Microballing: Steve Ballmer's LA Clippers

[JohntheBaptist]

This tape is nothing compared to all that other stuff everyone already knew and it seems like everyone is using it as a politically opportune time to just pile on to him. 

 
Boo-hoo.
 
Those people you listed are speaking out now because it's "cool" to slam him? Ok. He said those things, they got asked about it, they gave an entirely justified reaction. This event is "optically" different than some court case, and if anyone actually asked the people you listed about that series of events, I must have missed it. People who rightly abhor sexual abuse still take Woody Allen's money, but if he got caught on record expressing his love for it in detail, that shit would stop real quick.

 

[jose melendez]

LeBron is absolutely right.  If there were a recording of a player saying he hated black people, how long would he be suspended for?

 

[riboflav]

Sterling is a public figure, and I think it's useful to know what public figures say behind closed doors.  What knowing the identity of a recorder should tell me is how and how much to discount what the recording says i.e. is there a possibility the recording was deliberately taken out of context, as with the Shirley Sherrod case, or resurfacing something that the recorder knows is not currently true? I am not a lawyer and so can't speak to the legality of recording Governor Romney's 47% speech (done in Florida), but even if the recording was done by a hard-core Democrat, that wouldn't invalidate my assessment of what the speech conveys.
 
Even if Sterling's recorder was the diggingest gold-digger that ever dug gold, with a million-dollar monetary motive for releasing the recording right now, that wouldn't change my judgement that the recording shows that he is an awful racist that shouldn't be owning an NBA team - unless her motives meant that there was a possibility that the recording really isn't of Sterling but someone else, or there's some way she manipulated Sterling's words to create a false impression (neither of which I have seen suggested so far; I'm happy to take back my words if there really is some doubt on the authenticity of the recording). 
 
riboflav: I agree that the permanence of "dumb shit said as a kid" resurfacing because of technology is problematic, but I hope - and think - society probably will eventually learn to discount that kind of thing. The Sterling case just isn't such a case. It doesn't appear to be one where a man said these things 50 years ago and is being unfairly judged by the public without any consideration of what his present-day views really are. Neither does it seem that his words were taken out of context. If a varsity coach says really racist stuff in private to one of his assistants who then records it and uploads it, sure it will impact his life permanently. I just think a secret recording that reveals your character is the kind of thing that _should_ have a permanent impact. When the secret video recording of Mike Rice shouting homophobic slurs at his Rutgers players and throwing basketballs at them came out, should he not have been fired?

 
The Mike Rice example is problematic and not really analogous because he was at work while committing the offending action and he was in a far more public setting than a man having a phone conversation with a well-acquainted friend. Mike Rice committed harassment in the workplace. 

 

[Deathofthebambino]

I can see both sides of this.  Sterling is a piece of shit and folks that have been paying attention have known that for a long time, and now, everyone else does too.  That's a good thing, no matter how it happened, or who presented the information and what their motives might have been.  Nobody should be shedding any tears for the guy, and nobody is defending him.  But, on another level, the whole thing does kind of suck.  You have a complete scumbag mistress, who IMO, did this as maliciously and malevolently imaginable, basically baiting him as much as she could to say something outrageous, most likely in an effort to extort him later on.  To some extent, he really didn't rise to the bait as much as I believe she would have liked, and frankly, as much as I would have expected from a shitheel like him.
 
That said, this type of thing really should give everyone pause.  Sure, anyone caught on tape spewing racist bile deserves whatever bad shit that happens to them, but there is a very slippery slope here that needs to be thought about, and that's, in part, why we have the laws we do in place to prevent this kind of thing.  Should Riboflav lose his gig as a varsity coach if someone tapes him spouting bigoted statements or for doing the same on the internet?  Absolutely.  But, what if he was emailing some buddies talking about grabbing some weed for an upcoming camping trip?  Or what about taking graphic pictures for him and his significant others pleasure (or displeasure, I have no idea what he looks like) that gets leaked and made public?  Or a consensual sex tape? 
 
