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Sterling Tarred-and-Feathered by NBA for Racism
by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700
Copyright
April 30, 2014
All Rights Reserved.
Handing the death penalty to 80-year-old Los Angeles
Clippers owner Donald Sterling April 29, 52-year-old newly minted NBA
Commissioner Adam Silver didn’t pull any punches for Sterling’s offensive racist
rant recorded secretly my his 31-year-old lady-friend V. Stiviano. When Stiviano’s recording found its
way to Hollywood gossip site TMZ April 26, it went instantly viral, exposing
what looks like Sterling’s blatant racism.
Telling Stiviano not to associate and bring blacks to Clippers games
created a racial tornado of epic proportions, sweeping away the
sports-and-celebrity empire built by the self-made Los Angeles billionaire. Watching Silver denounce Sterling
satisfied the angry mob that chased Sterling with torches-and-pitchforks out of
town. Not one journalist asked
anything about Sterling’s mental status that compelled him to act so
irrationally destroying his career.
Sterling’s racist rant recorded secretly and exposed to the world
demonstrated the kind of erratic stupidity that usually goes with age-related
cognitive decline, sometimes seen as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Once Sterling’s evil genie was out of the bottle, no one looked for any sympathy,
tar-and-feathering the famous Beverly Hills resident’s multiple
humanitarian-of-the-year awards.
From his humble beginnings in East LA’s Boyle Heights, Sterling defied all odds,
graduating Cal State LA and South Western College of Law to join LA’s power
elite. His money came from shrewd
residential real estate investing, not casinos, drugs or other vices. Before denounced and evicted from
the NBA by Silver, Sterling was due to receive the NAACP’s a lifetime
achievement award. His spectacular
fall from grace from NBA owner to a disgraced racist scoundrel dominates today’s
headlines.
Watching the bloodlust and high-fives from practically everyone watching
Silver give thumbs down on Sterling’s NBA life resembled the Roman Arena
depicted in the 2000 epic film “Gladiator” by Oscar-winning director Ridley
Scott. Starring Russell Crowe as
the slave Maximus, he’s told before entering the Roman arena into battle by
slave owner Proximo: “The beating
heart of Rome is not the marble of the senate but the sand of the Colosseum.” While Sterling wasn’t present,
the audience convulsed in euphoria over Silver’s death penalty for his racist
rant. “The hateful opinions voiced
by that man [on the tape] are those of Donald Sterling,” said Silver, banning
Sterling for life from the NBA.
News reports sought any possible historical events of Sterling’s life to trash
him as a racist, including a no-fault $2.7 million settlement for violations of
federal fair housing laws.
Banning Sterling from the NBA for life and fining him the maximum of $2.5
million, Silver offered the angry mob everything short of putting the
octogenarian before a firing squad.
Despite all the civil rights gains in U.S. history, it’s long history of slavery
and racism still percolated beneath the surface ready to erupt on provocation. Sterling’s irrational statements to
his 30-something lady-friend demonstrate a shell of the once fully-in-charge
businessman that won humanitarian-of-the-year honors from various groups. Sterling’s lifetime achievements
suddenly turned to rubbish all from his offensive racist remarks. “I fully expect to get the support I
need from the other NBA owners to remove him,” said Silver, answering questions
of how he’ll eventually force Sterling to sell his NBA franchise. Silver admitted that Sterling had
little to say other than admitting the voice was his on the tape.
Sterling’s pathetic response suggests the very real possibility that he’s
not playing with a full deck, perhaps suffering from cognitive impairments like
dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
Sterling’s conversation secretly recorded by V. Stivinio sounds incoherent. “It bothers me a lot that you want
to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Do you have to?,” asked Sterling. If that weren’t enough, “You can sleep with them.
You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to
promote it on that . . . and not to
bring them to my games,” said Sterling, making no sense when African Americans
and other minorities routinely attend Clippers games. Showing just how far he went over the deep end, “I support them and give them food and
clothes and care and houses . . .,” Sterling told Stiviano, confusing lavish
gifts for his lady-friends from salaries for his players or coaches.
Faced with a strike by NBA players during the playoffs, Silver had no
choice but to make an example out of Sterling for his racist rant. It’s clear that he hit a raw nerve in players, coaches and fans, not used to the ugly
words, no doubt occurring in more places than only Clippers games. “We applaud the firm punishment
handed out today my NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and appreciate the swiftness
with which the NBA conducted the investigation,” said San Francisco Warriors
owner Joe Lacob in a prepared statement. “Similarly, we anticipate that the NBA Board of Governors will act promptly to put this
chapter behind us,” referring to forcing Sterling to sell his franchise. Whether any court agrees that
Sterling got due process or deserved the punishment, the NBA reserves the right
to terminate franchise agreements when an owner’s behavior harms the NBA brand
and debases the sport.
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