Donald Sterling

I suppose since I am the Truth and Common Sense blogger I should weigh in on the whole Donald Sterling mess, but I tend to sometimes appear racist myself when discussing such matters. Not because I am, but because I have never felt the personal responsibility of trying to atone for any possible racist acts that may or may not have been conducted by my ancestors. I realize that is not the politically correct thing to say, but it is certainly the truth as I know it. Donald Sterling is the National Basketball Association’s Owner of the Los Angeles Clippers who most people now no longer want to be associated with. For those of you who’ve been living under a rock, or who simply have had the great pleasure of avoiding all of the non-stop media coverage, the Clippers’ Owner has been labeled a Racist. The unwanted title came after an audio recording (from 2013) was recently released. The so-called private conversation between Mr. Sterling and his then girlfriend, V. Stiviano, depicts him making racist comments to her.

Due to Mr. Sterling’s remarks he has been banned from the League for life, fined 2.5 million dollars, and most likely will be forced out of his ownership when the remaining team owners vote on his future. NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver, said he talked with several players before deciding Sterling’s fate, so I was not at all surprised with the sentence handed down since the League is predominantly Black, and the Owner is White. Commissioner Silver really had no choice but to severely punish Sterling with the looming threats, of a boycott and the possible cancellation of this year’s playoffs, coming from the majority of NBA players. It does not take a genius to understand the motivation behind most business decisions is money, and the NBA simply could not afford a shutdown, or rather their greed prevented it from happening.

Outspoken Dallas Mavericks’ Owner, Mark Cuban, conveyed his disgust towards Mr. Sterling, and at this point he feels the League would be better off without him, but he does not think the NBA can legally force him to give up his ownership nor should the League try to because of something Sterling said in private. I think Mr. Cuban was absolutely correct when saying, “I think you’ve got to be very, very careful when you start making blanket statements about what people say and think, as opposed to what they do. It’s a very, very slippery slope.” When Donald Sterling inevitably is cast out of the League for good can we then assume there is no longer a racist bone left in the bodies of the remaining 29 team owners? I would guess not. Therefore, if and when another NBA Owner eventually gets caught saying something racist, whether publically or in private, then the exact penalty Mr. Sterling received will have to be enacted against all others since a precedent has now been set.

I’m not much of a gambler (see “Last Vegas” blog), but I do think it’s a safe bet to assume Mr. Sterling is no longer a fan of V. Stiviano – the woman whose voice can be heard on the infamous audio recording. I don’t know if she’s directly responsible for releasing the taped conversation, but I am suspicious as to why the 2013 recording even exists. I am also leery of the authenticity of the couple’s past relationship given the significant age difference, and I do mean grossly different. I suppose Miss Stiviano was a fan of Mr. Sterling’s money, and now she probably doesn’t mind her fifteen minutes of fame. My guess is she’ll take full advantage of the situation and after giving numerous interviews will find herself on some reality show or gracing the pages of Playboy. Regardless, the soon-to-be former Owner of the L.A. Clippers can only blame himself for his bigoted thoughts and remarks.

I for one am not a fan of the NBA, so I really don’t care how the League chooses to run its business, and I also don’t care one way or the other about their continued existence. However, I do believe we are all created equal, and I cannot begin to fathom ever disliking anyone solely based on the color of their skin. I think this country is as close to a racist-free nation as it can ever be. Most of the racism that still exists today, and sadly will continue, is because of those families who knowingly pass down their hatred of others to future generations; therefore, never completely ridding it from our society. There are not only people like Donald Sterling who fuel the racist fire, but there are some people in the minority races who are guilty of fanning the flames as well by not teaching their children and grandchildren to forgive and forget past transgressions committed against them. Believe it or not there are some Blacks who simply dislike Whites because of their skin color. Common sense tells me we should love one another regardless of race, or at the very least keep all ignorant attitudes to ourselves, but when have we ever been or will ever be a nation of common sense.