Who gets to decide when a secret recording reveals your character and should be given to the world to "out" you?  It's very simple to say "Fuck Sterling, he's a piece of shit and he deserves whatever he gets."  I feel the exact same way.  However, I also believe there is a larger discussion to be had.  It just sucks that these two people are the lynchpins of that discussion. 

 

[Blacken]

Sorry, I didn't see this until now. I would disagree with the notion that no one would care if you said really dumb stuff like Sterling. Surely, you (or at least most of us SoSHers) belong to several communities such as a PTA, church, school, youth soccer team, neighborhood, job/company, etc. If I record the really dumb stuff you say and upload it to the Internet or post it to my Facebook page so that all our common friends can view it, then it will greatly impact your life. If it happened to me, I would surely lose my job (varsity coach) and have to move out my (diverse) neighborhood. Even then, it could follow me to wherever I move to if it's on the Internet and I still wouldn't have the chance to repent and start over. You are not allowed to make a mistake on the Internet, after all.

I know many people who've made mistakes on the Internet and been fine. Jim Sterling is a particularly notable public case.

If you're worried that you're saying reprehensible shit that's going to make people think less of you, maybe you shouldn't say it. (If you don't, then say it and take the consequences.)

 

[Fred not Lynn]

Well, I have heard it a few times today that Sterling should be suspended...but how exactly do you suspend an owner? Take away the team and put it in escrow for a week? Calculate the profits and appreciation of the assets of the entity for a period of time and fine him?

About all you might be able to do is not let him attend games...and I just don't think that would pain him much.

 

[Fred not Lynn]

DoTB managed to capture my thoughts perfectly...

 

[JohntheBaptist]

I just don't buy that the Sterling case here is on that (obviously real) slippery slope. There's a larger discussion to be had for sure in the examples you cite (@DotB), which are things meant to be carried out in private and hurting no one--as opposed to Sterling's which was meant to be acted out in public and hurting others in the process--the outing of which doesn't feel like a larger discussion. But that's just me. 

 

[Devizier]

Sterling is a worthless piece of shit. But we knew that already, didn't we?

 

[Deathofthebambino]

I agree with you to an extent.  That's why I wrote that it sucks that it's these two people that are the heart of it.  Sterling deserves whatever he gets.  What bothers me is that any clear-thinking individual who listens to that tape can tell that she is baiting him.  That's why the conversation seems so disjointed and bizarre, not because he's a senile, pathetic old man.  And the idea that someone you know and trust could bait you into saying something you wouldn't otherwise say, and then use it against you is just not cool.  I've seen divorce cases where shit like this has happened.  Like I said, the laws are in place in some states for this very reason.
 
And really, it is not a far reach from this type of public shaming to that school teacher that was fired because photos of her modeling bikinis made their way on the net.  This shit happens, literally, all the time.  It is a bigger issue that most people know, and again, I wish it weren't Sterling and his mistress because I don't think anybody can find an ounce of sympathy for either of them, myself included, but there are plenty of cases that do involve sympathetic characters that aren't on the public radar.

 

[johnmd20]

I can see both sides of this.  Sterling is a piece of shit and folks that have been paying attention have known that for a long time, and now, everyone else does too.  That's a good thing, no matter how it happened, or who presented the information and what their motives might have been.  Nobody should be shedding any tears for the guy, and nobody is defending him.  But, on another level, the whole thing does kind of suck.  You have a complete scumbag mistress, who IMO, did this as maliciously and malevolently imaginable, basically baiting him as much as she could to say something outrageous, most likely in an effort to extort him later on.  To some extent, he really didn't rise to the bait as much as I believe she would have liked, and frankly, as much as I would have expected from a shitheel like him.
 
