Donald Sterling and the NBA

jchap389

is he an a-hole? sure, no doubt about it. he has a right to say what he wants IMO, and honestly it probably isn't any more or less racist than some of the things his players have probably said at one point or another.. banishment is a bit Ludacris, though i can see hitting him up with a fine.

Agreed.
How many of us have said less than politically correct things during private conversations with friends/family/significant other. Think about the possibility of all your comments, regardless of context or when/where you said them, being reason enough for someone to strip you of your entire livelihood.
Is the man disgusting and a pig? Absolutely..but so are white supremacists in my mind..and they have the right to march on the capital and hand out hate info to anyone they please.

Interesting read:
http://time.com/79590/donald-sterling-kareem-abdul-jabbar-racism/

He has the right to be a jerk, sure. The NBA also has the right to fine him.

I don't get how the fact that racists are legally protected to racist free speech is a part of this conversation. This has nothing to do with his free speech rights.

Wait, what?
Have you not read a single post in this whole thread?
Pretty sure almost every one of us has agreed with the fining.....

SunofaBeach14

no, in the NBA.

it makes no difference, the NBA is dominated by black players and white owners. Im SURE you can find clips of players calling whites names, voicing their opinions in public and private but they can because their opinions don't effect those white owners. Sterlings opinions DO and HAVE effected his actions both in the NBA and other ventures he has been in and out of court for over the decades.

If this were the NHL or Golf sure the African American owner would be held to the same standard, and who would want such a MF around them... would YOU be okay with a racist Non-White person calling the shots at your job??

so, there is a double standard then?

UH YEAH!! of course there is.. Did African American people enslave, segregate, and deny rights to white folks? NOPE! With power comes great responsibility!!

many people were enslaved at one point or another. This is not relevant to the current topic really.

ok. this poster doesn't understand hitsorical context. You don't think the history of racism plays a roll in today's world?

You might want to check yourself because your privilege is showing. How embarassing.

Oh it's you. The professional victim herself.

rml_16

Sterling's a racist idiot. But you know what? The U.S. has a right to free speech written into its Constitution. In America, he's within his rights to be a racist idiot. It's not against the law. Citizens also have the right to due process. Trial in the media or public opinion is not due process. Mob mentality advocating revenge scares me.

It is not against the law and that is why the government, the entity to which the Constitution applies, has not arrested him.

asamuels85

[/quote]

What happens when my boss owns the company. And it doesn't affect me in the least. I just simply "don't like it". At what point does my "sentiment" start to infringe on HIS rights as a human, a business owner etc.
It's really tough to argue sentiment and feelings in court. There has to be some justifiable and concrete evidence that this was causing disruption in the team PRIOR to it becoming public.
Again, if there are other players that prior to this left because of unfair treatment, then why is the league just now saying this behavior is unacceptable?
[/quote]

Ummmmm you are missing the point YOU DONT AFFECT YOUR BOSS WITH SENTIMENT, WITH ACTION or anything else..... HE HAS POWER OVER YOU!! and will have power over your replacement once you disagree and leave.
Money is what makes this come out now.. if they didn't do something the NBA stood to lose a lot of money.. did you see ALL the Clippers players toss their uniforms onto center court in protest? Nobody should have to work like that, not in a country of equality.

Im white, but why do so many white folks not understand the power that they have? SENTURUU... NO whites have never been enslaved by blacks in this country.??? whaaat? now you're credibility is shot AND you still dont understand the Legacy of the white land owner in America

rml_16

Are you aware of the multi-million-dollar court awards against him for housing discrimination against minorities?

Yes I'm in the real estate business. The truth is property values are much lower in high minority neighborhoods. It's illegal and probably immoral to attempt to change the demographics of your real estate holdings but it isn't necessarily racist. It's business and guess what, it's being done in every city in every state in the union and there are many minority owners who engage in the practice,

So then you are aware of the statements he made about WHY he wouldn't rent to them?

jchap389

Sterling's a racist idiot. But you know what? The U.S. has a right to free speech written into its Constitution. In America, he's within his rights to be a racist idiot. It's not against the law. Citizens also have the right to due process. Trial in the media or public opinion is not due process. Mob mentality advocating revenge scares me.

