I’m puzzled by all of this furor that exploded this weekend involving Los Angeles Clippers’ owner,
Donald Sterling. Yes, his taped comments
are reprehensible and dastardly. (I like
that word when dealing with classic silent movie bad guys, which in all the
pictures of Sterling, he appears to fit the bill although he lacks the
requisite handle-bar mustache) But as we
have heard ad nauseum, Sterling is
not a born again racist. This wasn’t an
overnight conversion. As the media has trumpeted,
Sterling has a long history of racial discrimination. There are lawsuits, one of them filed by the
federal government, detailing Sterling’s discriminatory practices in real
estate and business. Former employees like Elgin Baylor have tried to sue him for, wait for it, racial discrimination! This
guy didn’t need a hood, nor did he need to sneak into a particular neighborhood
under the cover of darkness to burn a cross on someone’s lawn.
This racist hid in plain sight in front of 18,000 people at an NBA
basketball game!
And apparently, it was
a not-so-well-kept secret among many people here in Los Angeles.
So if everyone knew
Donald Sterling was a racist, why is this story breaking now? And a follow up question, who stands to gain
from the whole kerfuffle? I mean, even
the girlfriend with the tape recorder says she didn’t leak the recording, and
in fact, she has said Sterling allegedly knew
his comments were being recorded. So
what gives?
And to add a touch of
irony to the proceedings, the NAACP announced today in a tweet that it will not be awarding Sterling any lifetime
achievement awards next month.
Phew! I’m glad they caught that
in time before the plaque was engraved.
As Kevin Roderick said on NPR today, these awards are never given out
based on merit. It is all about the
money. Sterling writes a lot of checks
to charity, probably to give himself some income tax relief, and until this
firestorm erupted, every one of them was cashed, I’m sure. When things go public, everyone grows a
conscience.
This guy should get the
boot from the NBA just on principle:
most of his employees are black and he obviously hates people of color,
or at least doesn’t want them in the crowd at games or living in his real
estate holdings or posing in pictures with his girlfriend (although he did
approve sleeping with them if she should choose to do so, which to me is a bit
confusing coming from a racist).
But there is a bigger
question that must be answered: if everyone
knew this guy was a raving bigot, why didn’t someone take decisive action
before now? Money. If you have money, you can pay for your ignorant
views, your impolite beliefs, your moral failures by slipping a little cash
under the doors of some charity or political campaign. It is amazing the silence that can be bought
for some moola.
It is also interesting
to note that no one had a problem with Sterling until the Clippers were in
serious playoff contention. Over the
last few seasons, the franchise has undoubtedly become quite a wealthy organization. So no one cared when they were the
laughingstock of the league, but now that they are contenders and bringing in
the big bucks, Sterling is a racist and must be run out of the NBA? Something does not add up here.
A year ago, I wrote about the Clippers and how I was rooting for them. I like the underdog, and I was rooting for
them this year, too. I could not
understand why no one gave them any respect, even with the way they have been
playing. In this town, everything is
Lakers, Lakers, Lakers. The Clippers
have shown far more gumption and less dysfunction on the court than their
hoity-toity co-tenants at the Staples Center.
The Lakers are the golden boys while the Clippers are the ugly
stepbrothers. Just once, I wanted the
other L.A. team to at least get into the finals. Now, with all of this distraction, I think it’s
already over. And I don’t know if I want
them to win or even show up for the next game, because every ticket sold, every
beer, every jersey, and of course, every victory puts money in Sterling’s
pocket. But this is not a problem that
will be solved easily. Sterling will not
go quietly. Ignoramuses rarely know when
to take their lumps and slink off into the sunset. We know this here in Los Angeles after the Frank McCourt debacle.
It is too easy to
simply come out against Sterling and condemn racism. It is too easy to commandeer the podium at
the news conference and express outrage.
All the politicians from mayors to presidents have made it clear this
weekend that racism must be stopped.
Tell us something we don’t know. But
there is more to this story, you can bet on it.
Yes, Sterling should be forced out as a team owner; yes, he should be
penalized financially; yes, the fans are owed something for supporting the team
and unknowingly lining the pockets of a bigot.
But what about all the people who knew what Sterling was like, the views
he espoused, and continued to look the other way for the almighty dollar? Given the often morally questionable behavior
that is rampant in professional sports, those who have stayed quiet over the
years are just as culpable. The whole
thing is a cesspool, and the city and Clippers fans must put up with the
stench.
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