That said, this type of thing really should give everyone pause.  Sure, anyone caught on tape spewing racist bile deserves whatever bad shit that happens to them, but there is a very slippery slope here that needs to be thought about, and that's, in part, why we have the laws we do in place to prevent this kind of thing.  Should Riboflav lose his gig as a varsity coach if someone tapes him spouting bigoted statements or for doing the same on the internet?  Absolutely.  But, what if he was emailing some buddies talking about grabbing some weed for an upcoming camping trip?  Or what about taking graphic pictures for him and his significant others pleasure (or displeasure, I have no idea what he looks like) that gets leaked and made public?  Or a consensual sex tape? 
 
Who gets to decide when a secret recording reveals your character and should be given to the world to "out" you?  It's very simple to say "Fuck Sterling, he's a piece of shit and he deserves whatever he gets."  I feel the exact same way.  However, I also believe there is a larger discussion to be had.  It just sucks that these two people are the lynchpins of that discussion. 

 
Damn good post here.

 

[wutang112878]

Murder is a despicable act, but killing Osama Bin Laden made society a better place.  Thats what happened here but on a smaller scale, so I dont see the harm for precedent, or if there is any I think its justified.  The world is a better place if Sterling doesnt own a team, or he owns less money

 

[PC Drunken Friar]

So a gold digging piece of crap hooks up with a racist piece of crap. What a match made in heaven, or more likely hell. The outcome is hardly surprising as more comes out.

It baffles me that people in this thread somehow can make the woman out to be a bad guy.

 

[crystalline]

She's 21, he's 81. He is married. He gave her $1.8M in flights, trips and other gifts. He knows she is sleeping with other people and is OK with it.
I was having trouble with Sterling being OK with his girlfriend sleeping with other guys. I suppose the right lesson is to follow the timeless advice: never judge relationships other than your own.

 

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

That said, this type of thing really should give everyone pause.  Sure, anyone caught on tape spewing racist bile deserves whatever bad shit that happens to them, but there is a very slippery slope here that needs to be thought about, and that's, in part, why we have the laws we do in place to prevent this kind of thing.  Should Riboflav lose his gig as a varsity coach if someone tapes him spouting bigoted statements or for doing the same on the internet?  Absolutely.  But, what if he was emailing some buddies talking about grabbing some weed for an upcoming camping trip?  Or what about taking graphic pictures for him and his significant others pleasure (or displeasure, I have no idea what he looks like) that gets leaked and made public?  Or a consensual sex tape? 
 
Who gets to decide when a secret recording reveals your character and should be given to the world to "out" you?  It's very simple to say "Fuck Sterling, he's a piece of shit and he deserves whatever he gets."  I feel the exact same way.  However, I also believe there is a larger discussion to be had.  It just sucks that these two people are the lynchpins of that discussion. 

 
Obviously, your concerns are valid, but there has been the ability for a looong time for the sort of outing you talk about to occur, and it really just doesn't happen. Why? Well, there are societal norms in place that shun the sort of act you're describing in the same way we shun Sterling's remarks. 
 
If someone posted an email between buddies talking about scoring some weed for a camping trip, it's likely even the most conservative minded would see the invasion of privacy more heinous than the scoring of the weed. Similarly, while "revenge porn" exists, all but the basest among us find the act of posting naked pictures of people against their will as something that only a douche would do, and most employers would never hold that against someone. 
 
Would YOU watch a consensual sex tape involving the local high school principal? Sure, maybe a few would decry its availability, but almost everyone would think it was disgusting that anyone posted it and it would be a little embarrassing, but would largely go away pretty quickly (except, maybe, amongst the kids, who would snicker about it, but kids will always find a way to undo the principal if he hasn't earned their respect). 
 
So, this kind of thing really doesn't give me pause. Bad shit came to light. The technology didn't really change that. Would we have believed this woman if she had simply gone to a reporter and told him what she'd heard? I think we probably all would have, given his past behavior. It's just much more clear and we don't have the he said/she said stuff going on. 

 

[Monbo Jumbo]

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned...
 
 
...unless it's two women scorned, that's worse. 

 

[johnmd20]

She's 21, he's 81. He is married. He gave her $1.8M in flights, trips and other gifts. He knows she is sleeping with other people and is OK with it.

