Donald Sterling: Don't Bring Black People to My Games

[FiddySicks]

Players were prepared to boycott

It's easy to say that now, since nobody can call their bluff, but DAMN that would have been interesting if the league gave Sterling a slap on the wrist and then a whole night's worth of playoff games didn't happen.

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/thompson/2014/04/29/warriors-had-the-blueprint-for-a-dramatic-boycott-ready-to-go/

It would've been pretty amazing if this had happened.

Wow... I didn't even think about players starting the game and then just walking off the court; I was thinking of a situation like a weather delay where the game is cancelled beforehand. I think there would literally be a riot if 18,000 people came to watch a playoff game and then the players left the court after the start.

I think they would have got a standing ovation.

I'd say that witnessing a moment that monumental in not only the history of sports, but as well the civil rights movement, would be WELL worth the price of admission.

[pmoehrin]

With the exception of the freedom of speech=freedom from criticism crowd, this seems as about as unanimous of a decision as you could get in terms of public approval.

If this was the only blemish against Donald Sterling's record it would be one thing, but its not. It was just another blemish on a laundry list of crimes and misdeeds he's committed over the years, only this time public and private outrage was enough to finally force the league to take action. The fact that he was able to carry his act out for three decades will go down as one of the darkest chapters in the NBA's history.

I'll give the NBA credit for stepping up and doing the right thing (even if they essentially had a gun put to their head to act as I think they did), but this was also long overdue. Right now though I'm just happy that we can finally start closing the book on the one of the most despicable people to ever be associated with pro sports. He might sue the league, maybe even get a few bucks out of it. I'll let others here pull out their internet law degrees and debate how exactly the NBA will go about ousting him in a legal manner. But to me it was made very clear one way or another Donald Sterling's time as an NBA owner is over from this day forth.

The only concern I have from here on out is watching the Playoffs. Can Indiana come back and give us that dream Eastern Conference Finals rematch? Can anybody stop Miami who looks better then ever? And who is going to come out of a wide open Western Conference where it seems like all eight teams have a realistic chance of making it to the Finals? That along with the arrival of John Wall as one the game's true superstars is what we should be talking about and maybe we can get back to that, but clearly the most damaging PR the game has suffered since Tim Donaghy and something that is not going to be swept under the rug overnight.

Hopefully Donald Sterling will do everyone a favor and be content to go quietly into the night without causing any more embarrassment. Only time will tell.

[LMU]

I'd think any sale would mirror the Dodgers with a NBA coordinated auction.

[dbadefense1990]

The amount of people crying foul over this citing the 1st amendment really bothers me.

http://deadspin.com/twitter-users-rage-against-death-of-the-first-amendment-1569415262

I can only imagine FOX News trying to capitalize on this:

"Tonight on Hannity: Beloved American Entrepreneur Donald Sterling Forcefully Removed From His Job Because of NSA Wiretaps Approved by the Socialist Obama Administration and Carried Out By the NAACP in an Effort from their Welfare Recipient Constituents to Screw Hard-Working, Conservative-Leaning Taxpayers."

[bosrs1]

Players were prepared to boycott

It's easy to say that now, since nobody can call their bluff, but DAMN that would have been interesting if the league gave Sterling a slap on the wrist and then a whole night's worth of playoff games didn't happen.

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/thompson/2014/04/29/warriors-had-the-blueprint-for-a-dramatic-boycott-ready-to-go/

It would've been pretty amazing if this had happened.

Wow... I didn't even think about players starting the game and then just walking off the court; I was thinking of a situation like a weather delay where the game is cancelled beforehand. I think there would literally be a riot if 18,000 people came to watch a playoff game and then the players left the court after the start.

I think they would have got a standing ovation.

I'd say that witnessing a moment that monumental in not only the history of sports, but as well the civil rights movement, would be WELL worth the price of admission.

For some. For others it would have been a reason to do something stupid.

[bosrs1]

Well back to an earlier discussion. Hopefully this will lead to a change in the logo and maybe even the color scheme of the team.

A return to this beauty or something like it would be most welcome...

[SFGiants58]

If there was any time to bring back powder blue/burnt orange and the sail logos, now would be the time (strip the sleeves off the alt, and use that as the template).

[Kevin W.]

The amount of people crying foul over this citing the 1st amendment really bothers me.

http://deadspin.com/twitter-users-rage-against-death-of-the-first-amendment-1569415262

I can only imagine FOX News trying to capitalize on this:

"Tonight on Hannity: Beloved American Entrepreneur Donald Sterling Forcefully Removed From His Job Because of NSA Wiretaps Approved by the Socialist Obama Administration and Carried Out By the NAACP in an Effort from their Welfare Recipient Constituents to Screw Hard-Working, Conservative-Leaning Taxpayers."

I'm no fan of Fox, but come on, man, do you really think that they would do that?

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2014/04/29/clippers-owner-donald-sterling-banned-for-life-from-nba-fined-25-million-by-nba/

[Lights Out]

I'd think any sale would mirror the Dodgers with a NBA coordinated auction.

Correct. When the league votes out DTS, the team officially becomes property of the NBA while the league works out a sale.

