Should Sterling have to sell?

H

Horn6721

Hook'em
Hard to believe how stupid he is and seemingly a hard core racist.
Some calling for him to sell the team
From CBS LA
"KCAL/CBS2 sports director Jim Hill sat down exclusively with Magic to discuss the remarks the Clippers owner allegedly made.

“I’m very disappointed, angry and upset,” said Johnson. “Let’s go back when I first got here in 1979. Dr. Buss took me to my first real party at Donald Sterling’s house in Malibu for his annual BBQ. Ever since then, since Dr. Buss introduced me to him at the time he bought the Clippers, we’ve been out, we’ve had lunch and even shared meals to talk about his team, so I thought we had a sort of a friendship, even though it may be a distant one.”
sell the team.'
The Link


some have also suggested his current players boycott .

My real question is will the NAACP withdraw their lifetime award they were going to present him?
 
I'm not sure what the league's options are, but his continued ownership will clearly cast a shadow over not only the team, but the entire NBA.
 
I'm not sure. I would hope that the market and player revolt would take care of the problem. I'm not sure that the NBA making public decisions is the best move although privately I would hope that they would put pressure on Sterling to do something. On the other hand, I'm not sure what negative effects would come from the NBA taking a public stance and god knows the media will put tremendous pressure on the NBA to take such a stance. All I know is that the last thing basketball fans need is for the President to stand on the bully pulpit to chastise Sterling and heal America. I would be surprised if it didn't happen, though because that is his modus operandi.
 
The NAACP announced this afternoon that he will not be presented with the award, and they are also looking into rescinding the one he was previously given.
No surprise.
 
Have to sell?

This is a tough question and I tend to think no.

Should he sell?

Good grief yes.

And why the hell did the NAACP ever even consider him for an award?
 
The league should allow the players to choose to play for him or not. That would pretty much cement the sale of the team.
 
The economic harm his remarks will have on his team should be enough to push him to sell. It's suddenly going to be much harder to sign star players. I imagine ticket sales will also likely plummet.

Now, the rest of the NBA owners could have grounds to sue him to force a sale but I doubt any of them want that precedent to be set. I've little doubt that 29 other owners also have some skeletons in their own closets.
 
A couple of lessons here:

If you're in the public eye, be careful what you say because you might hear it again at an inopportune time.

In choosing slutty 20-something gold-digging bimbos, one should use great care to find one who is loyal, trustworthy and mature.
 
If there is, don't share.

wink.gif
 
Apparently the league constitution allows for only a fine and/or suspension, however Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander mentioned something that caught my attention.

Alexander, who has been one of the more vocal owners that have called for Sterling to be forced out, said a first step would be to give the entire Clippers roster the option of becoming free agents after the season. I wonder, does the Commissioner have the power to do that?
 
A few thoughts on this story.

1. Sterling is a racist. The "racism wolf" gets cried so often today that it's almost meaningless (which cheapens the legitimacy of the charge against Sterling), but Sterling is the real deal.

2. Sterling is an *******. He makes huge money primarily off of black players and a large number of black fans but holds them in such contempt. That's pretty low.

3. Even for a racist, Sterling has pretty strange priorities. He's OK with his girlfriend having sex with black men but he's not OK with her bringing them to basketball games. So if they're going to Laker games or Dodger games, no problem. Black guys can bang his girlfriend all they want. WTF?

4. Sterling's political views are irrelevant. If Democratic candidates have taken money from him, it does not reflect poorly on them. (Obviously, if they continue to take his money after his comments, that's a different matter.) His registration in the GOP doesn't reflect poorly on the GOP. They don't control who registers.

5. The NBA should oust Sterling if it can. So long as he is the owner, that franchise is ruined. No self-respecting black player will sign with them, and most white players will stand in solidarity with them.

