On this very special day, Holocaust remembrance Day, I simply had to speak out regarding the Clippers owner, Donald Sterling. Having listened to his entire exchange with his girlfriend, I was even more horrified.
When confronted with his blatant hypocrisy of the hatred towards Jews in Nazi Germany, of the overt prejudice Jews have suffered, this moron was till blind to his own hatred, his own inaction stemming from a fear of being ridiculed by his supposed “friends”.
Not only is he racist, even worse, he is a coward. He does not represent me or any Jewish person I know.
Every major Jewish organization, including the Anti Defamation League, should come out strongly condemning this bigot. In fact, I have left a message with their DC office and hope for a response today.
So for me, on this Holocaust Remembrance Day, I honor my grandmothers family from Poland, whom all but one cousin perished at the hands of the Nazi’s simply for being Jewish, I honor them by standing up to bigotry, no matter where it originates.
I hope the NBA kicks him out, like MLB rid with that horrible Reds owner.
Btw, does anyone else notice that Sterling is still married and that his treatment of his “girlfriend” was rather misognst?
@Starry,
Yea, he’s just an all around prize, isn’t he? What an old creep.
Well, all faiths and tribes have their bigots in them. He really is a special kind of old-style bigot that you wouldn’t find around much. I submit to you that it’s only through being rich and able to cloister himself from society as a whole that he is able to be this out of the mainstream. The real minority that he’s an embarrassment to is RICH PEOPLE.
When you reflect on the fact that he got rich off housing and apartments, and that he’s by some accounts systematically discriminated against people for decades and got rich doing it, this story gains resonance. He is a special kind of villian.
When you reflect on the fact that the NAACP was about to give him an award, that’s food for thought also about how ludicrous the NAACP is. This story is juicy. Lots of dimensions and angles to it.
Statement by ADL:
Mr. Foxman added, “Commissioner Adam Silver must not only make it clear that there is no place for such racism, intolerance, and hate in the NBA, but also that anyone connected with the League who engages in such abhorrent rhetoric will face serious consequences. We applaud those within and outside the NBA who have already spoken out on this issue. It is reassuring and affirming to know that such flagrant racism is so widely regarded as out of bounds.”
http://www.adl.org/press-center/press-releases/discrimination-racism-bigotry/adl-racist-remarks-made-by-clippers-owner-reprehensible.html#.U15h7blOXIU
Are they going to vote Sterling off the island? They should.
I do want to say a word on behalf of the NBA. I’m a big fan. They’re a progressive league. I’ve heard some people say there’s no real bigotry or tension to speak of in the league despite the many cultures mixing together in close quarters – that it’s a great model of how people are people when they are working together for common goal. It’s true I think. There is less tension and awareness of race in the NBA than in the other leagues.
Which probably says something very positive about African-American culture.
“his treatment of his “girlfriend” was rather misognst”
That’s a funny angle on this. What’s the etiquette on how controlling you can or should be of your young mistress, when you’re showering her with 1.8 million dollars in gifts to hang out with your decrepit self?
I guess gold digging mistresses no longer understand discretion. It used to be somewhat humiliating to be a kept woman. Guess that no longer applies.
Prediction :
Indefinite suspension by the league. Then, he sells his stake in the team. He’s a litigious guy who might not want to – but if he doesn’t, his team will only devalue. The league and players’ union could allow his players to go play for other teams it seems to me. There’s a threat of his team coming apart which would make him particularly hated in LA as well as losing money. So he’ll sell and ride off into the sunset.
Meanwhile his girlfriend will end up living in a house with Oksana G. and Linda Tripp on a new VH1 reality show.
Actually the gold digger may be on the verge of striking big gold. According to TMZ Sterling is currently talking to her lawyer about what it would take to keep her from releasing the rest of the100 hours of tape she supposedly has of him.
And the latest, for those who don’t read TMZ … the woman (“Stiviano”) met with NBA lawyers/investigators yesterday and they are now convinced that it is Sterling on the “tape”. Also, it is said that he did in fact know that she was recording him, which seems to be the case – it’s not a phone conversation, they’re colocated and she’s bringing him juice to drink.
Old men, particularly old rich men, seem to think they can say and do what they want. Maybe that was the case.
This story’s got a lot of fascinating aspects to it. It’s great drama.
Certainly it illustrates that money doesn’t buy happiness. The guy had money to spare, was reduced to habitually paying women $500 a pop to have relations with him (see the Smoking Gun 2003 lawsuit deposition for more details on that) when he was 70 years old. His behavior at age 80 looks similar. And now his legacy is what a bigot and imbecile he is.
