Donald Sterling

[SeattleUte]

Donald Sterling is going to be able to sell an LA NBA team when franchises in Sacramento and Milwaukee are selling for over a half billion dollars and the Lakers are in one of their rare once every 20 year swoons. I don't feel too bad for him. Stern should have punished him when he was blocking black people from living in his apartments. Given how big of a deal the NBA is in the black community, you really can't have an owner like Donald Sterling.

Plus, as others have said, Donald Sterling has been a shitty owner for decades. We're not talking about Jerry Buss or Mark Cuban here. Now if only James Dolan could provide Silver with a solid pretext to remove his ass.

Good grief. It isn't just "how big of a deal the NBA is in the black community". Any organization that depends on the public goodwill and their public image can't tolerate this for a second. When did you last see Mel Gibson in a film? Is that because how big a deal moviemaking is in the Jewish community? There's no need to even discuss race this way.

[SeattleUte]

Whitlock says wrong precedent.


http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/10...ix-our-culture

This is such bullshit. The pillow talk shows he's a racist. The NBA can't tolerate a racist owner, it's that simple. The NBA's success is all about its public image. Sterling's privacy is not the NBA's problem. The NBA didn't invade his privacy. This just happened and he's been exposed as a racist. That is the NBA's problem. Billionaires in "complicated sexual situations" need to take care of their own privacy.

See, I've told you that sports writers are idiots. That's never more evident than when they take on truly serious issues.

[creekster]

When did you last see Mel Gibson in a film? Is that because how big a deal moviemaking is in the Jewish community? There's no need to even discuss race this way.

from his IMDB entry:

2015 Blood Father (pre-production) (rumored)

2014 The Expendables 3 (post-production)

2013 Machete Kills

2012 Get the Gringo

2011 The Beaver

So I guess we have seen him, so to speak (because I didn't see any of those), in at least one a year recently. But I am sure this only underscores your point.

[SoCalCoug]

I wish they would have banned him for all of this stuff rather than an immorally recorded and released conversation. Sterling obviously needed to go, but I'm far more comfortable with people being punished for doing reprehensible things than saying reprehensible things.

I wouldn't be so sure about the "immorally recorded and released conversation" - I heard an interview with a TMZ guy (they were the ones who the tape was released to, so they would know as much as anyone the circumstances). He said that there were actually hundreds of tapes of Sterling's conversations, because the "girlfriend" had been instructed by him to record all of their conversations for the archives, because he kept forgetting what he'd said. If this is true, then the recording would have been with his consent, and therefore not illegal.

And don't necessarily conflate "immoral" with "illegal" - California's wiretap statute is pretty strict, and I know there are states where no recording is illegal if one party consents to it. So is it immoral in California but not in other states?

from his IMDB entry:

2011 The Beaver

So I guess we have seen him, so to speak (because I didn't see any of those), in at least one a year recently. But I am sure this only underscores your point.

It's been a while since I saw The Beaver, but if I remember correctly, it stunk pretty bad.

[wapiti]

I like how people are saying he was banned for words rather than actions. The tape actually exposes racist actions taken by Sterling. He forced his girlfriend to take down pictures with black people down from her instagram. He told her she was not welcome to attend games with black people. Those are actions. There is no defending what was said on those tapes or the mind that produced them. They stand on their own. The NBA nailed it on the punishment and I hope they are successful in its full implementation.

[imanihonjin]

I wouldn't be so sure about the "immorally recorded and released conversation" - I heard an interview with a TMZ guy (they were the ones who the tape was released to, so they would know as much as anyone the circumstances). He said that there were actually hundreds of tapes of Sterling's conversations, because the "girlfriend" had been instructed by him to record all of their conversations for the archives, because he kept forgetting what he'd said. If this is true, then the recording would have been with his consent, and therefore not illegal.

And don't necessarily conflate "immoral" with "illegal" - California's wiretap statute is pretty strict, and I know there are states where no recording is illegal if one party consents to it. So is it immoral in California but not in other states?



It's been a while since I saw The Beaver, but if I remember correctly, it stunk pretty bad.

So you are buying the mistresses story that Sterling actually asked that the conversations be recorded so that he could use them to "jog" his memory? That isn't to say I feel bad for him....I don't. He has been exposed for what he is and he should have to live with the consequences. However, her story isn't believable and seems to premeditated justification by a lawyer who was familiar with the wire tapping laws in California.

[imanihonjin]

I have been to a Jay-Z concert. Wish I known that he he did not want me, a white guy, at his concert. I feel absolutely outraged.

Thank you, imanhajoini, for making your completely apt and equivalent comparison between Jay-Z and Sterling.

It isn't really that hard to understand the similarities between the two racists is it? Sterling, an owner, and Jay-Z, a previous part owner and now agent, are both blatant racists. Why does one get a pass from the NBA and the other isn't even mentioned despite wearing racially offensive bling to an NBA game earlier this month?

[RC Vikings]

A boycott from the players would have made things interesting during the playoffs. I wonder how quickly the league would have come down harder on Sterling.

[falafel]

A boycott from the players would have made things interesting during the playoffs. I wonder how quickly the league would have come down harder on Sterling.

I'm assuming you're talking about the rumor that the players were all going to walk off the court last night at the tip if Silver had imposed anything less than a life-time ban. VP of the Players Association Roger Mason, Jr. confirmed that this was the plan on Cowherd this morning. That would have been a disaster for the league.

[TripletDaddy]

So you are buying the mistresses story that Sterling actually asked that the conversations be recorded so that he could use them to "jog" his memory? That isn't to say I feel bad for him....I don't. He has been exposed for what he is and he should have to live with the consequences. However, her story isn't believable and seems to premeditated justification by a lawyer who was familiar with the wire tapping laws in California.

Jacob has a soulmate: imanihonjin.

[Donuthole]

Donald Sterling

Jacob has a soulmate: imanihonjin.

Also Jason Whitlock and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Wait, is there soulmate polygamy?

[imanihonjin]

Jacob has a soulmate: imanihonjin.

I see, so unless I believe the whole self serving story of a high priced call girl, I must be a fan of Donald Sterlings......is that right? Her reasoning for recording was concocted to allow her to claim that the recording was legal. That's okay though, you can be an idiot and believe her ridiculous claim.

[TripletDaddy]

Also Jason Whitlock and Kareem Abdul Jabbar.

Whitlock appears to be a soulmate. Kareem does not.

[imanihonjin]

Also Jason Whitlock and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Wait, is there soulmate polygamy?

Kareem? He has been calling for the dudes head and applauded the NBAs actions....so perhaps he and are the same in that regard? But how does that make me and Jason Whitlock the same?

[TripletDaddy]

I see, so unless I believe the whole self serving story of a high priced call girl, I must be a fan of Donald Sterlings......is that right? Her reasoning for recording was concocted to allow her to claim that the recording was legal. That's okay though, you can be an idiot and believe her ridiculous claim.

The NBA, the POTUS, and civilized society agree with me, not you.

I wonder if Donald Sterlings shops at Nordstroms.