She sounds not like a girlfriend or mistress but like a high-end escort.

 
Imagine that?

 

[soxfan121]

It baffles me that people in this thread somehow can make the woman out to be a bad guy.

She's 21, he's 81. He is married. He gave her $1.8M in flights, trips and other gifts. He knows she is sleeping with other people and is OK with it.

She sounds not like a girlfriend or mistress but like a high-end escort.

 
I don't know that you were replying to PC's post but if you were, you really couldn't have done a better job crafting ever-shitty "she's asking for it!" argument. 
 
Sterling is a billionaire slumlord with a lifelong track record of treating poor people of all colors like they don't matter (at best). 
 
The idea (present in this thread from almost the beginning, so not something crystaline said) that this "gold digger" is remotely comparable to a billionaire who owns an NBA team is misguided (at best). 
 
And the slippery slope "taping" people need to get their asses to V&N where this shit has been discussed (mostly without you) in much more troubling contexts than "mistress outing billionaire racist". For THIS to be where you choose to fight this battle...I'm flabbergasted. 
 
Fuck Donald Sterling and his lifetime of exploitation of the poor and/or people of color. Using people, buying and selling people is despicable and if one of the (undoubtedly many) women he bought and treated like a sub-human decided to expose him for the racist slaveowner he has always been...good. 

 

[DannyDarwinism]

It baffles me that people in this thread somehow can make the woman out to be a bad guy.

 
It baffles me that people think she's the story here.  Young women banging older dudes with money and access happens every day, everywhere and has forever.  The longtime NBA owner spewing some old-time racism is the lede for this one.

 

[The Social Chair]

 
  If he really hated minorities, he probably would not be in a serious relationship with one

 
I can't tell if you're being purposefully naive. There is a superiority complex tied into racism that can involve sleeping with a race they believe is beneath them. We don't have to look any further than the many people in this country whose family lineage can be traced back to a slave owner raping his slave.
 
Your many attempts to make Sterling seem sympathetic, by saying like he is being taken advantage of by political opportunists, is just really weird. Is that really the angle you want to keep pushing?

 

[Remagellan]

I think that he’s not going off about race, he’s going off about her putting pictures of people on Instagram that he assumes she’s sleeping around with.   The “don’t put them on Instagram, don’t bring them to my games” rant is about that, not necessarily the color of the skin of the people with whom she’s associating.  As was stated upthread, he's telling her that if she's banging someone else, don't post pictures of them together on the web and sit with that person at Clippers games.  
 
While it’s clear that he’s a racist from his prior comments and actions, and his statements on the tape show him to be a guy who is too concerned about the race of people she associates with, the point of his rant was not “don’t bring black people to my games.”  To quote Hannibal Lector,  “That is incidental.”  
 
I'm with the "pox on both (their) houses" group.  Sterling is a racist scumbag, but I doubt she made this public for noble reasons.  

 

[Steve Dillard]

This is disgusting enough that the NBA should make the Clippers forfeit every game of 2014-15 and give them the first pick overall.

 

[mauf]

 
I don't know that you were replying to PC's post but if you were, you really couldn't have done a better job crafting ever-shitty "she's asking for it!" argument. 
 
Sterling is a billionaire slumlord with a lifelong track record of treating poor people of all colors like they don't matter (at best). 
 
The idea (present in this thread from almost the beginning, so not something crystaline said) that this "gold digger" is remotely comparable to a billionaire who owns an NBA team is misguided (at best). 
 
And the slippery slope "taping" people need to get their asses to V&N where this shit has been discussed (mostly without you) in much more troubling contexts than "mistress outing billionaire racist". For THIS to be where you choose to fight this battle...I'm flabbergasted. 
 
Fuck Donald Sterling and his lifetime of exploitation of the poor and/or people of color. Using people, buying and selling people is despicable and if one of the (undoubtedly many) women he bought and treated like a sub-human decided to expose him for the racist slaveowner he has always been...good. 