It is not against the law and that is why the government, the entity to which the Constitution applies, has not arrested him.

Touche

Acg67

Who the F cares if this was in the privacy of his own home and he didn't know he was recording him. We are talking about an "Owner" in a position of power where the majority of his employees are African American. Who has also faced the largest racial discrimination lawsuit settlement in history, who was quoted as saying "I want a bunch of poor black boys from the south and a white head coach" in a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by African American Elgin Baylor.

The symbolism of an owner in a position of power and his views towards black people is disgusting, and the fact people are defending him because it was in his private space is laughable. Well it aint private anymore, and its bad for business. Talent that makes the NBA money. African American. The NBA more than any other sport is viewed by African Americans. No sponsors want to associate with a racist. No player will want to play for one.

There is no place for that man in the NBA and I couldn't agree more with what was done. And the people defending him have my head spinning.

"Shouldn’t we be equally angered by the fact that his private, intimate conversation was taped and then leaked to the media? Didn’t we just call to task the NSA for intruding into American citizen’s privacy in such an un-American way? "

http://time.com/79590/donald-sterling-kareem-abdul-jabbar-racism/

rm33064

Who the F cares if this was in the privacy of his own home and he didn't know he was recording him. We are talking about an "Owner" in a position of power where the majority of his employees are African American. Who has also faced the largest racial discrimination lawsuit settlement in history, who was quoted as saying "I want a bunch of poor black boys from the south and a white head coach" in a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by African American Elgin Baylor.

The symbolism of an owner in a position of power and his views towards black people is disgusting, and the fact people are defending him because it was in his private space is laughable. Well it aint private anymore, and its bad for business. Talent that makes the NBA money. African American. The NBA more than any other sport is viewed by African Americans. No sponsors want to associate with a racist. No player will want to play for one.

There is no place for that man in the NBA and I couldn't agree more with what was done. And the people defending him have my head spinning.

Everybody is acting like this some one in a million isolated incident. We all have some sort of bigotry in us and if you want to stand up and say you're a saint and you harbor no bigotry for anyone or anything go ahead, but I call b.s. Sterling is not the only one, he is one of many and I find what they are trying to do him a very dangerous precedent.

CorvusCorax77

is he an a-hole? sure, no doubt about it. he has a right to say what he wants IMO, and honestly it probably isn't any more or less racist than some of the things his players have probably said at one point or another.. banishment is a bit Ludacris, though i can see hitting him up with a fine.

Agreed.
How many of us have said less than politically correct things during private conversations with friends/family/significant other. Think about the possibility of all your comments, regardless of context or when/where you said them, being reason enough for someone to strip you of your entire livelihood.
Is the man disgusting and a pig? Absolutely..but so are white supremacists in my mind..and they have the right to march on the capital and hand out hate info to anyone they please.

Interesting read:
http://time.com/79590/donald-sterling-kareem-abdul-jabbar-racism/

He has the right to be a jerk, sure. The NBA also has the right to fine him.

I don't get how the fact that racists are legally protected to racist free speech is a part of this conversation. This has nothing to do with his free speech rights.

Wait, what?
Have you not read a single post in this whole thread?
Pretty sure almost every one of us has agreed with the fining.....

I was responding, in particular, to this that you said: "Is the man disgusting and a pig? Absolutely..but so are white supremacists in my mind..and they have the right to march on the capital and hand out hate info to anyone they please."

cparter

Correct me if I am wrong here as I surely don't follow basketball of any kind. Isnt he talking to his girlfriend on the phone asking her not to be bringing her guys around? Isn't one of them interested in buying the team? Isn't that kinda convenient that this happened? I could be wrong but that is what I pieced together from the few stories I was able to sift through. Anyone?

Should it matter. For one, the guy has a history of racism but now he has got caught on tape and admitted it was him. The NBA constitution and bylaws give the commissioner the right to ban him but it takes 75% of the owners to force him to sale the team.

It does not affect me one way or the other. I did not raise an eyebrow to either side of the punishment spectrum. If he would have been fined only (fine), he was banished (fine) or if nothing was done (fine). In the end, trash is taken care of and in this case it was swift and without forethought. Yes, they can. Yes, they did. Yes, the team is as good as sold to a new owner group.

