So now we know what it takes to force the cancellation of an NBA game.
An Act of God.
I’ve never seen an NBA game cancelled by “force majeure” – meteorite, earthquake, biblical flood – but after this Donald Sterling fiasco Sunday, it’s apparent that under all other circumstances, “The Show Must Go On!”
There would be no grand gestures, no socially conscious sticking out of any millionaires necks on Sunday. No walkouts, no lockouts, no sit-ins, or wildcat strikes. The coach got on board with pretending like they could handle this “unfortunate distraction” during weekday business hours, and the players fell in line behind him.
The broadcasters showed up. The networks turned on the cameras. And the show…. went on.
/party horn
What a disgrace.
Starting of course at the source, Sterling himself. What a sad, pathetic, bigoted piece of shit he is. Given his past track record, and given that this was just ONE candid conversation which provided a window into his soul, just IMAGINE all the things he has said in limousines, on airplanes, in nightclubs, and over countless dinners among racist buddies!
But disgrace rolls quickly downhill from there, as the NBA sits with egg on its face from an owner they have KNOWN for years, was a racist time bomb just waiting to go off.
Too late, Adam Silver. Ka-boom.
It serves the NBA right, that the chickens finally came home to roost on this guy. You can claim all you want about how “hard” it is legally to “force” an owner out of the league, but Donald Sterling should have been drummed out of the NBA long ago. And there would have been plenty of ways to help make it happen.
This is as bad – if not worse – than David Stern having to be told by the FBI: “Pssst. You know, one of your refs… IS BETTING ON THE GAMES!”
The embarrassment rolls right down to Doc Rivers. A guy who has a. Played in the league forever. b. Coached in the league forever and even c. broadcast the NBA Finals in 2004 with Al Michaels.
Doc Rivers knows all of the league’s secrets. He knows where all the dead bodies are buried. Don’t be naive. And when Donald Sterling – known racist – came calling with a lot of money, a beachfront lifestyle, and a loaded team… Doc Rivers sat down and looked him in the eye, and said “yes.”
Don’t cry now, Glenn.
And how about that good ol’ NAACP of Los Angeles? Kinda embarrassing to have to cancel a SECOND “Lifetime Achievement Award” ceremony for this Antebellum relic at such a late date, huh?
Maybe Michael Richards or Mel Gibson are available.
But hey, the checks all cleared. So there’s that.
And lastly, how could it be that in a league of 80% black players, that not ONE single man on either team could stand up and say: “I don’t care what happens, I won’t be there on Sunday. Period. Not unless Sterling is suspended immediately, and the league assures me he’ll have sold the team by the start of next season.”
Nobody. Not one.
And that’s all it would have taken. Because one guy with a spine, would have allowed everyone else to fall in behind him. And what would the NBA do? Fine a player for this? Go ahead, see how that would have looked.
The NBA and it’s so-called “Investigation” of the matter. I mean, honestly? It’s a one question “investigation.” Donald, is that you?”
Investigation over.
Silver should have suspended him indefinitely on the spot, and said the league would assist Mr. Sterling’s orderly exit from the NBA this summer, or the lawyers will roll.
“But it’s complicated….”
No. Not always. Sometimes it’s simple. Sometimes you say “I don’t care how inconvenienced fans might be if the game is cancelled. I don’t care if our team loses because I protest. (Did anyway..) I don’t care how much money they might fine me.”
And this league which has historically meddled into EVERYTHING to make sure it gets what it wants, suddenly got cold feet on this? This is a league that….
– Shanghaied Seattle out of a franchise
– Reversed the Chris Paul trade while owning the Hornets
– Played bare knuckles with Sacramento to get a new stadium
….just to name the most recent ones!
A league that freezes envelopes and strategically deploys Dick Bavetta when needed to ensure outcomes, they sure did botch this one.
Donald Sterling is finished as an owner, but now the league will have a bruise from this PR hit for decades.
Time for the NBA to start working on a new internal file called “Shitheel Owners Who Are Not Worth The Trouble” – and see if they don’t want a sequel to this sometime in the future.
Or, you can keep promoting “NBA Cares”… and hope the closet full of skeletons stays firmly shut.