The fact that he supposedly thinks of blacks as dirty and Hispanics as lazy, but showers a black Mexican woman 1.8 million in gifts to be his girlfriend is also fascinating.
I think the most interesting aspect though is the degree to which money enabled Sterling to live a sheltered life, out of touch with the mainstream of society, in this weird cuccoon.
This story brings a whole new meaning to cognitive dissonance.
On the other hand, if I played for his team, who cares what he thinks as long as he pays the big bucks. At what point are they going to decide that money talks and bullshit walks?
If they strike, they are simply stupid.
Moon, those guys already have plenty of money. I think they mostly feel that they would rather make less than to work on the Sterling plantation.
I don’t think the players as a whole league would strike, but more likely :
– The coach would almost certainly quit
– The top Clipper players could sit out the season, and/or play overseas.
– If the other owners and commissioner chose this route, they could look to void Clipper player contracts and let them play on another NBA team.
– If the owners are really tone-deaf on this, you could see talk about top players opting out and starting a new league.
Before most of those things happen, the other owners would figure out a way to get Sterling out of there, surely.
Any blogger who posts sexist or ageist or racial statements about “old men” and “old white guys” should be banned forever from the blogosphere, pay a fine of $2.5 million, and be forced to contribute all their computers and other tech gear free of charge to charity
One part of this story that most people seem to be missing is he NAACP. This guy was just about to receive his SECOND award from them! Why? Because of $$$$, he bought and paid for their stamp of approval after a discrimination case years ago (had to do with rental properties he owned). The NAACP got their $$$$ so they forgave him for past racial actions and even went as far as to give him an award. I’m sorry but that to me is as big a part of this whole story as anything else.
Hello, JRock. Do we know you?
I am fairly tired of the Sterling story. Grumpy old men aren’t my favorite topic these days. However, others want to discuss the story so I am butting out a little, (for me).
JRock, you have no proof of that. That is purely speculation from your point of view. Who knows why he was getting an award. Maybe he was decent to the right people. You just never know.
Moon you need to look at this differently and appreciate the humor and irony in the Sterling story. Someday someone will make a great movie about this guy …
Reflect on this : he payed “Stiviano” 1.8 million to be his girlfriend, I mean archivist, I mean mistress. A house, and 4 cars, plus some “walking around money”. Then at some point, he got down on her (possibly for too many Instagram pics with black guys). At which point his wife, i.e. he and his “wife”, sue her for 1.8 million dollars, saying that little Donald didn’t really have the right to give her all that money.
This guy’s the worst kind of sleazy cheapskate. It’s one thing to pay a woman for sex – and Sterling is no stranger to that, in a 2003 deposition he is quite unapologetic about doing that. It’s another thing to take your money back afterwards, saying “my wife said I can’t pay you”.
The fact that this is exactly what led to this public s-storm is, in a way, hilarious. This guy’s karma is biting him and it’s funny to watch.
OK, OK, I will cast aside the principle of the privacy thing. So did Sterling and his wife really sue her? How absurd. How old is the wife? The thought of sex with him is truly disgusting. I wish I hadn’t even typed it. EEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!
He got a bargain for $1.8 million. Most people would charge far more than that.
If you want to dislike him more, the 2003 deposition is up at http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/Donald-Sterling-deposition-excerpts-687243
This guy begrudges paying the players who play for him – which he makes his money from – was a known cheapskate owner for decades until a collective bargaining agreement made him pay the same amount of salaries out as other teams. And also begrudges money to the women he pays to service him. He leads an entitled life as a slumlord and thinks himself above others. He’s rather wholly unlikeable.
The 2003 thing was the same story as his recent relationship. He had an affair, lavished her with gifts, and then when it ended he and his wife sued to recover the assets. What a modus operandi.
Here’s the kind of franchise owner he is. One of his coaches had cancer and needed surgery in 2004. Sterling wouldn’t pay for the surgery. Four of his players chipped in and paid the $70,000 bill.
He sounds like a real POS.
Sorry, meant to include a link to that – http://journaltimes.com/sports/bucks/article_efc79902-4ebd-11e0-8c1b-001cc4c002e0.html
Consider that he showers women with millions to “suck on his thing” “all night long” as he puts it. But this guy would have died, and Sterling wouldn’t expand medical coverage for him. The players saved the guy’s life – the players that Sterling resents paying money to.
I wish my eyes hadn’t just seen that image. Please blind me. Instantly.