# NBA Owner's Racism Exposed **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 26, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-owners-racism-exposed/687069 "2014-04-26T18:41:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-owners-racism-exposed/687069/241 "2014-04-30T12:54:42Z")
He’s banned from any contact with a team he owns. The NBA wants to try and force him to sell the team. That’s more than inconvenienced. It’s true this is a business decision. CYA for the NBA which has white owners, and mostly white referees and coaches giving orders to players that are mostly black. Definitely a serious image problem that was made worse by the recent news. They needed a scapegoat before too many people speculated about the other NBA owner’s private thoughts on racial equality. Is Jordan the only exception to the NBA’s group of white owners? I seem to recall there may be someone else. Magic Johnson? Does he have an owners share? > [@DigitalC](#): > > And by destroy of course you mean “mildly inconvenience” right? ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-owners-racism-exposed/687069/242 "2014-04-30T13:21:02Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I found the owners statements offensive and disgusting. However, I’m equally disgusted and appalled that a private conversation can be used to destroy someone. How far are we going to take political correctness. Should we bug everybody’s bedroom and make sure they never dare say one word we find offensive? Better yet, lets monitor brainwaves for any inappropriate thoughts while we’re at it. > > I could understand banning this guy if he had made these types of bigoted statements in a tv interview or even to a group of people. But a conversation with one person is private. imho Where were you when Linda Tripp’s recordings were getting Clinton impeached? Or when people were trying to trip up Obama for his guns comment? The reality is that anything said between two non-married people, or outside of a few limited relationships, is potentially public. It’s always been that way, and feeling bad for Sterling is misplaced. Are you really saying you think what is said between a man and his mistress is somehow inviolable or even unlikely to get out? It’s a pretty huge leap to posit our bedrooms will soon be monitored. Besides, Sterling is not being punished for his thoughts but rather for being a financial liability. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-owners-racism-exposed/687069/243 "2014-04-30T13:21:32Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > He’s banned from any contact with a team he owns. The NBA wants to try and force him to sell the team. That’s more than inconvenienced. Not really. Owning a big league team is like a luxury or being a member of an exclusive club. It doesn’t affect his life in any meaningful way to be parted from it. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-owners-racism-exposed/687069/244 "2014-04-30T13:24:43Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > He’s banned from any contact with a team he owns. The NBA wants to try and force him to sell the team. That’s more than inconvenienced. > > It’s true this is a business decision. CYA for the NBA which has white owners, and mostly white referees and coaches giving orders to players that are mostly black. Definitely a serious image problem that was made worse by the recent news. They needed a scapegoat before too many people speculated about the other NBA owner’s private thoughts on racial equality. > > Is Jordan the only exception to the NBA’s group of white owners? I seem to recall there may be someone else. Magic Johnson? Does he have an owners share? Yes, for a billionaire being forced to sell the team (which will probably get him close to a billion dollars) and not show up to games is a very very mild inconvenience that will barely impact his life at all. I believe Jay Z is part owner of the Nets isn’t he? ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-owners-racism-exposed/687069/245 "2014-04-30T13:33:36Z")
The only non-white majority owners are Michael Jordan (Charlotte) and Vivek Ranadive (Sacramento). There are a few non-whites who have minority stakes like Shaq and Nelly. Jay-Z sold his stake around a year ago so that he could become a sports agent. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-owners-racism-exposed/687069/246 "2014-04-30T13:44:36Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Yes. Banned for life assumes no chance of rehabilitation. It’s an absurd overreaction. > > Per my earlier question, should Byrd have been banned for life from government? He was much, much worse than this guy. Should the Senate have refused to seat him? This is brought up all the time on this MB by the right wingers and we’re always told that, well, he changed and so it’s OK. Why does this guy not get the chance to change? George Steinbrenner was permanently banned from MLB in 1990, and back in 1993. Not that I expect Sterling’s ban to be lifted, but what the Commissioner imposes, the Commissioner can lift, given signs of repentance. Of course, if they force him to sell, then the ban becomes somewhat moot. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-owners-racism-exposed/687069/247 "2014-04-30T13:47:27Z")
There is a news story that says, in part: Much like the former Dodgers owner, Sterling might be forced to sell his franchise at an opportune moment, shortly before the NBA renegotiates its lucrative national television contract. An auction-like frenzy could drive the price toward $1 billion > **[Donald Sterling has options to weigh after NBA ban](https://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-donald-sterling-next-20140430-story.html)** > > Donald Sterling could choose to sell the L.A. Clippers — possibly for upward of $1 billion — or he could stand and fight. I’d like to know if anyone here knows what would happen if the NBA wants him to sell the team and he refuses. Can they force him to sell? Can they put up the team at auction and sell it to someone regardless of what Sterling wants? Does anyone know what the eventual outcomes of this drama could be? ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-owners-racism-exposed/687069/248 "2014-04-30T13:49:00Z")
They can vote to terminate his ownership altogether. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-owners-racism-exposed/687069/249 "2014-04-30T14:03:37Z")
And that’s another thing, the owner of an NBA team doesn’t own the team outright like normal property. He owns it in a kind of co-operative relationship with the rest of the league and is subject contractually to their decisions. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-owners-racism-exposed/687069/250 "2014-04-30T14:42:06Z")
