Remiel Posted April 29, 2014 Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 Here is the audio of an interview with at least one fellow who thinks all this outrage over Sterling's comments is kind of a joke. And not because he is an apologist for racism or anything like that, but because the comments are hardly the worst thing known about Sterling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6bLKe9-Mto#t=165 And it has been known for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimmy Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 Yes, what he was taped as saying is repulsive to most people - but - it was a private conversation, it was not meant for publication, it is not against the law etc. I just watched press conferences where every organization with an agenda piled on to this owner. I thought that what he said was stupid but he had the right to say it privately. You cannot and should not condemn someone for what they are thinking. This is a very slippery slope when we fine and punish people for what they think. His bigoted thinking is wrong. To punish someone for what they are thinking is worse. He is not being punished for what he was thinking, he is being punished for publicly damaging the NBA's reputation and business. When you run a franchise, whether it's an NBA franchise or a McDonald's franchise, your continued association with that brand is not unconditional or irrevocable. If his thoughts had stayed private, this would obviously not be an issue. But since his comments became a matter of public record, he has caused demonstrable harm to the league. -k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 In hearing the actual audio.... it's not nearly as bad as I was expecting. A lifetime ban for something that mundane, said in a private conversation, is way over the top. It's bad, but it's not banned-for-life bad. I'll be shocked if Sterling doesn't try to sue the league -- he's had success countering their fines with lawsuits before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
On Guard for Thee Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 In hearing the actual audio.... it's not nearly as bad as I was expecting. A lifetime ban for something that mundane, said in a private conversation, is way over the top. It's bad, but it's not banned-for-life bad. I'll be shocked if Sterling doesn't try to sue the league -- he's had success countering their fines with lawsuits before. Apparently there are a lot of people, of various colors, backgrounds, etc., that don't think racism is mundane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-TSS- Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 Mountain of a molehill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boges Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 This is going to be a fascinating case study, if Sterling does in fact fight this. I've heard him quoted that "The Clippers are not for Sale". There'll be a prolonged court case that might go all the way to SCOTUS. Can an owner be compelled to sell his property? or can it be seized? If it was that open and shut, it'd have been done already. Controversial Dallas Marvericks owner Mark Cuban, has already labelled this as a slippery slope. A private taped conversation can be used to compel someone to forfeit a multiple hundred million dollar organization? I do think this is the strongest sentiment yet that racism is no longer widely acceptable in our society. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleeding heart Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 I agree, the reaction has been overwhelming. We can talk about "political correctness" all we wish, but plainly this sort of overt racist remarks really strikes a collective nerve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-TSS- Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 His young trophy-wife had young lovers and that peeved him off and he told her to stop it, which gave the wife an opportunity to use the taped conversations as a revenge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boges Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 His young trophy-wife had young lovers and that peeved him off and he told her to stop it, which gave the wife an opportunity to use the taped conversations as a revenge. I believe it was the mistress that did it. She was being sued for $1.8 million by the Sterlings, this is likely revenge for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boges Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 (edited) As to what I said earlier. Sterling's racism isn't something new. Many have been pointing out that Sterling made his Billions being a racist. http://www.thestar.com/sports/basketball/2014/04/29/nba_now_that_the_racist_is_gone_its_time_to_tackle_racism_arthur.html That should be a big takeaway from this. For all the talk of fighting racism, getting Sterling out of the NBA doesn’t do much for that. Making him poor would, if it were possible. The housing discrimination suits Sterling settled involved real people being evicted, blacks and Hispanics and people with kids. It was alleged to be institutional. And the largest federal housing discrimination settlement in American history cost Sterling $2.7 million (U.S.), or a little more than Silver levied in fines on Tuesday. That’s what it cost Sterling to make that particular problem go away. That kind of institutional racism is what people should be fighting, and if Sterling becoming the most famous racist in America leads to that conversation, then this was a great day for more than basketball. The NBA always let Sterling skate despite those repugnant sworn depositions, despite far worse things, because sports is half lawyers, or more. This really was like nailing Al Capone on tax evasion. It is highly ironic that what ends up bringing Sterling down is a "Lover's Spat" between him and his mistress, when it seemed clear that he was a known racist long before this, yet nothing was done until a tape surfaced having him telling his "girlfriend" not bring black guys to his games and posing for pictures with Magic Johnson. Edited April 30, 2014 by Boges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWTT Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 Exactly. As Mark Cuban said, it's kind of a slippery slope. He's completely against Sterling's sentiments, but at the same time has a problem with some of the so-called remedies. Also, it wasn't as though Sterling said these comments publicly. They were suppose to be private. Should we then make everyone's private feelings public? Is it also legal to record somebody without their knowledge and then release said conversation? I agree! We are all entitled to our own opinion, and we are free to associate with whomever we choose. Conveying your opinion to a person close to you is also your right! But I'm not sure about the exact laws in the US? I have heard now that the league is giving him a huge fine, which I believe won't stick in any US court (only an assumption without researching). It sounds like the league has no other choice but to give this guy the grapes of wrath to encourage him to leave. And I seriously doubt that the league is in any way surprised. Probably more pissed off that this became public! I personally give a rats ass about any over paid "entertainment". I've got better things to spend my money and time on instead of watching a bunch of men push/kick/throw something into a net In actual fact, this case probably has the most impact on society than every game ever played of all the combined professional sports out there! WWWTT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boges Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 (edited) Yeah much more impactful than Jackie Robinson or Lou Gehrig or Wayne Gretzky or John Carlos or Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson or Hank Aaron or Cal Ripken or or or. All athletes who are household names for what they did on the playing field, ice court whatever and also for who they were as people. Sports may just be entertainment, but world over it's value as a sideshow to our mundane life can't be overlooked. Pro Athletes are millionaires because they generate that money honestly, they really do generate much more than that for organizations because people love what they do. And this isn't a North American phenomenon, World over athletes are idolized and revered. It's just the way humans are I suppose. Edited April 30, 2014 by Boges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rue Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 (edited) I believe the owner is a racist for sure. No doubt about it. I also believe he was set up by people who want to buy the team and used this girl to tape him. At 80 this man was a loose cannon, clearly losing his grip on life and just having this Mistress he paraded around at games showed where his head was at. This woman by the way has a history of setting up and conning old farts. Now some of you are going to say the guy deserves it. Well its pretty hard to swallow the words this guy said yes. He is an ignorant man. As ignorant as it gets and no one should be sympathetic but if someone set him up to get the team from him which I suspect, they are just as low as he is exploiting racism to make a profit as well. His team by the way went from 12 million in value to about 535 mil in value. When you see someone taken down this badly you have to ask who benefits. Not the fans. Not the NBA. Its the person who ends up owning the Clippers who otherwise could not get the old fart to sell it to them below market price. If Magic Johnson is first in line to buy the team I would say do not be too surprised. I smell a set up. As repugnant as this man is, if suddenly Magic Johnson shows up wanting to buy the team from him do you get a bit suspicious? Its just too blatant a set up. The tape is a set up. The conversation did not flow naturally. The woman set the questions. This guy had to be removed as owner. Whoever set him up knew that. Wouldn't surprise me at all if its pay back from a former black athlete who felt insulted by him maybe even Magic. What goes around comes around. Its either poetic justice or nasty blackmail and manipulation but either way he had to go. Edited April 30, 2014 by Rue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boges Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 (edited) Did you just hear this theory on the radio the same time I did? Seems too perfect to actually be true. Magic Johnson was one of the guys Sterling chastised this lady about posing with on Instagram. So are we to believe Magic and his Guggenheim Group who own the LA Dodgers went to this woman and told her to try and get a known racist on tape being racist and to give him the fuel Magic posed with her in a pic? All in hopse that there'd be national outrage and players threatening to boycott and sponsors threatening to pull their funding so that the League would have to ban said owner for life and force him to sell the team. . . to the Guggenheim's and Johnson. That's a pretty elaborate plot. Edited April 30, 2014 by Boges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleeding heart Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 Rue may well be right. I have no sympathy for the guy, but nor do I sympathize with such machinations (if it is indeed the case, of course). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleeding heart Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 On the other hand....what Boges said. Fair enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argus Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 I agree, the reaction has been overwhelming. We can talk about "political correctness" all we wish, but plainly this sort of overt racist remarks really strikes a collective nerve. Except it was only overt because his mistress taped their private conversation. And by the way, how come all those self-righteous people at the NBA didn't seem to have an issue with this old geezer publicy showing off his twenty something mistresses courtside every game? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boges Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 And by the way, how come all those self-righteous people at the NBA didn't seem to have an issue with this old geezer publicy showing off his twenty something mistresses courtside every game? Cuz that wasn't racist. This league is 90% African American. It's hard to justify having an owner that doesn't want African Americans at his games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guyser Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 If the guy loses his franchise, so be it.He signed up on the dotted line and accepts the Constitution of the NBA, so he will live and...thankfully die with it.He may try and sue, but he wont get far with it. The writing is on the wall.As for the conspiracies posted......holy crap ,some of you should work for Infowars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleeding heart Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 Argus,, I'm not sure I'm getting your point here. Are you asking me why the NBA has certain issues with certain behaviours, but not with others? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbg Posted April 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 In hearing the actual audio.... it's not nearly as bad as I was expecting. A lifetime ban for something that mundane, said in a private conversation, is way over the top. It's bad, but it's not banned-for-life bad. I'll be shocked if Sterling doesn't try to sue the league -- he's had success countering their fines with lawsuits before.Well there's more. He previously tried to empty apartment buildings he owned of minorities. Also if it isn't what he really thought there would have been a quick denial or apology. His silence under the circumstances is deafening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guyser Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 Silence? Apparently he admitted it was him on the tape. Its now time for the NBA to stop being hypocrites and fire Spike Lee. What Spike has said is far worse than anything Sterling has said. Dont hold your breath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boges Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 Spike Lee is an owner? I thought James Dolan owns the Knicks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleeding heart Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 (edited) Spike Lee's history of dumbass comments rivals the Masters of the genre: Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and Kanye West. Though it appears John Kerry is making a Herculean effort to join their ranks, he's still got a ways to go. Edited April 30, 2014 by bleeding heart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-TSS- Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 Silence?Apparently he admitted it was him on the tape.Its now time for the NBA to stop being hypocrites and fire Spike Lee. What Spike has said is far worse than anything Sterling has said.Dont hold your breath. You mean the guy who said he'll never play under a white coach? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.thumb.jpg.9a49e1b2f22a6d34a345152c50044aa9.jpg)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.