Clippers Owner Donald Sterling Audio Tape...

[DarthFed]

NBA ruled today, Sterling is banned for life, will pay a 2.5 million fee and the NBA will be taking over the Clippers until they are sold.

I don't think the last part is accurate. 3/4 of the other owners need to vote to force him out.
Only then he will be gone. However, it is expected that this will happen soon.

True, they are trying to force the sale of the Clippers and that will almost surely happen.

 

[Moxie]

^Well, good.

 

[brokenshoelace]

The owners might be reluctant since it sets a dangerous precedent for them. Still, good to see the man getting what he deserves.

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

This would be interesting...


http://www.forbes.com/sites/markheisler/2014/04/29/next-sterling-sues-nba-donald-says-clippers-arent-for-sale/

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

The guy is a douche and a racist, I am sure we all agree with that.

Anybody uncomfortable though, with the fact that someone(douche or not) is losing a business because of a conversation he thought was private, probably had in his own home, recorded by someone with not so nice motives?

I am not too happy with all this...This can open a whole different can of worms, no?

 

[calitennis127]

So, just to put into perspective what a piece of trash Donald Sterling is, he was sued for discrimination on multiple occasions, and has been forced to pay the largest housing discrimination settlement in Department of Justice history, as he, his wife and three of his companies have refused to rent to black and Hispanic people (you can read more about it here: http://www.edgeofsports.com/2009-11-10-470/index.html ). So yeah, as a man who terrorized the poor, this phone call is probably low on his list of offenses, but it highlights what kind of a man he is. We're not just talking about an 81 year old bigot with outdated ideologies. We're talking about a genuine piece of $hit. That is why this phone call tape, in the grand scheme of things, is a bigger issue than just a man who sounds drunk being baited by a money-hungry girlfriend.

He's also been sued for sexual harassment, has had multiple affairs with employees, etc... you know, all the standard filthy rich men stuff. Speaking of which, here's an excerpt from a Sterling deposition in 2003, relating to a lawsuit involving a former mistress of his. This is Sterling under oath, and I won't lie, it had me absolutely rolling. Hilarious stuff (especially the end), however, be warned, sexually explicit language (though no profanities). As Sterling was describing their relationship as "sex for money, money for sex," he apparently unnecessarily felt the need to relive some of the moments they spent together. This is too idiotic to be made up:

:lolz::lolz::lolz::lolz:

Sterling most certainly is a rotten turd of a human being. But in this country, none of that matters until you say something racist. Cheat on your wife 1800 times with chicks 40 years younger than you, and you are just Donald Sterling up until 4 days ago or the Democratic mayor of San Diego or JFK or Martin Luther King, Jr. Say something racist and you need to pay a fine for $3 million and cede your business.

What Sterling needs to do now, being that he is Jewish, is invoke anti-Semitism and we would have a pretty entertaining battle of anti-racism on our hands.

Who would win?

 

[GameSetAndMath]

The guy is a douche and a racist, I am sure we all agree with that.

Anybody uncomfortable though, with the fact that someone(douche or not) is losing a business because of a conversation he thought was private, probably had in his own home, recorded by someone with not so nice motives?

I am not too happy with all this...This can open a whole different can of worms, no?

The situation here is that the conversation is basically the last straw that broke the
camel. He seems to have long history of this sort of things.

If someone had a clean reputation and there was one conversation like this which he
thought was private, it probably would not ruin him. Just accumulated Karma.

Not too much damage done for him though. He is 80 years old. Not much time left.
He has enough money. The LA clippers are reportedly worth close to 500 million
(before this thing came out). He should be able to sell for at least 400 million now.
Considering he bought it for 12 million, The profit margin still beats the stock market
hands down.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

The owners might be reluctant since it sets a dangerous precedent for them. Still, good to see the man getting what he deserves.

I agree they may be reluctant. But, they really don't have an alternative as the situation
has now gone out of hands. They will vote to force him out, despite the precedent as they
would not want to face the wrath of the fans, players, sponsors,................

 

[calitennis127]

The guy is a douche and a racist, I am sure we all agree with that.

Anybody uncomfortable though, with the fact that someone(douche or not) is losing a business because of a conversation he thought was private, probably had in his own home, recorded by someone with not so nice motives?

I am not too happy with all this...This can open a whole different can of worms, no?

