Trying something different here. Speed post.
Donald Sterling. He's probably rue-ing the day he got involved with that girlfriend of his, huh?
--Once again I am not surprised. I don't know why other people are surprised. Because he owns a basketball team with black players? He's also an 80-something-year-old white man. That means it is safe to say for the first 30 plus years of his life, he probably never saw a positive portrayal of a black person doing anything. And by the time you're 30, you're pretty much an adult. Obviously, I am not excusing his behavior. There are probably 80 something year old anti-racist activists too. But my point is when it comes to race, his life got set on a certain track being a white man in America, and he didn't really have to or want to do very much to change it.
--I liked the peek into the inner workings of the sugar daddy/ sugar baby relationship. He straight up told her she could sleep with other men. Why doesn't he want her broadcasting that she sleeps with black men? Probably for the same reason that white adult film stars get paid less money when they start doing scenes with black men. Probably for the same reason that black men were lynched just on the suggestion that they slept with or raped white women. Probably for the same reason that the most pervasive stereotype related to black men is that they have large penises. Some white men have a weird sexual thing with black men. I'm not white or a man, so I don't really understand it.
--The players: SMH. Obviously, the most clear sign that they didn't agree with his remarks would have been for them not to play. They didn't do that. I would imagine that they see themselves as being between a rock and a hard place. I would also imagine that they are being pressured by other people in the organization to continue playing. But I personally don't see continuing to play as any kind of real statement, regardless of how they wear their uniforms while doing it. But I am not going to knock them for their decision, they are doing what they think is best.
--The NAACP was scheduled to give Donald Sterling a humanitarian award before this tape went public. If that doesn't tell you about the sorry state of race relations in this country, I don't know what does. I don't know the specifics of how this award came about, but I am going to guess that it had something to do with Mr. Sterling writing some checks to some organizations that the NAACP cares about.
--Sports: I don't watch sports. I don't like seeing so many black men pursue athletics as a way to success. Especially sports like football and boxing, these people are basically risking their brain health and mobility for some shiny cars and big houses.
When Shaq was on Cribs showing us his basketball court and gaigondo house, you think, "Wow Shaq is rich." Yeah, that may be true, but Shaq is selling his labor. If Shaq was injured, the checks would stop. The person who signed Shaq's checks is wealthy. That person makes money in his sleep, and lives off of money he no longer has to work for. I hope this Sterling incident is a wake up call for rabid sports fans. Think about who you're really benefiting with your money. Not to mention the time you're spending watching sports...maybe you could be doing something else? Just a suggestion.
--This incident combined with the NCAA development that student athletes can unionize makes me think that maybe something big is going to happen with sports. And since a disproportionate number of black people are involved in sports, it could have significant ramifications for the black community.
--Obviously what needs to happen here is Mr. Sterling needs to sell his team. Anything less is unacceptable. If he won't sell, the players and coaches should refuse to play and coach. I understand the games are important, but probably not as important to these men about their beliefs about racial equality and who they want to enrich with their talents.
Enough from me, what do you think? What should Sterling do? What should the fans do? What should the players do? What is the purpose of professional sports in society? Is this all just a smokescreen to deflect from the FCC's recent ruling on net neutrality? The Sterling story has been the opening story the past two days, while the FCC ruling hasn't even made my nightly news program. Weird.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
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Good post. poor donald. When 80 years I reach, I hope hate and sugar daddying are far from what I am doing. Also, this is a smokescreen for net nuetrality, society is fully controlled.
ReplyDeleteWell, they just banned him for life and fined him $2.5 million. I'd say that was punishment enough.
ReplyDeleteYou can't force the man to sell his team. At least not in America. I was wondering if they could buy him out but I don't think you can force him to sell his team.
As for your first two comments I do agree, (or tend to agree) with them, but I disagree with the third comment about the players. They probably were under some sort of contract to continue to play or face some sort of penalty. They did what they could while still making money for their family. Remember, the more you make the more you spend.
By the way, Shaquille O'Neal is retired and making good money as a commentator. Most people in America make their money via labor, whether manual labor or intellectual labor.
The NAACP was probably giving him the humanitarian award because he does support employment of black players, or at least that was the guise under which they were awarding him the lifetime achievement award. The real reason however, is they were recognizing the amount of money that he gave to the NAACP. They probably were just as much in the dark as we all were concerning his true feelings about blacks.
btw, my comment above was written as Silver was still announcing his decision. I guess they can force him to sell his team, based on what I am hearing. I wonder if his wife will be allowed to buy it...smh.
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DeleteThe league can TRY to force him to sell his team. The vote will likely be 29-0 from other owners for him to sell. He will likely sell to Geffen/Ellison/Winfrey as they can pull together a consortium to get the deal done quickly.
DeleteI agree with DeAnna that the players shouldn't have played. Regardless of a paycheck, you have to stand up for what civil rights leaders fought and died for to maintain those rights. We can't ignore it because it's not convenient.
Here's the challenge you have if he doesn't sell: What player is going to sign with the Clippers in free agency after Sterling just told the world he's fine with minorities as long as they are subservient to him? No black player is going to sign and I doubt that any player of any caliber/can get a decent check on any other franchise is going to sign and deal with the backlash of playing for him. The reality is that he brought this on himself and he's going to have to step aside. If he's stupid enough to fight to keep the team in court (which is very possible), every player and the coaching staff is likely going to ask to leave. Then his franchise will likely be worthless and it will be an incredible mess. Hopefully, he has enough since to walk away and make a lot of money on the sale.