Bizarre, Society

Clippers Owner Will Not Receive NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award

200px-Los_Angeles_Clippers_logo.svgNaacplogoI am still in shock over the racist rant of Clippers owner Donald Sterling this weekend. However, what is equally astonishing is that he was set to receive the lifetime achievement award from the NAACP at its upcoming 100th anniversary gala in Los Angeles. I am dumbfounded how someone who allegedly holds such hateful views would even maintain a basketball team in Los Angeles, but the thought that he might have received an award from the NAACP is truly otherworldly. The legal options for the NBA will now take center stage in the controversy. In the meantime, there is no conclusive proof that it was Sterling on the tapes, which is now the focus of the investigation.

Over the weekend, various sites published messages from Sterling to his girlfriend (who is part African American and Mexican) that were reportedly triggered by her posting an innocent picture with Magic Johnson. Well, who would not post a picture with Magic Johnson. Clearly Donald Sterling would not. He has been quoted on various sites as telling his girlfriend V. Stiviano that “It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Do you have to?” (3:30) Then two hours later, he is quoted as saying “You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on that … and not to bring them to my games.” (5:15) Then two hours later (yes, there seems to be a pattern in eruptions) there is another missive: “I’m just saying, in your lousy f******* Instagrams, you don’t have to have yourself with, walking with black people.” (7:45). Then two hours later, that is “…Don’t put him [Magic] on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me. And don’t bring him to my games.” (9:13)

Don’t bring black people to my games? He runs a team in Los Angeles where ten percent of the population is black.

The NAACP was going to give Sterling an award despite a prior lawsuit by former Clippers exec Elgin Baylor for racial discrimination (Sterling won the case but many are now reexamining the allegations for obvious reasons) What is fascinating is that this was going to be the second lifetime achievement award (I always assumed you got one per life but that is just me). The last NAACP award was given while he was being such for racial discrimination.

Sterling was born Donald Tokowitz and later changed his name to Sterling. He was born in 1934 in Chicago and graduated from California State University, Los Angeles (1956) and Southwestern University School of Law (1960) in Los Angeles. He worked as a divorce and personal injury attorney.

The team has not confirmed or denied that it is Sterling’s voice but said that it is investigating to see if anything was altered or faked. It issued a statement that the comments do not reflect Sterling’s true feelings about black fans or black people in general.

There is a call for Sterling to sell the team, though he may be less inclined to do so in a distressed position where buyers will want a discounted price.

The interesting legal question is whether the NBA can effectively move against an owner for his private racist views. If you recall, the National Baseball Association faced such a controversy with Margaret Unnewehr Schott when she was the president and CEO of Major League Baseball’s Cincinnati Reds. Yet, only one owner has been suspended in 68 years under the NBA, though others have been fined. The rules are exceptionally vague and confidential. Commissioner Adam Silver is allowed to act to protect the “best interests” of the game. This includes the right to investigate and fine. However, trying to force the sale of a team for privately held views could raise serious legal issues. There is reportedly a power to force the sale of a team but I would be skeptical of the ability to do so without some serious legal challenges. They could clearly suspend Sterling which may be the best option if the tapes are authenticate. That would allow Sterling to keep that team and not be forced into a distress sale (and likely litigation with the NBA).

I am also curious as to how this tape was made. I believe that California is a two party consent state. The question is whether the taping violated the law. This is likely to get even messier as we drill down on these facts.

Source: USA Today

225 thoughts on “Clippers Owner Will Not Receive NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award”

  1. Money quote from the WP article: “What does all of this say about Sterling’s political affiliation? Not much…”

    Oh wait, except for if you are a zealot who sees the world through the sophisticated prism of “If Democrat do it, good. If Republican do it, bad” or the equally annoying, “If Republican do it, good. If Democrat do it, bad.”

    1. The reason this is important is that we spent yesterday hammering on Bundy and his supporters for being racist. Now the shoe is on the other foot and the Washington Post is trying to move the goal posts.

    1. Annie – the shock is that the only people or causes he has given money to are Democratic. Shock. Own him.

  5. 5 major sponsors of the Clippers just withdrew their sponsorship. In a perfectly ironic twist, Magic Johnson is reportedly interested in buying the Clippers. This guy better put some jelly in his pockets, because he is toast.

  6. Paul Schulte

    Rcampbell – an emotionally racist reaction from a player matches an emotionally racist reaction from an owner. Yes I am equating them. I think they are both racist trash.
    =================
    “You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” – JC

    I would blame the culture, so that the culture, the camel, is fixed.

    If you keep blaming the victims, the victimizer will keep you busy until you die unsuccessful, like every individual in this culture has died who tried to fix the gnat thinking it would ipso facto fix the camel.

    Hence, the middle east curse for the indoctrinated: “may the south end of a north-bound camel breathe upon you my son.”

    Or, as translated at the 2012 re-re-re convention: “may the bushies bring you freedom,” to wit:

  7. Paul S.

    Probably cheap. Dem? No.

    And to further my position, your second of your D list “source” is

    ANTI-SEMITIC!

    We’re done.

  8. Who do you think Bill Bradley and Grey Davis ran for? The Republicans? Methinks thou doth protest to much. He clearly, given his history is a cheap b#stard.

  9. Paul S.

    I’ve looked at one of your links….GM News or something. The author does say that Sterling is a Dem. He goes on to say he relies on another link that lists political contributions. I checked it out and his source says the following:

    “Donald Sterling, Los Angeles Clippers

    Records show Sterling has donated just $6,000, with no activity since the early 1990s. He supported Gray Davis early in his career, as well as Bill Bradley.”
    *******************************************************************************************
    It was notable that the quote does not specify what party got the $6K 20 years ago.

    IMO, this citation fails to substantiate your claim.

    Sorry.