_John_

"Well, it ain't private anymore"

I'm not defending him, I'm defending someone's right to be an *kitten* privately....

cparter

Correct me if I am wrong here as I surely don't follow basketball of any kind. Isnt he talking to his girlfriend on the phone asking her not to be bringing her guys around? Isn't one of them interested in buying the team? Isn't that kinda convenient that this happened? I could be wrong but that is what I pieced together from the few stories I was able to sift through. Anyone?

yeah, private convo that has been completely blown out of proportion. that's the media for you though.

Are you serious!? Regardless of what happened - he admitted to it so enough said.

asamuels85

Who the F cares if this was in the privacy of his own home and he didn't know he was recording him. We are talking about an "Owner" in a position of power where the majority of his employees are African American. Who has also faced the largest racial discrimination lawsuit settlement in history, who was quoted as saying "I want a bunch of poor black boys from the south and a white head coach" in a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by African American Elgin Baylor.

The symbolism of an owner in a position of power and his views towards black people is disgusting, and the fact people are defending him because it was in his private space is laughable. Well it aint private anymore, and its bad for business. Talent that makes the NBA money. African American. The NBA more than any other sport is viewed by African Americans. No sponsors want to associate with a racist. No player will want to play for one.

There is no place for that man in the NBA and I couldn't agree more with what was done. And the people defending him have my head spinning.

AMEN! THANk YOU!!

CorvusCorax77

Oh it's you. The professional victim herself.

I see you have changed your profile YET AGAIN.

blocking as we speak.

cparter

is he an a-hole? sure, no doubt about it. he has a right to say what he wants IMO, and honestly it probably isn't any more or less racist than some of the things his players have probably said at one point or another.. banishment is a bit Ludacris, though i can see hitting him up with a fine.

So let him stay in the NBA with them full well knowing he's an outspoken racist? Lol, his team then should be all white players because then anyone else of color would be viewed by him as nothing more than a high paid slave. With no respect from the owner, how many players would really want to play there?

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Well said.

Acg67

http://www.nj.com/ledger-dalessandro/index.ssf/2014/04/dalessandro_donald_sterlings_candid_moment_its_business_as_usual_and_nba_business_is_often_ugly.html

cparter

The dude is a dirty old man who cheats on his wife, and apparently quite the racist, so no love loss there. BUT, what he said was a private phone message to his old girlfriend, whom his wife has a lawsuit against, presumably for sleeping with her husband.
I think the punishment was a bit harsh, for a private conversation.
This IS very much a slippery slope setting a precedent for losing our freedom of speech.

I mean, if Michael Vick didn't get banned for life, no one should.

Another PETA fan? You care more about animals than your fellow humans? I and many admit what Vick done was wrong and he paid for it. Unless you consider people of other races the same as dogs?

cparter

is he an a-hole? sure, no doubt about it. he has a right to say what he wants IMO, and honestly it probably isn't any more or less racist than some of the things his players have probably said at one point or another.. banishment is a bit Ludacris, though i can see hitting him up with a fine.

While he does have the right to say anything he wants, he also has to deal with the consequences.

I agree, hence the fine for misconduct.

it WOULD be his opinion and none of anybodies business if he had #1 left them as inward opinions BUT MOSTLY because he HAS POWER... THAT is why it is not an issue when players do it... They don't control him, or make any decisions about the team. Its an issue when people who are in power (whether that be by his position as a team owner OR the fact that he is white and male) make statements about people whom they also make decisions for. The Legacy of the White Male Owner in our country has put African Americans on a lower level since the country was founded...

Another well stated opinion. Thanks!

MBrothers22

There aren't any "opinions" on this subject. There is only ONE correct thought process and this is it:

-He made racist remarks
-Since the NBA is a private company they can punish him for such remarks
-This has NOTHING to do with freedom of speech or the constitution in any way WHATSOEVER


It doesn't matter if anyone thinks it's "not fair" to fine and ban him for life. He signed a contract understanding these rules and he broke the rules and is no facing the consequences.

Oh, and the female who recorded this probably could be sued by Sterling because it is illegal to record someone without their consent in California but that changes NOTHING about his ban. It does not matter if the recordings were obtained "illegally" because the NBA is not criminally punishing him.

Trueray

This topic just makes me want to eat fried chicken.