This isn't like Marge Schott (former Cincinnati Reds owner), who got away with a lot of racist comments in the '80s and '90s before facing ouster by the League. She famously referred to one of her players as "her million-dollar nigger." His response was that so long as she included the "million dollar" part, he didn't care what came afterwards. It's a very different time. Black players aren't going to have that attitude today (nor should they), and if they did, they'd take serious flack for it.

In addition, this will kill the Clippers' attendance, advertising money, etc. If they had an extensive tradition of winning and a huge fan base (Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees, etc.), they might weather this storm, but a team with a history of sucking and having a competitor (Lakers) playing in the same arena doesn't stand a chance. In other words, the financial well-being of the team is in serious jeopardy if he doesn't sell.
 
I wrote my earlier comment before I understood the full extent of Sterling's comments and actions. He needs to be removed or sell. He is a cancer on the entire league. This is a real shame for the Clippers players and franchise who finally had put it all together this year after being a lousy franchise for so long.
 
Bomani Jones is going off that he wrote about Sterling's serious issues 8 years ago and nobody cared. One recording and now the world is on fire. I haven't had time to review the evidence, but many claim he is/was a terrible slum lord.
 
I believe he lost or paid large settlements in two discrimination lawsuits. This, in and of itself, does not necessarily mean anything. The deposition transcripts are very damning though. His comments, and the attitude they reflect, are pretty unbelievable.
 
An article discussing the relationship between Sterling and the NAACP. At least with respect to the LA chapter, it sounds like money talked and might still talk if Sterling is "penitent" enough (meaning writes out a big enough check).
 
He shouldn't be forced to sell by the NBA (unless it is in the owner's constitution and Cuban said it isn't).

The market - including his employees and the business community (ticket holders, advertisers and sponsors) will take care of this. He will be shut down and no free agent will want to go there. A boycott of the next playoff game seems the most interesting way to force his hand ASAFP. An empty arena would be an incredible message to him - hit him where it hurts $$$ (yes, the tickets have already been purchased but seeing the future loss of revenue will drive it home immediately).

I love Les Alexander but to suggest the Clippers become free agents isn't fair - they all signed contracts to work there.

I think the market will handle this situation and Sterling will be forced to sell. I really hope he is allowed to sell it on his terms (auction to highest / best bidder) instead of the NBA seizing his team at one price and auctioning it off at another. I own and built my business and no one shouldn't be able to sell their property below market rates.

Also, his statements are backwards and offensive. I think he was coming from a place where he didn't want his girlfriend to bring other guys she was banging to his place. He is pretty ****** up.
 
Alexander's comments seem pretty reckless. Nothing has been proven. Some jilted girlfriend releases a tape and Sterling's $250 million franchise should be destroyed by releasing all the players from their contracts? Just stupid.
 
Magic Johnson wants to buy the Clippers; he gets his gf to record conversations with her sugardaddy in which the old guy makes racist statements. She illegally records them and then turns them over to a media source she knows will use them.
He gets forced to sell

Magic buys his own basketball team.

Not bad for a guy who was looking death in the eye a decade or so back.
 
I'm in no way supporting Sterling, but if you had a recorder in every house in America about 100% would say something seriously offensive to someone else. Of course no one thinks they said anything offensive.

Shaq just made fun of a special needs kid PUBLICLY on twitter. Where's the outrage?
 
Vol
That is sorta what Kareem was saying.
We all agree Sterling is a racist who is also particularly stupid
BUT it is funny the league and the world ignored all his racist chit for 20 years
and now only when a private conversation is made public is there any action

so yes let's make sure Sterling gets punished
but let's also make sure the moral outrage is applied equally.
 
Probably what the new commish had to do to keep the peace in the league. The lawsuits will likely begin from Sterling unless the NBA is very careful how they wrap up his exit. Magic's involvement in this is pretty eye opening from my perspective who had no knowledge about Sterling before the past few days.

Does this mean the NBA will start policing the comments of their own with respect to all adverse racial talk from all of those affiliated with the NBA(whether public or private talk)?
 
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