I don't think Sterling's girlfriend/mistress/whatever is an important part of the story, but I find your characterization of her as someone who was "bought and treated like a sub-human," in the absence of a shred of evidence suggesting the arrangement was less than entirely consensual, to be more sexist than the comments you are railing against. She's a grown woman who has intentionally placed herself in the public eye; she should expect her actions (and her curious relationship with Donald Sterling) to be scrutinized. Suggesting that such scrutiny is comparable to saying a rape victim "asked for it" is way, way off base.

It's clear from your posting history that you are the farthest thing from a sexist, so please take this in the spirit in which it's intended.

 

[soxfan121]

LeBron is absolutely right.  If there were a recording of a player saying he hated black people, how long would he be suspended for?

 
Ask Riley Cooper. 
 
There is no way Adam Silver can get rid of Sterling unless he puts a hit out on him. Sterling is entitled, because he has a billion dollars and ownership of the team, to say anything he wants and to think any way he wants. Players and coaches can quit or refuse or to play but that really only hurts them (financially and otherwise). A suspension of Sterling would be doing something - but it's mostly just PR. 
 
However, exposing Sterling for the racist slumlord he has been his entire life is good knowledge. Shame is about the only weapon non-billionaires have to use against billionaires and I would hope Clippers fans bring out the signs and/or the paperbags. 
 
But ultimately, a billionaire like Sterling will face no real punishment or consequences for what he says and thinks. Nor will he face any real punishment or consequences for the actual crimes he has committed - thanks to mabrowndog for posting a bit of his odious history. Because billionaires don't live in the same world as the rest of us.

 

[Judge Mental13]

LeBron is absolutely right.  If there were a recording of a player saying he hated black people, how long would he be suspended for?

 
Well Riley Cooper was fined an undisclosed amount and was "excused" from the team for two weeks to seek counseling.  He didn't say he hated black people though, just that he wished to fight every one that was at that Kenny Chesney concert.
 
This also happened during the offseason and was handled in house.  A little different when the guy in trouble owns the house. 

 

[CoRP]

Why is this in P&G? There isn't anything remotely funny about it.

 

[bankshot1]

If the Sterling recording is accurate, the NBA should "Marge Schott" the guy, and officially suspend any role that Sterling has with the Clippers, and the league for at least 1 year, ban him from attending NBA games for 1 year, and make it publicly known that he's a pariah, and should consider engaging an I-bank to find a suitable buyer for the team.

 

[Blacken]

Why is this in P&G? There isn't anything remotely funny about it.

So like the rest of the forum for the last few years?

 

[Deathofthebambino]

Remagallan, there is literally no chance she made this public for noble reasons.  In fact, the tape came to light as a result of a lawsuit filed against her by Sterling's WIFE, who is suing the mistress for 1.8 million worth of gifts, etc.  The argument is that the gifts were made from common marital property.  Embezzlement is being thrown around in the media, but it's not embezzlement.  She made this tape for one reason and one reason only, to extort Sterling.  And I personally believe that the tape should be listened to with that backdrop in mind when thinking about where folks stand on her in this case.  I'm glad Sterling is getting his, but I agree with you completely.  I think Sterling's biggest issue wasn't about her hanging out with black people, but rather, I think he doesn't want her publically embarrassing him by being seen with guys in public or in photos because it appears that she's hooking up with them, etc.  That's when I get when reading between the lines of his comments.

 

[Sox and Rocks]

The fact that he's racist may not be new news, but to hear actual comments from his mouth like this is shocking, at least to me.  
 
It's kind of like knowing there's a car accident ahead and then, despite this fact, being shocked by the gruesomeness on display when you actually drive by.  

 

[Remagellan]

Obviously, I wasn't clear, but I agree with you on her reasons for releasing this, hence my "pox on both houses" stance.  (And really, all houses, since TMZ is hardly doing this because they wanted to see a racist brought to justice.)  