This is exactly what Mark Cuban said and he is 100% right.

This whole episode shows that Jefferson's great dictum on erroneous opinions and how to correct them has been abandoned in America:

"Error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it."

Well, not in America, Mr. Jefferson. We are now Maoist America, not Jeffersonian America.

 

[Moxie]

The guy is a douche and a racist, I am sure we all agree with that.

Anybody uncomfortable though, with the fact that someone(douche or not) is losing a business because of a conversation he thought was private, probably had in his own home, recorded by someone with not so nice motives?

I am not too happy with all this...This can open a whole different can of worms, no?

Is the can of worms that what we think what we say in private might be made public? I believe that can of worms/Pandora's box got opened a long time ago. As you said: he's a douche and a racist. He dates a gold-digger and admits to paying women like her for sex. He may have believed that some of his conversations were "private," but he has some awareness of social media. I doubt that he worried that what he said might be made public. He was absolutely convinced by the rationality of his racism. That's what got him done for.

 

[House]

Personally don't agree with this punishment. Just because someone thinks a certain way, a ridiculously wrong way, they can lose their businesses?

Prefaced by saying I agree with absolutely nothing he said or thought, but a lifetime ban seems more like a flashy "Look at how we came down on this guy media!" then a punishment that actually fits the crime.

Was he oppressing black athletes? No. Was he purposefully filling his teams with all white players? No. Did he commit any crimes? No. Was he an incredible bigot? Absolutely yes. Does that mean he should have his lively hood and property, I only assume he paid for the training facilities and things of that nature but I may be wrong, taken from him. I'm not sure.

It's strange as a society how we ignore and repress our nations history with African Americans. The notion that people are "SHOCKED!" that there are individuals who think the way he does about black people is startling to me. How long ago was the civil rights movement? There still exist those out there who grew up on the type of hate and bigotry Donald believes in. That upbringing, and mentality, didn't suddenly disperse when MLK hit the scene. It shouldn't shock anyone. Racism is still a thing. No matter how much we try to sweep it under the rug. It's wrong no question. But hiding from it doesn't fix anything either.

So while this decision satisfies the emotional side of my brain, the analytical side is left wanting.

Can't wait til people become this offended publicly for homosexuals being denied rights. Oppressed minorities abound in this country it seems...

RANT OFF:

 

[calitennis127]

The guy is a douche and a racist, I am sure we all agree with that.

Anybody uncomfortable though, with the fact that someone(douche or not) is losing a business because of a conversation he thought was private, probably had in his own home, recorded by someone with not so nice motives?

I am not too happy with all this...This can open a whole different can of worms, no?

The situation here is that the conversation is basically the last straw that broke the
camel. He seems to have long history of this sort of things.

If someone had a clean reputation and there was one conversation like this which he
thought was private, it probably would not ruin him. Just accumulated Karma.

Totally disagree. This guy could have been the world leader in charitable activity and these comments still would have finished him off.

 

[calitennis127]

The guy is a douche and a racist, I am sure we all agree with that.

Anybody uncomfortable though, with the fact that someone(douche or not) is losing a business because of a conversation he thought was private, probably had in his own home, recorded by someone with not so nice motives?

I am not too happy with all this...This can open a whole different can of worms, no?

Is the can of worms that what we think what we say in private might be made public? I believe that can of worms/Pandora's box got opened a long time ago. As you said: he's a douche and a racist. He dates a gold-digger and admits to paying women like her for sex. He may have believed that some of his conversations were "private," but he has some awareness of social media. I doubt that he worried that what he said might be made public. He was absolutely convinced by the rationality of his racism. That's what got him done for.

So you're calling a Jewish man a "douche". Do you hate Jewish people? Do you have any Jewish friends?

 

[britbox]

Sterling would have probably got an easier ride if he'd gone out and killed a couple of people. Didn't set Ray Lewis back too much.

 

[calitennis127]

Actually, a boycott during the play-offs would be a huge signal of how strong their principles are, but why let these little things get in the way of the viewing figures?

But then players would be paying for the mistake of their owner. Yes, they would be sending an immense message, but all their hard work would be for nothing. After all, they went through an arduous 82-game season plus pre-season, hundreds of practice sessions, days and days traveling on the road, etc...for this very moment. Throwing it all away because your owner is a ignorant bigot might be counterproductive. The best course of action would be to finish the playoffs then take it from there.