[Muggens]

Hey Moose, Rocco. Help Mr. Sterling find his checkbook.

[alxy8s]

The amount of people crying foul over this citing the 1st amendment really bothers me.

http://deadspin.com/twitter-users-rage-against-death-of-the-first-amendment-1569415262

I can only imagine FOX News trying to capitalize on this:

"Tonight on Hannity: Beloved American Entrepreneur Donald Sterling Forcefully Removed From His Job Because of NSA Wiretaps Approved by the Socialist Obama Administration and Carried Out By the NAACP in an Effort from their Welfare Recipient Constituents to Screw Hard-Working, Conservative-Leaning Taxpayers."

I'm no fan of Fox, but come on, man, do you really think that they would do that?

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2014/04/29/clippers-owner-donald-sterling-banned-for-life-from-nba-fined-25-million-by-nba/

Their two opinion articles on the subject are basically

1) Why isn't the liberal media covering the fact that Al Sharpton was going to speak at the event at which Sterling was receiving his lifetime achievement award? Al Sharpton is the major storyline here!! Why is everyone ignoring this?!

2) Racism is bad. But look on the bright side - people with those kinds of views are dying off, and we can look forward to that. Seems like a very strange stance to take on Fox News, considering the age demographics of their viewership.

[Cosmic]

I'd think any sale would mirror the Dodgers with a NBA coordinated auction.

Correct. When the league votes out DTS, the team officially becomes property of the NBA while the league works out a sale.

The Dodgers were in financial trouble, and MLB had somebody oversee day-to-day operations of the team before they eventually filed bankruptcy and were sold. This is a different situation.

[Tigers6884]

Well back to an earlier discussion. Hopefully this will lead to a change in the logo and maybe even the color scheme of the team.

A return to this beauty or something like it would be most welcome...

What exactly is/was that logo supposed to look like?

[Lee Noire]

Well back to an earlier discussion. Hopefully this will lead to a change in the logo and maybe even the color scheme of the team.

A return to this beauty or something like it would be most welcome...

What exactly is/was that logo supposed to look like?

It's an abstract take on sails of a clipper ship sitting in water, with the sun beaming down. This is My favorite logo. They need this back and it doesn't need much work. Held up nicely all these years.

[NJTank]

The amount of people crying foul over this citing the 1st amendment really bothers me.

http://deadspin.com/twitter-users-rage-against-death-of-the-first-amendment-1569415262

I can only imagine FOX News trying to capitalize on this:

"Tonight on Hannity: Beloved American Entrepreneur Donald Sterling Forcefully Removed From His Job Because of NSA Wiretaps Approved by the Socialist Obama Administration and Carried Out By the NAACP in an Effort from their Welfare Recipient Constituents to Screw Hard-Working, Conservative-Leaning Taxpayers."

Ohh WRONG

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/04/29/donald-sterling-is-racist-and-liberal-media-are-hypocrites/

[Sport]

A bunch of the Kentucky hillbilly installers I work with came back into my office to chat about this because I guess I’m “sports guy” in the office. They were up in arms that the NBA could just remove him from the team “just because he’s racist and he didn’t even say n***** or sp** or anything”.

Explaining why he has to go to these guys was like explaining the internet to a horse. They weren’t getting it. I told them about all of his lawsuits for discriminating with his rental properties (which they also didn't have a problem with), how he’s been the worst owner in sports the last 30 years, how he’s treated players and employees in the past, how this is the latest in a long line of events and not the first sign of trouble, and how the NBA has the right to remove an owner because it’s their franchise. They thought Sterling was the victim and I couldn’t believe it.

There’s still a lot of backwards thinkers out there.

All that said, they should've removed him when he was sued time and again for discriminatory practices with his business rather than when he said something in his own house. That would've been more ethical.

and Tank, that's not exactly what DBA said, but that's still an embarrassingly bad article by Fox News.

[nuordr]

Well, from several Kentucky hillbillies to a Kentucky Redneck (there is a difference) I agree that the NBA did the right thing on this matter and I wish they would take it a step further. I think they need to announce that any use of the "N" word in the locker room or on the court that is caught on tape by a player, coach, or owner should end up with an automatic 10 game suspension without pay and a second offensive would end in a ban from the league. I am so sick of all the racist comments towards blacks and in order for a real change to occur, it needs to start with the minorities refraining from using a horrible word in the first place. Take the Wide Receiver (I can't think of his name) from the Philadelphia Eagles that used the "N" word last year, he was busted and he should have been fined and suspended from at least one game without pay.

[JQK]

This will be tied up in legal proceedings for years. Lots of questions to answer. Donald isn't going to just leave.

[OnWis97]

and Tank, that's not exactly what DBA said, but that's still an embarrassingly bad article by Fox News.

No, but it is pretty close to the first point on the post by alxy8s....it's a race story so let's bring up Reverend Al; I told you "they" are the bad guys.

[Kramerica Industries]

A bunch of the Kentucky hillbilly installers I work with came back into my office to chat about this because I guess I’m “sports guy” in the office.

I think we've all been there before, and we all have hated having that tag and then trying to explain answers to questions that are never going to be properly understood.