Donald Sterling racial slurs

[RichThrawn]

Recorded making racial remarks to his girlfriend.  The latest in a long line of nasty stuff he's done since taking over as Clippers owner.  Is this the end for him?

[el diablo]

Doubt it. He's survived several settlements dealing with racial discrimination. I just feel sorry for the players & coaches who have to answer for him.

[Phishfan]

I think this guy is going to get a lot of pressure from the NBA to sell his team and will likely be suspended from dealing with the operations.

The thing that gets me, didn't he notice his girlfriend is a minority? How does someone be a part time racisit? I don't understand.

[EDGECRUSHER]

I think this guy is going to get a lot of pressure from the NBA to sell his team and will likely be suspended from dealing with the operations.

The thing that gets me, didn't he notice his girlfriend is a minority? How does someone be a part time racisit? I don't understand.

If you read the whole conversation, it's really bizarre.  It's like he feels that the world treats you differently for associating with blacks, so he tries not to and those around him. It's still racist, but not in the traditional, over the top sense, which is why his girlfriend is black and I think he even said she can sleep with black people. It's just really weird.

[Spider-Dan]

His girlfriend is of mixed race, but his concern was that if she hung out with black people, she would be presumed to be black (instead of Latina).  That was what he found unacceptable.

That's the big problem here: not just that he's racist, but that he is specifically racist against black people.  In the NHL, that's a PR issue; in the NBA, that's a labor issue.  If black players decide not to play for an owner that despises them, the Clippers would probably have to contract.

[EDGECRUSHER]

That won't happen and they can't even legally take his team away, but they can pressure him to sell at a ridiculous price that will just make him wealthier.

Not saying he isn't an asshole, because he is, but at it's core, this is just a very old racist with a history of doing racist things saying more racist things. Blake Griffin can still dunk regardless of what his team owner feels about his skin color and multi-millionaire athletes will not risk their paychecks for some moral stance.

[Spider-Dan]

They can't force him to sell, but they also can't force players to sign there (outside of the draft).  They also can't force coaches to sign there.  And yeah, someone will always be willing to take a paycheck... but if the Clips are running a full D-League team out there and losing 80 games a year, how many seasons do you think the league office would let that continue?

But this is academic at this point.  Sterling will most likely have a Come to Jesus moment where he will pay some sort of financial penalty for saying out loud what he thinks (a "voluntary" donation to the NAACP, or paying for some sort of multicultural program... anything that just involves him signing a check and moving on with his life), and the world will keep on spinning.

[EDGECRUSHER]

Free Agent All-Star: "I refuse to play for the Clippers".
Sterling: "Here is $10 Million more per season than anyone else is offering".
Free Agent All-Star: "Donald Sterling is a changed man and praise Jesus".

Besides, Paul and Griffin have contracts that run a few more years. In a perfect world, this guy would be gone tomorrow, but he will be around and nothing will change. If he sells, he sells to his wife in some convoluted financial scheme where he is still in charge and still eye browing black people who sit closer than the 10th row at his games. Because he is a dick.

[Spider-Dan]

The NBA is not MLB; you cannot simply buy off players by offering them more than anyone else, because of the limitations on max contracts.  A free agent all-star will be able to get a max contract from several teams not named the Clippers.

Now, as I said, if Donald Sterling wants to offer max contracts to the Michael Beasleys of the league, then yeah, they'll take them... and LAC would be losing 70+ games each season.

[EDGECRUSHER]

Anti-freemarket NBA, God bless you.

Lost in all of this is the players supposedly being distracted today by their owner's comments. Why would Chris Paul give a shit what some 80 year old he probably met 6 times says? Does it change his accomplishments or salary or talent? No, it's just another asshole saying racist things. There are no victims here and people need to stop pretending they are butthurt because of this douche. You don't get upset when an asshole says something, you get hurt when a loved one does. No one loved Sterling.

[Sunstroke]

Anti-freemarket NBA, God bless you.

Anti-fair playing field MLB, eat shit and die...

[Spider-Dan]

Lost in all of this is the players supposedly being distracted today by their owner's comments. Why would Chris Paul give a shit what some 80 year old he probably met 6 times says?

Here's a picture of Chris Paul (and the rest of the Clippers) "not giving a shit" by throwing their Clippers gear on the center of the floor and warming up in inside-out shootaround jerseys:

[Phishfan]

but if the Clips are running a full D-League team out there and losing 80 games a year, how many seasons do you think the league office would let that continue?

For the majority of their history, excluding the most recent few years.

[EDGECRUSHER]

Here's a picture of Chris Paul (and the rest of the Clippers) "not giving a shit" by throwing their Clippers gear on the center of the floor and warming up in inside-out shootaround jerseys:

They then played in their normal jerseys to not draw a fine. Incredible statement by those guys before they played like total horseshit and let themselves get distracted like little schoolgirls.

I am not saying a black man should be thrilled when someone is racist to them, but it has to be put into context. Do they REALLY give a shit what some old racist with a history of racism thinks about them? Of course they don't, which is why they signed contracts to be there. Everyone knows Sterling is racist, he has had lawsuits up the ass about it by the NBA and in his personal business dealings. It only bothers them now because the media is involved due to his prostitute recording his racist ramblings.

They had no problem taking a racist's money before and shaking his hand and taking pictures with him, why have that problem now? Because they have to due to the media.

[Spider-Dan]

They then played in their normal jerseys to not draw a fine.

Well, yes, they did continue with a very important part of their career (trying to win a championship).  Do you think the refs would have allowed the game to be played with players having non-visible numbers?

Incredible statement by those guys before they played like total horseshit and let themselves get distracted like little schoolgirls.

So I guess this whole thing is their fault?

I am not saying a black man should be thrilled when someone is racist to them, but it has to be put into context. Do they REALLY give a shit what some old racist with a history of racism thinks about them?

Players Want "Maximum" Punishment For Sterling, But What Can The NBA Do?

"The players asked this particular question: They want to know within the bylaws and the constitution, what are the maximum sanctions that are available for the commissioner to mete out? That's what we're trying to understand, and that is what the players want. And if it allows a player to voice an opinion where a commissioner and owners make a decision to remove somebody, then that's certainly what the players would like to see."

Why do you keep insisting that the players don't care, even as the players themselves repeatedly make it clear that they care a great deal?  If the players don't actually care about this, why are the Miami Heat also wearing inside-out warmups?  Exciting new fashion trend?

Of course they don't, which is why they signed contracts to be there.

I suppose if they really cared, they would go back in time and unsign their contracts?

They had no problem taking a racist's money before and shaking his hand and taking pictures with him, why have that problem now?

Because now there is recorded audio of Sterling explicitly detailing his feelings about the inferiority of blacks to his plausibly-Latina girlfriend.