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

That's what I'm seeing to Dotb. He's Ok dating and being seen in public with a girl who is mixed. He's Ok giving her gifts, etc., despite the fact he's married. He's Ok with her associating with black men and minorities, even sleeping with them. But he's not Ok with having to explain that to people who he respects that are asking him if she's sleeping with the guys on her instagram.
 
I was thinking this was closet racism and how he treated people behind closed doors versus in public. But I think its about public and private embarrassment. Having to have those conversations with people close to him that think he's nuts for associating with her, and wondering what others think that don't know him.

 

[PC Drunken Friar]

That's what I'm seeing to Dotb. He's Ok dating and being seen in public with a girl who is mixed. He's Ok giving her gifts, etc., despite the fact he's married. He's Ok with her associating with black men and minorities, even sleeping with them. But he's not Ok with having to explain that to people who he respects that are asking him if she's sleeping with the guys on her instagram.
 
I was thinking this was closet racism and how he treated people behind closed doors versus in public. But I think its about public and private embarrassment. Having to have those conversations with people close to him that think he's nuts for associating with her, and wondering what others think that don't know him.

This is all well and good, but completely doesn't jive with Sterlings history of treating black people.

 

[Judge Mental13]

 
It baffles me that people think she's the story here.  Young women banging older dudes with money and access happens every day, everywhere and has forever.  The longtime NBA owner spewing some old-time racism is the lede for this one.

 

 
Hi!
 

 
Howdy!
 

 
What it do? 

 

[crystalline]

sf121-
I was trying to square in my head "girlfriend" with "he's OK with her sleeping with other people". Maybe I'm slow to the punch, but reading about the wife's lawsuit shed a little light on the potential interpersonal dynamics.

 

[Monbo Jumbo]

married guy who is publicly seen with his mistress doesn't want his mistress publicly cuckolding him. 
 
in other words - 'don't treat me like I treat my wife'
 
the sterling rule, the golden rule turned inside out
 
mind blown

 

[crystalline]

Well, I have heard it a few times today that Sterling should be suspended...but how exactly do you suspend an owner? Take away the team and put it in escrow for a week? Calculate the profits and appreciation of the assets of the entity for a period of time and fine him?

About all you might be able to do is not let him attend games...and I just don't think that would pain him much.

When it comes to Chris Kluwe people talk about how he doesn't have free speech rights, he is an employee so his employer is justified in terminating him for speech that might cause a PR hit to the team.
If Sterling was an employee of the Clippers he would clearly be gone by now. But since he owns the team, removing him creates legal issues related to asset seizure.

Is it fair that the current American labor market creates a double standard with owners and employees?

 

[Remagellan]

married guy who is publicly seen with his mistress doesn't want his mistress publicly cuckolding him. 
 
in other words - 'don't treat me like I treat my wife'
 
the sterling rule, the golden rule turned inside out
 
mind blown

 
AWESOME!

 

[luckiestman]

When it comes to Chris Kluwe people talk about how he doesn't have free speech rights, he is an employee so his employer is justified in terminating him for speech that might cause a PR hit to the team.
If Sterling was an employee of the Clippers he would clearly be gone by now. But since he owns the team, removing him creates legal issues related to asset seizure.

Is it fair that the current American labor market creates a double standard with owners and employees?

Talking about fairness is really a non starter. Everyone is outraged but clippers fans are still going to buy tickets abc is still going to broadcast their games the head coach is still going to coach and the players are still going to play. So in other words, it is all fake outrage. Let me know when someone's actions demonstrate their outrage.

 

[DannyDarwinism]

 

 
Hi!
 

 
Howdy!
 

 
What it do? 

 
That they're all long dead is of note.  I'm not surprised dinosaurs like Sterling exist, but this is the NBA in 2014.  He finally torpedoed the franchise he's been sandbagging for so long.  No one is going to want to play there, and some of his current guys may want out.  And that's before even thinking of the tickets and merchandising hit.  He's gotta sell, but he's Donald Sterling, which means he's an idiot and will absolutely do the wrong thing at every turn.  
 
