[6/11/14 Edit: More drama - Sterling opted to go quietly and the NBA found a suitor in Steve "DEVELOPERS" Ballmer. A week went by without a peep, then we got word yesterday that Sterling will now retain his team and sue the NBA for a lot of money. In a statement loaded with veiled threats, he basically said that the NBA bullied him, his private discussions are his own and shouldn't be grounds for anything, and that his rights were violated. I've heard more than one radio personality question what his lawyers are doing, but I'd submit that Sterling is a lawyer, himself. Clearly, he's used to being the autocrat and possibly there's some dementia mixed in as well. But, this move is just dumb. Playing cooperative and then springing back to action once things have settled, only to reaffirm in everyones' minds just what a jerk he is - if it's not dementia, it's megalomania in its worst form. I hope his wife has actual proof that can finalize this mess and get Donald out of the spotlight again, as quickly as he got into it.]
[5/19/14 Edit: Donald Sterling was not only banned, but is also being forced to sell the team. He was fined $2.5 million as well, and he has decided to fight that. The league has rules, and to be an owner, he must have agreed to be bound to those rules. At the same time, losing the franchise and being banned from the NBA for life seems like a punishment to fit the crime. The fine seems like he's being charged for his views, and this was a private conversation in his home. Not that I have any actual sympathy for the man, but it seems like he should be able to say what he wants. Again, no longer being able to profit from or even attend NBA functions seems like an appropriate punishment for damage done to the league. I'm quite surprised he didn't deny things, claim the tape was altered, mention some new medication, or anything. In fact, maybe the fine is fit punishment for his subsequent and idiotic interviews since the initial episode.]
[Editor's note: I forgot to actually publish this, but I wrote it before NBA commissioner Silver passed his verdict to ban Donald Sterling for life, and before Sterling further imploded in front of Anderson Cooper on national television. Glad to see the NBA take such a stance, but I'm wary of the "contrite" Sterling, and I expect he'll have a reality show before long.]
I'm not sure of the best way to approach this conundrum of an NBA owner having such racist beliefs. It's hard to parse. On the one hand, he's clearly the worst kind of insulated, rich asshole, where having money is proof that his way is the right way. On the other hand, he is rich and he has a right to be a bigoted, racist asshole if he so chooses.
We're back into the Chik-fil-a/Komen/Mozilla mire, where an entire organization doesn't necessarily reflect the thoughts and insanity of the owner/CEO/management. In each of these cases, there was some major disconnect or hypocrisy that made the exclusions egregious. In this case, Sterling makes the case of a slave owner, talking about how he gives his players food and shelter. He says he knows Magic Johnson well and he's a person deserving of admiration, but he doesn't want a black guy like that going to his basketball games. Not sure how the spin team will fix that outright racism, but I'm looking forward to hearing the explanation. *
I heard Mike Greenberg on ESPN radio talking about getting Magic Johnson to sit court-side at a Clippers game if Donald Sterling is suspended or sanctioned. I think Magic's original plan of never going to a Clippers game as long as Sterling is the owner is a better plan. Rubbing his nose in it is petty. Boycotting his business is appropriate; but this is where it gets sticky.
Like the similar cases I mentioned earlier, the players, the support team, the arena workers, and even the fans who have bought Clippers gear should not have to be penalized for one man's ideology. But, like the other cases, he's not just a customer service representative, he's the owner of the team.
So, what's the appropriate action in a case like this? It's hard to imagine someone so ingrained in the NBA (he's the most tenured owner) would simply retire and hand over the business to someone else - especially when they have the best Clippers team in the history of the organization.
Boycotting hurts everyone down the line, but I think in this day and age, that it's the only real way to get a message across that the belief system he's relied on is no longer one that works for his business. I love chicken sandwiches, Firefox, and fighting against cancer, but there are alternatives for each of those businesses, so I could switch pretty easily. I never cared about the Clippers, and now I wish they'd change ownership.
* My bet is on "new medication" that has had him out of sorts.
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