The specter of racism has long haunted professional sports. Donald Sterling, owner of the NBA team the L.A. Clippers, is proving how wrong those are who deny racism exists anymore.
Having held his race attitudes during his 30 years of ownership â well known to owners, media, players, fans, and sponsors â is Sterling a Rosa Parks âtipping pointâ for the collective âsocial conscienceâ of America, ashamed at the âyassah bossâ polite role of âto get money you go along with money,â even plantation money, at the communityâs expense?
The worst-kept secret is again exposed of how White owner racism has long caused hair chafing at the majority of players being Black, letting Sterling do their ranting. Thatâs the true infamy.
The âoh my gawd, if we could have only knownâ wailing taking place is the OMG of false pretenses. They knew. The difference? A woman scorned holding her smoking gun evidence fully recorded (albeit reported illegally). Sterlingâs trifecta of scorn, disrespect and racism and the NBAâs tolerance of it is no longer hidden.
This incident exposes, tarnishes, and shreds retired NBA Commissioner David Sternâs image and reputation, as he allowed Sterlingâs conduct, philosophy and racism in the NBA. Is his protĂ©gĂ©, new NBA commissioner Adam Silver, moving swiftly to save Sternâs reputation and his own job and sweep it all under the rug as soon as possible?
With Silverâs election, White owners again turned their backs on the valid idea whose time has come â a Black commissioner â as they instead denied yet another generation a position well earned and for which they are well qualified.
Donald Sterlingâs name and the L.A. NAACP will forever be joined in memory in infamy. The L.A. NAACP has long defended Donald Sterling, being his apologist (money trumping principles). Only the smoking gun caused the NAACP to stop the charade with Sterling and cancel his about-to-be-awarded second NAACP lifetime achievement award, exposing how money to âcommunity leadersâ denies real community people, enabling sports plantations.
When legendary Elgin Baylor sued Donald Sterling in 2009 for ageism and racism, it was the NAACP of Los Angeles that came to Sterlingâs defense, calling Sterling one of the âgreatest menâ of our time, despite Baylorâs statement that Sterling had a âvision of a Southern plantation-type structureâ for the team.
When we hear talk of âmeat rolls,â we have a clear indication of what happens when folks compromise principles and accept Judas dollars. The blind now see. Advertisers are halting sponsorships for Sterlingâs team (e.g., Kia, Red Bull, State Farm, Virgin America, CarMax). Players bravely stepped off the plantation by demonstrating at center court and not wearing ID warm-ups prior to the game.
Economic sanctions trump riots or one-off protests, so follow these donâts: Donât buy Clipper tickets, donât attend Clipper games, donât watch Clippers on TV, donât buy products and services from their sponsors. Even the other 29 owners (all White except for Michael Jordan), have spoken against Sterling. They support his ouster, a change from their three-decade silence about his racism.
Former NBA player Kevin Johnson, now mayor of Sacramento, working with the NBA Playersâ Association, made five recommendations: That the Commissioner (1) act swiftly and decisively; (2) outline the range of possible sanctions; (3) not allow Sterling to attend any more NBA playoff games this year; and, my two favorites for the future, (4) include the players’ association as âfull partnersâ in the investigation, and (5) explain why the NBA did not sanction Sterling after prior evidence of racism going back over 30 years.
Stay tuned.
Update: On April 29, 2014, Silver banned Sterling for life and asked the other owners to vote for him to sell.
For Ronâs hosted radio and TV showâs broadcast times, solution papers, books and archives, go to www.TheMinneapolisStory.com. To order his books go to Beacon on the Hill Press.
Reach the MSR staff at msrnewsonline@spokesman-recorder.com.