LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling

Statalyzer

Statalyzer

10,000+ Posts
Sounds like he was caught on tape basically telling his mistress not to make it public if she cares about anyone who is black and not to show up at Clippers games with any black people. Will be interesting to see the NBA's response to this. I think they've been handling it pretty well so far. Doc Rivers and his team seem to be doing the best they can with the situation as well.
 
The "girlfriend" certainly has the appearance of a gold digger, but the comments are disgusting and deplorable, regardless of the circumstances in obtaining them.

I haven't heard Sterling deny making them and I don't see how he will be able to continue as an owner in the league. The longer he stays, the more everyone will suffer.
 
Well, it appears Silver is going hardcore on the owners' constitution. Based on what Cuban said yesterday, I'm not sure the league is going to get 100 percent support from the other owners regarding the forced sale of the team.

I kind of wish the players' association had a representative in this matter now. Can players/coaches state that they won't play for a certain team? They're probably going to have to write a "Sterling" clause into the constitution for matters like this.
 
Discussion on NPR this a.m. is that the NBA has a lot of explaining to do when they take this action against Sterling for something he SAID, yet keep Isaiah Thomas on board after his having been fined and convicted for something he DID. Too, the NBA having overlooked Sterling's history of race related transgressions is going to get some play before this is over; as is the fund-raising policy of the NAACP that was poised to honor him for his efforts toward blacks.

Will be interesting to see how much of this is from the heart, and how much is from the policital playbook. I vote the latter all around.
 
Not to make light of a serious matter, but the number of black celebrities talking about buying the Clippers now is almost becoming hilarious. Magic Johnson, Snoop Dogg, P. Diddy Combs, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Oprah, etc. etc. etc..

I guess whatever the cost, the publicity is priceless.
 
They are gonna be waiting quite a while. Looking at the NBA by-laws and rules for voting an owner to sell...he's got a hell of a legal case. With these comments being in private and in confidence of the recipient. No warning of being recorded. Zero intent to make any of his private feelings personal to the public and damage anyone's image in the eyes of others.

He may not win in the end, but his case is strong enough to drag out for a very long time. I guarantee he doesn't give a damn about the profit of a sale, this is principle to an arrogant guy like this.

In my opinion, through a legality viewpoint, this is a very slippery slope the other owners would be embarking on by voting him to sell. I'm not sure they will get the votes. The precedent set here could screw some people royally down the road.

Some wanted Cuban out back in the day, and if this precedent was on the books, they could've easily argued his actions as detrimental to the league and booted him. He committed several willfully defiant acts years ago...and with intent that Sterling did not have one bit. Don't expect a Clippers sale anytime in the next few years. He'll sell to Magic Johnson's group over his dead body. That guy was the one the comment that ruined him was made about. Oh the irony!
 
I think the NBA and Adam Silver are a joke for their actions against Sterling given the private conversation that took place. Sterling's views are abhorrent but the NBA is in the wrong here. They are looking to make Sterling a pariah purely out of public angst and political correctness
 
Perhaps there is some validity to the dementia rumors regarding Sterling. It's not just his offensive comments (that he supposedly has a long history of), but the guy comes out saying something one day and contradicts himself the next.

I'm all for freedom of speech, but anyone of reasonable intelligence and in their right mind has to realize that we live not in a vacuum, but a social climate treading increasingly fragile eggshells of political correctness. Just look at the flak Mark Cuban has received for his relatively benign comments regarding his thoughts. And believe me, I'm no fan of Mark Cuban.
 
If the commissioner has the right to unilaterally levy a gigantic fine against a team just because he didn't like that they didn't play the players he wanted them to in a big game, then he has the right to unilaterally fine Sterling for his conduct. But they don't have the right to force him to sell - and it sure looks to me like the "Hey looks he's too mentally impaired to speak for himself so we get to have her decide for him" decision is not being made in a ethical or dispassionate fashion. Seems like somebody said in a backroom meeting "Forcing him to sell won't hold up in court, but I bet we can get him declared crazy to get around this!"
 
The problem I have is small but does have merit. He was pissed at his "girlfriend" for embarrassing him and bitching at her in a private conversation. There's not many men around that haven't gotten royally pissed at their woman and said some really jacked up things. Comments that likely aren't even how you truly felt about issues you were speaking on. It's simply an exaggerated, angry reaction for effect in private.

He is an owner and she was publicly flaunting the help at his events in his eyes. This guy is on another level financially from basketball players. Bringing around rich basketball players is still considered hanging with the help to mega wealthy country club type owners. He employs the guys that were/are in this profession, not bring them home for dinner to be buddies. I can see how that part was offensive to him. Although I don't support any racism tagged on to it. But I can understand being pissed and running your mouth in private more than you should.

Being illegally taped in private and having it is used to break apart your financial empire is pretty intrusive, unfair stuff. What we say in anger on our time in confidence is our own damn business. Right or wrong, it just is. This whole ordeal is setting a dangerous precedent. I hope the NBA somehow gets screwed on this one, and then Sterling gets his own form of justice through karma later on. But this way is messed up. Many of us would be screwed in the same private situation...black, white, etc. We've all said publicly improper things when angry that we didn't truly believe in.
 
It would have been one thing had this been an isolated incident, but Sterling has a history of racist comments going back many years. Hell, he was still making them after this incident came out.

The reality of the situation is that right, or wrong he was finished as an owner when this story became a negative PR tidal wave. Not in a league where more than two thirds of the teams were losing money a couple of years ago.

Players and advertisers were talking about a boycott, not to mention the fans - in LA and every arena the Clippers play in on the road. Not so much the blue collar guys in the nosebleed section paying ten bucks a ticket, but the ones paying $5K a pop for courtside seats.

The best thing for Donald to do now is take his money and go crawl under a rock somewhere. A really nice rock.
 
One thing I find amusing is there is no doubt a ton of nutjobs dating famous people just learned an ideal, simple tactic to screw them over. At least damage their image. All they have to do is bait the guy during a breakup, hit record, and capture the magic an upset man often provides in private. TMZ will come running with cash. America is a messed up society beyond repair.
 
True, good point. On that note, another aspect of this Sterling ordeal is he basically bought a hot, young gf to flaunt around with him. No doubt karma is now biting him in the Depends for that morally bankrupt act. You gotta pay to play just took on a whole new meaning for DS.
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