7 Comments
Johnny Socko
Who gives a flying F? This was a PRIVATE CONVERSATION! Don’t you think we all have said things privately that wouldn’t translate to well if published? Clearly, Sterling is not a monk. However, let’s judge this man by his actions and not his words during a private conversation. After all, is the Clippers coach not black? Are most of the players black? Hasn’t he employed a black GM? So everybody up in arms about this is going way overboard. I suppose that saint Michael Jordan has never, NEVER said anything offensive during his private conversations? Give me a f’ing break.
KidHorn
The guy clearly has racial issues, but he has a black girlfriend, he hired a black head coach and all his players are black. He basically told his girlfriend that it’s OK for her to have intimate relations with blacks, just don’t be seen with them. It seems like he’s more concerned with giving the appearance of liking blacks than actually disliking them. The guys a racist, but he doesn’t come across as the cross burning type. More of the stuck in the 1950’s type.
SiPhi
I said that to someone yesterday. It seems he doesn’t want to feel that way, but at this point he is very set in his ways & possibly senile. That said, he’s definitely got racial bias. Pretty sure he said something like “Magic should be celebrated” but to not be seem with him. Crazy.
Jeff
While I don’t agree at all with Sterling said, I must point out how flawed it is for sportswriters and commentators to talk about what the players should have done. It is easy to say the players shouldn’t have played. It’s always easy to tell someone else what they should do when the teller has no financial stake in the situation (and despite what some say, it’s always about money). If you sportswriters feel so strongly about this, why don’t you all take a few days off without pay as a national protest against Sterling? Not gonna do it, are you? Plus, there are also legal issues. Players and coaches have legal contracts to perform a service, for which they are paid (and quite handsomely at that). Simply disagreeing with (despicable) comments made by one’s employer is not legal justification to null a contract. And it’s not just the player’s contracts. TV deals, national advertising, local advertising, etc. There would be serious financial repurcussions if the players didn’t play. But the my reall issue with the suggestion the players protest by not playing is this: If the Clippers forfeited, that hurts the players more than it does Sterling. The Clippers worked hard for 82 games, made the playoffs, and are trying to win the series. Should they flush all this down the toilet because of their idiot owner? I’d would rather Doc Rivers have said, “F*ck Sterling. We’re gonna win anyway, and when we do, we’ll shove that championship trophy up his racist a*s.”
Albert In Tucson
Cancel the game?
Sure, screw the several thopusand Clipper fans planning to attend the game because their team’s owner is an idiot who needs a zipper in his face,
Yeah, THAT makes perfect sense!
Wrong,
Blue
Sterling is from a different era. This does NOT make what he said proper or even normal, BUT he spoke those words in the privacy of his own home. Since when are we to be told what we can and cannot say within the privacy of our homes? As mentioned above, and by countless others; he is not a man I would personally befriend. I will defend his right to express his thoughts within his home though, and nobody should be able to deny that right.
Why is his *ahem* “girlfriend” seen with Magic Johnson on her Instagram photos (which have been suspiciously deleted now) and suddenly he is the viable buyer for the team? This reeks of being a set-up from the get-go and now it is just a matter of finding who all was in on the gig.
This is a blatant attempt to wrangle the team from him and his family and award it to the “Ultimate Cleanser in sports”. Read this from Yahoo sports… http://sports.yahoo.com/news/exit-strategy-for-nba–donald-sterling–sell-clippers-to-magic-johnson-073015142.html;_ylt=AwrBJR5bEGBTVhkANT5NbK5_
And to think, the little trollop had posted photos with Jeff Kemp too (and who now owns the Dodgers?). Why did Magic sell his share of the Lakers in 2010? There are too many dots that have been connected for this all to be coincidental.
The NBA and the hypocrites and panderers flailing around this story need to look more than skin deep to find the truth here. This story is NOT about racism and an old, vile NBA owner; but about propping up non-stories over real news to divert attention from what matters to what they want us to think. Give them circuses and cake, right?
Ivan Jurkinov
Are they going to ban for life ,players recorded in their homes and limos ,spewing racial (Shaq), homophobic (Kobe),and faith-based comments? Or will it be the Bobby Bowden style of justice…….send a message with the scrubs and slap the stars on the wrist?