like Donald Sterling.
Question: What should the NBA do to Donald Sterling? Should Magic Johnson be allowed to buy the team now?
[1] In a normal workplace, management can be held responsible for things said off the record, and away from/after office hours. The NBA is no different.
[2] Seriously, sista, what's up with you? #BlackGirlLost