  10. leejcaroll,

    I went back to see if I was being over-sensitive. I don’t think so.

    Mr. Spinelli even knew it was risky. He said “I know it is not PC”.

    But I hope I reassured him that I know he is not anti-Semitic.

  11. Nick, definitely. (As the administrator of a pain support group thankfully we have had ew problems but when we have it was because something someone wrote was mis”heard”)

  12. leej, I have often lamented that liability of this venue. The big plus is there is a record of everything said. But, as we know, 80% of all communication is nonverbal. Being a reader of body language as a part of my profession, I did not want to interview any witness any way but in person. “The eyes are the windows to the soul.” Written is the worst, telephone better, in person is the gold standard.

  13. Who brought up political affiliation? Is religious affiliation not messy enough?

    1. Isn’t the political affiliation fair game after trashing Bundy for a couple of days?

  14. Except from Wikipedia on Donald Sterling

    Accusations of racism and discrimination
    In August 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Sterling for housing discrimination in using race as a factor in filling some of his apartment buildings. The suit charged that Sterling refused to rent to non-Koreans in the Koreatown neighborhood and to African Americans in Beverly Hills.[15] The suit alleges Sterling once said he did not like to rent to Hispanics because they “smoke, drink and just hang around the building,” and that “Black tenants smell and attract vermin.”[15] In November 2009, ESPN reported that Sterling agreed to pay a fine of $2.73 million to settle claims brought by the Justice Department and Davin Day of Newport Beach that he engaged in discriminatory rental practices against Hispanics, blacks, and families with children.[16] In addition, Sterling was also ordered to pay attorneys’ fees and costs in that action of $4,923,554.75. In granting the attorney’s fees and costs Judge Dale S. Fischer noted “Sterling’s’ scorched earth’ litigation tactics, some of which are described by the Plaintiffs’ counsel and some of which were observed by the Court. The Court has no difficulty accepting Plaintiffs’ counsel’s representations that the time required to be spent on this case was increased by defendant’s counsel’s often unacceptable, and sometimes outrageous conduct.”

    In February 2009, Sterling was sued by former longtime Clippers executive Elgin Baylor for employment discrimination on the basis of age and race.[17] The lawsuit alleges Sterling told Baylor that he wanted to fill his team with “poor black boys from the South and a white head coach”.[15] The suit alleges that during negotiations for Danny Manning, Sterling said “I’m offering a lot of money for a poor black kid.”[15][18] The suit noted those comments while alleging “the Caucasian head coach was given a four-year, $22-million contract”, but Baylor’s salary had “been frozen at a comparatively paltry $350,000 since 2003”.[17]

  15. Mr. Spinelli,

    I do not think you are anti-Semitic. I think you were trying for clever, and missed. I understand PC standards are important to you. Trouble is, they are to me, too.

    I prefer that we not go back and forth on this. But I maintain that my free speech rights are also respected. And I am going to question the use of egregious ethnic slurs.

  16. The one problem (well not the only one (: ) of the internet, we can only read the words not see/hear the emotion/intent behind them.

  17. Now, I think the commish of baseball, the sport I love, is a buffoon. He happens to be a Jew. That does no make me an anti-Semite, does it?

  18. leej, I swear to you it was not. And, as stated previously, the archives corroborate this, leej. I actually have more respect for Jews than just about any other group. I respect their intellect, spirituality, success, and all the hate they have endured over the centuries. No legit teacher of history could not.

  19. One is never too old to come to term with his past – a good lesson for all the crimes going on daily under the radar by our young- living too fast – too young. Would you not say ?

  20. A man (stupid) should know sooner or later his angry lover is going to try to hurt him. Serves him right but boy how everyone has jumped on this racist bandwagon. Oh yes, it takes away from all the gaffs and screw ups of Washington. Now they can push race as the problem of the century. Bull, it was a private conversation. Only because the man is a millionaire and white is it a big deal. A black politician can say what he wants about us crackers and so can the President as he has so many times knowing quite well if he speaks about racism it is only going to inflame the matter. That, however is soon forgiven but let a gringo say something racist, and all hell breaks loose. Well, as far as I am concerned, all men are racist. I never saw the difference between white and black until I was 50 with a broken leg and with crutches when 4 people, of whom I had never seen before, and of a diff ethnicity was walking toward me knowing well that I had no time to get out of their way. Arm in arm they walked toward me, i stopped and as they parted and passed me each of them hit my shoulders trying to knock me on the ground as they walked by and laughed. Don’t tell me that the racism is only against those who are of a different color. That is the day I became aware that some people are just plain evil and yes, racist.

    As I said before, race is a way that the news stations can get everyone’s mind off of the real problems of this country. like immigration, the president over stepping his bounds and bypassing congress, little things like that. The fact that the world now looks at America as a weak nation and oh yes, the government spying on all of us and trying to gobble up private land by protecting a worm or a beetle. Racism is Washington’s way to push the real problems aside and make it sound like racism is worse than it is.

    So, Sterling was wrong. Take all he has…… even though he is right in that it is his money that has given everyone work and the fans enjoyment. As long as he kept his mouth shut, all was fine. with the world and his players. Isn’t this a fickle world? So all the world now knows he is biased in his opinions, as long as he paid them they worked for him now they want to take all that he has. Really? Isn’t that what Mr Obama is doing by giving a certain group hand outs and taxing the rich to death. At least Mr Sterling helped EVERYONE with his money. But scream race and punish him. He asked for it. America calls this justice! Meanwhile, our government can play robin hood and steal from the rich and spend willy-nilly and call the rich or Christians terrorist and racist and the news people and everyone looks the other way and all they can talk about is one man who they deem to be racist and must be crucified. Nothing else matters. What a wonderful stupid world we live in. Right is wrong and wrong is right.

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