Sports Editor
Los
Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has no one to blame but himself. On
April 26, TMZ released a nine minute tape of Sterling, age 80, berating his
girlfriend, V. Stiviano, for posting Instagram photos of herself with
African-Americans, and telling her not to bring African-Americans to Clippers
games. It’s worth noting that the girlfriend is mixed-race, and that the team
he owns plays in a league that is predominately African-American. He goes on to
explain how the world will think certain things of you if you are seen with
African-Americans, then make baffling comments about how black Jewish people in
Israel are lesser than white Jews in Israel, and finally the tape ends with
Stiviano comparing Sterling’s viewpoints to the Holocaust. Unfortunately, the
billionaire’s blatant racism is nothing new. Twice he has been sued for housing
discrimination, for refusing to allow African-Americans or Latinos to rent
apartments he owned. There have been other instances in which Sterling has made
extremely offensive comments, but for the first time his remarks are making
national headlines.
The
backlash began as soon as the tape was aired. The Clippers players staged a
silent protest by throwing down their warm-up jerseys on center court and
wearing their undershirts inside out, so as to hide the Clippers logo. Past NBA
stars, including Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, slammed Sterling throughout
the days after the release of the tape. “He shouldn’t be allowed to own a team
anymore,” said Johnson. President Obama, Lebron James, and Charles Barkley all
spoke out against Sterling as well. CarMax cut all ties with the Clippers and
Sterling, Virgin America and Mercedes-Benz did the same. Corona, State Farm,
Kia, Sprint, Red Bull, and plenty of other companies all temporarily suspended
their sponsorships with the team in protest of the owner’s racist comments.
After
the furious retaliation from around the league, the pressure was on NBA
commissioner Adam Silver to give Sterling an appropriate punishment. After four
days of investigating the validity of the tapes, Silver dropped a bombshell on
the Clipper’s owner: a life ban from the NBA and a $2.5 million fine.
Additionally, Sterling may be forced to sell the team as a result of his
comments. In order to force the sale of the team, however, three fourths of the
other 29 NBA team owners must vote in agreement, which should not be a hard
figure to obtain.
Silver’s
decision has been widely praised throughout the league, despite it being one of
the sternest sanctions ever in pro sports. A life ban from the NBA means Sterling
will be banned from attending Clippers games and practices, as well as from all
NBA facilities, and prohibited from making any team personnel decisions even if
he remains as the Clippers owner.