To Kieran and Broken - most NBA owners have taken over NBA franchises as business ventures, not because they are knowledgeable about basketball or well-acquainted with it. Most NBA players don't even see their owners for weeks and months on end. To tank your season over the comments of someone who is so distant from your daily life would be absurd.

 

[calitennis127]

Sterling would have probably got an easier ride if he'd gone out and killed a couple of people. Didn't set Ray Lewis back too much.

That is a good point. Sterling did not break a single law - he simply expressed the same attitudes held by most white leftist Democrats, namely that he doesn't want to be anywhere near black people in his daily life. As I pointed out in my post on Jonathan Kozol, the most segregated public schooling systems in the U.S. are in New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Detroit - all bastions of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Left in this country. So Donald Sterling got busted for being illegally taped saying the same thing that white Democrats in the states of New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut by and large feel in their personal lives, and somehow that is worse in the eyes of society than Ray Rice punching his fiance on tape.

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

So you're calling a Jewish man a "douche". Do you hate Jewish people? Do you have any Jewish friends?

Nope, I am calling a douche a douche. I do not know the man's religious beliefs. I don't hate groups, I find some individuals to be waste of oxygen...I have a lot of friends, some Jewish, others not so much, I value them INDIVIDUALLY, while not enjoying some of the groups that they identify with.

Back to the subject:

This is wrong on many levels. The guy's doucheness and racism are character flaws. That is not against any law. As far as I know he has not acted on his racism. So, what other character flaws are worth people losing their jobs? This sure is a slippery slope. Example: A teacher that in his private life believes spanking should be part of a child's upbringing, but has never spanked a student. Do we fire him? I don't know, give your own example.

As much as I dislike this dude, I am not comfortable where this is going.

 

[Moxie]

Personally don't agree with this punishment. Just because someone thinks a certain way, a ridiculously wrong way, they can lose their businesses?

Prefaced by saying I agree with absolutely nothing he said or thought, but a lifetime ban seems more like a flashy "Look at how we came down on this guy media!" then a punishment that actually fits the crime.

Was he oppressing black athletes? No. Was he purposefully filling his teams with all white players? No. Did he commit any crimes? No. Was he an incredible bigot? Absolutely yes. Does that mean he should have his lively hood and property, I only assume he paid for the training facilities and things of that nature but I may be wrong, taken from him. I'm not sure.

It's strange as a society how we ignore and repress our nations history with African Americans. The notion that people are "SHOCKED!" that there are individuals who think the way he does about black people is startling to me. How long ago was the civil rights movement? There still exist those out there who grew up on the type of hate and bigotry Donald believes in. That upbringing, and mentality, didn't suddenly disperse when MLK hit the scene. It shouldn't shock anyone. Racism is still a thing. No matter how much we try to sweep it under the rug. It's wrong no question. But hiding from it doesn't fix anything either.

So while this decision satisfies the emotional side of my brain, the analytical side is left wanting.

Can't wait til people become this offended publicly for homosexuals being denied rights. Oppressed minorities abound in this country it seems...

RANT OFF:

House! (Hi. ) You ask how long ago was the Civil Rights Movement. I'm pretty sure we're still in it. Yes, we still fight racism in this country, and this is part of the fight. Most people were appalled by what Sterling said, because he's a dinosaur and doesn't reflect the changing mores in this country. Same with equality in marriage for example, as you cite gay rights. The world and this society moves beyond these people and their old ideas. And they don't get a pass because they're from a different generation.

Should he be allowed to pursue his economic venture, in the capitalist sense of it? He gives opportunity to athletes of color. But his advantage is money, and he makes even more money off of people that he diminishes, because of their race. I say no. The NBA is also a brand, which it needs to protect. Their franchises, especially like LA, make money…hand over fist. They don't have to go hat in hand to any billionaire that wants to own a team. I'm pretty sure that players sign some morality clause. Owners then should at least be held to a similar standard. This isn't just a venture that Sterling invests in. He's part of the NBA, and the NBA should have a right to decide if he deserves to be part of their overall image. Sterling has shown himself to be a pig, and the NBA did right to dump him.