Should make for good drama.  I feel sorry for Clips fans, but they've cast their lots.

 

[Grin&MartyBarret]

Talking about fairness is really a non starter. Everyone is outraged but clippers fans are still going to buy tickets abc is still going to broadcast their games the head coach is still going to coach and the players are still going to play. So in other words, it is all fake outrage. Let me know when someone's actions demonstrate their outrage.

So nobody's outrage is real because basketball games are still being played and we're interested in their outcomes?

 

[Judge Mental13]

I agree with all of that,  I guess my point is that 1.) the fact that this woman is young and attractive and is dating an old billionaire isn't the part that's noteworthy, it's that she may have illegally recorded him and 2.) openly racist team owners certainly aren't common these days but considering the fact that Sterling has owned the team for 33 years and has been a racist shitbird the entire time kinda dulls the shock for me I guess.  

 

[Tony C]

just because you don't think it's a big deal doesn't mean others can't be outraged. to each their own. but your position is absurd: because a player fulfills his contractual obligation to play he is not outraged? stop bending yourself into a pretzel to make this into a non-issue. the world has changed: it is a big issue, even if that outrage doesn't immediately make it obvious that effective action can be taken against Sterling nor what that effective action would be. 
 
just because people aren't committing hari kari in protest does not mean feelings are real. I'm not "doing anything" to stop all sorts of bad things -- doesn't mean they don't genuinely piss me off.

 

[Grin&MartyBarret]

Just a little context here: Donald Sterling's girlfriend may be having sex with Magic Johnson, and the most notable thing in Sterling's mind is that he's black? I can think of at least one other thing about Magic Johnson that would be of far greater concern to me if he was sleeping with my girlfriend. But you gotta hand it to Sterling. That's some seriously committed racism. He apparently hates blackness more than he hates HIV.

 

[snowmanny]

Talking about fairness is really a non starter. Everyone is outraged but clippers fans are still going to buy tickets abc is still going to broadcast their games the head coach is still going to coach and the players are still going to play. So in other words, it is all fake outrage. Let me know when someone's actions demonstrate their outrage.

 
Well when you have an NBA owner essentially saying that he does not want minorities at his games I think there is a pretty good chance that if he doesn't unload the team before next season there could be a boycott.
 
I mean, if minorities follow Magic and say as a community they are not going to Clipper games who would feel comfortable showing up?  Practically nobody.

 

[Blacken]

So nobody's outrage is real because basketball games are still being played and we're interested in their outcomes?

Nobody's outrage is real because luckiestman is a privileged dude who can't get out of his own skull. Wonderful life that must be.

 

[ifmanis5]

This Sterling mess is on Stern. This is his shitty legacy. Stern had decades to remove this clown but instead spent his time ripping the Sonics from Seattle and loading the ref roster with stooges. The Sterling can was kicked down the road so many times. Eventually it fucks you and the league deserves this, but Silver doesn't. Cleaning up after Stern, a long and depressing job indeed.

 

[luckiestman]

 
Well when you have an NBA owner essentially saying that he does not want minorities at his games I think there is a pretty good chance that if he doesn't unload the team before next season there could be a boycott.
 
I mean, if minorities follow Magic and say as a community they are not going to Clipper games who would feel comfortable showing up?  Practically nobody.

I dont think he said that, but you know what, I don't care to defend him because what he said was crazy enough.  Your point is fair, if people boycott Clippers games because of the owner, I'll believe they're serious

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Nothing to see here.  I mean, we have 150 posts in two threads on this message-board and Donald Sterling has 2mm plus searches on Google Trends.  The PotUS, the league president and prominent NBA personnel (in addition to celebrities) have spoken publicly on Sterling's alleged comments.  But this is clearly a non-story.   
 
On a separate note, I wish we could merge threads - the P&G one has some fantastic posts that everyone on this board (lurkers and members) should see.  

 

[luckiestman]

.