Donald Sterling, owner of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers, has been front and center on the news and sports pages for the last couple of weeks. His girlfriend taped a conversation with him and made it public. The comments indicate that he did not want his girlfriend associating with "black" people or bringing them to his games. Nobody can get inside the heart and mind of Mr. Sterling but the comments create a visceral reaction.
Sterling has a long history in Southern California as a "slum lord." He has had to pay out money for discriminating against minorities in the past. There have been many calls in the past for the NBA to do take action against him. Mr. Sterling has also been accused of not being interested in putting a competitive product on the court. He has never been a popular owner.
Still, African American players including the current head of the players' union, Chris Paul, have agreed to play for the Clippers. Magic Johnson, now highly critical of Sterling, states he has had a friendship with the embattled owner since early in his career. The NAACP recently pulled an award they had planned for him but the organization has already presented awards to Sterling in the past for lifetime achievement. How is any of this possible? Magic and the NAACP must not read newspapers.
Oddly, the girlfriend in this case, V. Stiviano, legally changed her name from Maria Vanessa Perez because she had not been "fully accepted because of my race." She now claims she never wanted the tape to come out and is sorry it has negatively impacted Mr. Sterling.
The NBA has suspended Sterling for life and fined him $2.4M. Adam Silver, the commissioner of the league, is also asking other owners to force Sterling to sell the team. One of the prime candidates to purchase the team is a group led by the aforementioned Magic Johnson.
Mark Cuban, perhaps the best known NBA owner, has expressed concerns about what could happen and the slippery slope of what could happen to other owners. What about the Orlando Magic ownership which has connections to efforts opposed to gay marriage? Or how about the owners of the Oklahoma City Thunder who make money off of "fracking?" Or what if Mark Cuban had not successfully defended himself when he was accused of insider trading.
A lot has been made of the government listening in on phone calls and getting into our private lives. In this case many people have set those vies aside in the name of agenda.
But can we call it agenda? Perhaps. Where was the NBA when Jay Z wore a medallion representing a racist organization and sat in the front row at a game? Barack Obama has called Sterling out. Of course we are talking about a president who has a friend in Al Sharpton who has been involved in racist behaviors in his career that make Sterling look like a saint. And why did Obama give Harry Reid such an easy pass for commenting on his speech patterns?
I want to know why Chris Paul and Magic Johnson are not demanding some kind of ban on Jay Z. I want to know why Obama cares so much about NBA players and not Duke lacrosse players targeted by the racist Al Sharpton. And why does one clueless racist old guy like Sterling get kicked out while Reid is allowed to stay in a position of power in the Democrat party?
There are more devious things at play here. Do we want everybody to be held responsible for every private conversation? Obama made a joke about government surveillance this weekend at the White House Correspondent's Dinner. He also joked about the color of John Boehner's skin. Is it really that funny? Given the latter joke there has to be concern about what Obama might say behind closed doors.
Sterling is a dinosaur. His statements are absurd. The odd disconnect between his statements and some of his past actions is puzzling. It could be he was trying to build a public persona far different than his true nature. It might have even been part of the motivation behind what he was telling his girlfriend. In any case, he belongs in a world that disappeared decades ago.
I am okay with gay marriage. I am not okay with the Mozilla CEO being forced out for backing a referendum against gay marriage. That is especially the case when a majority of Californians voted for it. Views change over time. What if the Democrats had held Robert Byrd responsible for his Ku Klux Klan past all of those years?
Billionaires make great villains. The Koch brothers are the new bogeyman that allows the Democrats to not have to make public policy points. To a lesser extent and with less media help the Republicans use George Soros the same way. Make no mistake, there have been political attempts to use Sterling already on both sides.
I am not sure that creating litmus tests has any value unless they are applied equally. Everyone is fleeing away from Donald Sterling. UCLA is returning a donation from him. Will the NAACP follow suit by returning past donations? I would not recommending holding your breath on that one.
We are already falling down the slippery slope Cuban mentions. Cuban probably remembers his unfortunate Dairy Queen comment. If he made it today would he be banned for life?
This issue is likely far from over. The pressure will be on the owners to force Sterling out from the players. Can a man be forced to sell his team for private comments? And will Sterling take any of this to court? It may end up that the cure the NBA is seeking does more damage then the disease that is Donald Sterling.
By the way, NBA players make considerably more than WNBA players. Talk about wage inequality. Better get on that one Mr. President.
Once again the country is being thrown into a racially charged debate. And as usual a lot is being amplified while other issues are ignored.
Obama: Alleged Sterling comments 'incredibly offensive'
Clippers furor leads to focus on new owners to target
Why The Woman in Donald Sterling's Alleged Racist Tape Changed Her Name
Donald Sterling to pay $2.725 million to settle housing discrimination lawsuit
Magic Johnson: Sterling 'Shouldn't Own a Team Anymore'
Brian F. Sweeney, Jr.
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