 

[House]

Personally don't agree with this punishment. Just because someone thinks a certain way, a ridiculously wrong way, they can lose their businesses?

Prefaced by saying I agree with absolutely nothing he said or thought, but a lifetime ban seems more like a flashy "Look at how we came down on this guy media!" then a punishment that actually fits the crime.

Was he oppressing black athletes? No. Was he purposefully filling his teams with all white players? No. Did he commit any crimes? No. Was he an incredible bigot? Absolutely yes. Does that mean he should have his lively hood and property, I only assume he paid for the training facilities and things of that nature but I may be wrong, taken from him. I'm not sure.

It's strange as a society how we ignore and repress our nations history with African Americans. The notion that people are "SHOCKED!" that there are individuals who think the way he does about black people is startling to me. How long ago was the civil rights movement? There still exist those out there who grew up on the type of hate and bigotry Donald believes in. That upbringing, and mentality, didn't suddenly disperse when MLK hit the scene. It shouldn't shock anyone. Racism is still a thing. No matter how much we try to sweep it under the rug. It's wrong no question. But hiding from it doesn't fix anything either.

So while this decision satisfies the emotional side of my brain, the analytical side is left wanting.

Can't wait til people become this offended publicly for homosexuals being denied rights. Oppressed minorities abound in this country it seems...

RANT OFF:

House! (Hi. ) You ask how long ago was the Civil Rights Movement. I'm pretty sure we're still in it. Yes, we still fight racism in this country, and this is part of the fight. Most people were appalled by what Sterling said, because he's a dinosaur and doesn't reflect the changing mores in this country. Same with equality in marriage for example, as you cite gay rights. The world and this society moves beyond these people and their old ideas. And they don't get a pass because they're from a different generation.

Should he be allowed to pursue his economic venture, in the capitalist sense of it? He gives opportunity to athletes of color. But his advantage is money, and he makes even more money off of people that he diminishes, because of their race. I say no. The NBA is also a brand, which it needs to protect. Their franchises, especially like LA, make money…hand over fist. They don't have to go hat in hand to any billionaire that wants to own a team. I'm pretty sure that players sign some morality clause. Owners then should at least be held to a similar standard. This isn't just a venture that Sterling invests in. He's part of the NBA, and the NBA should have a right to decide if he deserves to be part of their overall image. Sterling has shown himself to be a pig, and the NBA did right to dump him.

Yeah I'm just not sure "Think like us, or else." was really what MLK was going for.

I'm not giving him a pass by any means. But for the vast majority of this nation, when they talk or read about the civil rights movement it was. "A long time ago." Not so much. These people still exist, and they own businesses and work. So while the NBA in its structure has every right to get rid of Sterling, I don't really feel like any real justice is getting done here. It just seems like the easy way out.

Is it a witch hunt now? Are players held to the same standards of racial equality? Because Larry Bird caught tremendous flack for the attention he received , and some black players said, "He's over hyped because he's white." Jeremy Lin caught attention and received similar comments about him being Asian. It just seems like weird slippery slope to me.

And I would also like to say I am more than happy to agree to disagree on this issue. It's complex on many levels, and there's a lot of personal feelings wrapped up in these types of issues.

 

[calitennis127]

So you're calling a Jewish man a "douche". Do you hate Jewish people? Do you have any Jewish friends?

Nope, I am calling a douche a douche. I do not know the man's religious beliefs. I don't hate groups, I find some individuals to be waste of oxygen...I have a lot of friends, some Jewish, others not so much, I value them INDIVIDUALLY, while not enjoying some of the groups that they identify with.

I totally agree. I was being sarcastic.

Back to the subject:

This is wrong on many levels. The guy's doucheness and racism are character flaws. That is not against any law. As far as I know he has not acted on his racism. So, what other character flaws are worth people losing their jobs? This sure is a slippery slope. Example: A teacher that in his private life believes spanking should be part of a child's upbringing, but has never spanked a student. Do we fire him? I don't know, give your own example.

As much as I dislike this dude, I am not comfortable where this is going.

Again, I totally agree.

And I would add to this that Doc Rivers and Chris Paul are hardly victims of Aushwitz in terms of the opportunities that life has afforded them.

As a black friend of mine just said to me on the phone, "if you pay me $30 million to play basketball and call me a n****r, I'll get over it pretty quickly."