> [@Little\_Pig](#): > > Its an old boys’ network, just like the owners of the NFL and MLB. You think these guys care about racism? I don’t care one whit if they hate racism personally or if they merely regard it as terrible for their business. > [@](#): > > I wouldn’t be surprised if Sterling got a phone call that went something like this. Since he will probably fight the sale if he can, I doubt this happened. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-owners-racism-exposed/687069/251 "2014-04-30T14:53:24Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Yes. Banned for life assumes no chance of rehabilitation. It’s an absurd overreaction. > > Per my earlier question, should Byrd have been banned for life from government? He was much, much worse than this guy. Should the Senate have refused to seat him? This is brought up all the time on this MB by the right wingers and we’re always told that, well, he changed and so it’s OK. Why does this guy not get the chance to change? If African-Americans had as strong an influence in politics as they do in the NBA…yeah, I can easily see a universe where Byrd is unable to successfully hold public office. In comparison, just how many pre-Apartheid leaders held to their office after 1994? I wouldn’t think a lot (no matter how much they changed). I’m perfectly fine with Sterling changing and becoming a better man; however the NBA doesn’t need him (nor do they want him) hanging around, like a bad old fart, killing profits. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-owners-racism-exposed/687069/252 "2014-04-30T14:56:38Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Yes. Banned for life assumes no chance of rehabilitation. It’s an absurd overreaction. > > Per my earlier question, should Byrd have been banned for life from government? He was much, much worse than this guy. Should the Senate have refused to seat him? This is brought up all the time on this MB by the right wingers and we’re always told that, well, he changed and so it’s OK. Why does this guy not get the chance to change? Well, for one thing, he doesn’t want to change; he says so on the tape. ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-owners-racism-exposed/687069/253 "2014-04-30T15:29:31Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Yes. Banned for life assumes no chance of rehabilitation. It’s an absurd overreaction. > > Per my earlier question, should Byrd have been banned for life from government? He was much, much worse than this guy. Should the Senate have refused to seat him? This is brought up all the time on this MB by the right wingers and we’re always told that, well, he changed and so it’s OK. Why does this guy not get the chance to change? Well, it’s not like they’re sentencing him to death. Should he up and decide to spend the next few years using his fortune on scholarship foundations for underprivileged African-American teens and the production of self-starring public service announcements on social equality among the races, I’m sure Silver and the owners have the power to reconsider. I imagine the “banned for life” phrasing is more or less a commentary on the perceived likelihood of that happening. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-owners-racism-exposed/687069/254 "2014-04-30T15:33:14Z")
Donald Sterling has a very long and bigoted track record. Why should the NBA treat his “chance to change” as more important than the feelings and dollars of its players and fans? That’s one of the reasons it is so annoying when people twist themselves into rhetorical knots trying to find a way that some racist newsmaking comment isn’t really racist. I understand that nobody should be falsely accused of prejudice and I know the fear of being misunderstood runs very deep on the internet, but the unfortunate side effect of this excuse-making and insistence on extra chances and backwards interpretations is that people who say and do racist things are given an extraordinary benefit of the doubt and people who are targeted or offended by those comments are told their feelings are less important than the feelings of a bigot. That’s not right. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-owners-racism-exposed/687069/255 "2014-04-30T15:37:44Z")
A question I may have missed being answered-why was she taping the conversation in the first place? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-owners-racism-exposed/687069/256 "2014-04-30T15:40:56Z")
It hasn’t really been answered. I think Stiviano suggested Sterling wanted her to record all their conversations so he could review them and remind himself of any brilliant business ideas or whatever. Since his estranged wife is suing Stiviano it’s also possible she thought this was a good idea for any number of different legal reasons. It sounds like the lawsuit is over jewelry Donald Sterling gave to Stiviano. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-owners-racism-exposed/687069/257 "2014-04-30T15:54:39Z")
I could see folks arguing that there may be a general public overreaction, but I do not see the NBA as overreacting. Given the scope of the publicity and the public outcry the story had received I think the NBA made the appropriate decision both for moral and economic reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-owners-racism-exposed/687069/258 "2014-04-30T15:58:42Z")
I wouldn’t want that asshat in my special club, either. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-owners-racism-exposed/687069/259 "2014-04-30T15:59:27Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > A question I may have missed being answered-why was she taping the conversation in the first place? It was an intentional sting to embarrass and damage him. It seems to have worked spectacularly. She was tired of his attempts to manage her social life, and figured she would expose the public to the kinds of outlandishly racist shit he continually said in private. Like I said upthread, this is a case where _none_ of the major players comes off looking good **at all**. ---
**Author:** ![storyteller0910](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@storyteller0910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyteller0910)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-owners-racism-exposed/687069/260 "2014-04-30T16:03:55Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > It was an intentional sting to embarrass and damage him. It seems to have worked spectacularly. She was tired of his attempts to manage her social life, and figured she would expose the public to the kinds of outlandishly racist shit he continually said in private. Like I said upthread, this is a case where _none_ of the major players comes off looking good **at all**. You’ll have to explain - for the benefit of the slow kids in the class like me - why “an intentional sting” designed to force a powerful man to endure the consequences of his abhorrent actions and beliefs that he had heretofore managed to avoid should make me think that Ms. Stiviano comes off looking badly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-owners-racism-exposed/687069.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-owners-racism-exposed/687069.md?page=14)