LA Clippers Owner Donald Sterling's Racist Rant Caught On Tape

[AznAnarchy99]

So you'd think it'll be ok for folks to just go around, with a tape recorder, race-baiting white owners?

I do get what you're saying, but there is no way in hell a person should be too afraid to speak openly while in private. That's the whole point of privacy.

I'm not defending a racist (as you probably know), but I'm defending the right to privacy, regardless of views, without fear of reprisal because some moron may have a recorder in his pocket.

Secondly, I thought that in some places, secretly recording someone and using that as evidence against them is illegal.

In a court of law yes. The NBA isn't a court of law, its a corporation.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

I find it funny, though, how players are happy he's gone and were outraged, but not enough to refuse to play for a racist because all they care about is money. If you hate his remarks that much, don't play for him, nor take his money, but blacks are too big of hypocrites to be that honest.

That's why I find this whole thing disgusting....

They're in the playoffs. These are competitive athletes who have been training for their entire lives for an opportunity to compete and win on the biggest competitive stage. If you think they're solely playing for the checks it generates, you're crazy. That's obviously a nice benefit, but I'm pretty sure every player on the Clippers roster would gladly take zero dollars for the rest of the season for an opportunity to win a ring.

 

[bradly1101]

Maybe Snowden is right; we live in a world where privacy no longer exists.

 

[Retro Rob]

They're in the playoffs. These are competitive athletes who have been training for their entire lives for an opportunity to compete and win on the biggest competitive stage. If you think they're solely playing for the checks it generates, you're crazy. That's obviously a nice benefit, but I'm pretty sure every player on the Clippers roster would gladly take zero dollars for the rest of the season for an opportunity to win a ring.

Your last statement is complete and utter hogwash, and you know it.

Secondly, hating racism isn't convenient...it doesn't only apply if this is the regular season when nothing really matters that much. Since it doesn't benefit them to walk out NOW, they're not that anti-racists as much as they are pro-ME.

Really, that's all this is.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Your last statement is complete and utter hogwash, and you know it.

No, I'm confident that every player on that roster would gladly sacrifice 6 weeks of salary if they thought that doing so would give them a legitimate shot to win a championship. A few hundred thousand or few million dollars is nothing compared to the legacy that a championship brings you. Just look at all the players who have taken reduced contracts to join the Heat for the chance at rings.

 

[Retro Rob]

No, I'm confident that every player on that roster would gladly sacrifice 6 weeks of salary if they thought that doing so would give them a legitimate shot to win a championship. A few hundred thousand or few million dollars is nothing compared to the legacy that a championship brings you. Just look at all the players who have taken reduced contracts to join the Heat for the chance at rings.

LOL, I know you're not comparing Rashard "no knees" Lewis to Chris Paul, for instance, because he's willing to take less. He cannot demand more than a the veteran's minimum.

Last I checked, he did sign and basically stole something in the neighborhood of 75 million to stay in Orlando -- he wasn't thinking about taking "less", then to sign with a contender.

 

[Fern]

The rush to hyper-outrage was breathtaking.

This was a private convo between this guy and his mistress yet she claims she didn't release the tape? Who did, her lawyer?

Like Don Vito Corleone I can't wrap my head around the old dude etc. She's half black yet he insists that she not be seen publicly with black people? And I thought I heard him say he doesn't care if she screws the black guys just don't be seen publicly with them? WTH? I'm really curious about why he doesn't want her to be seen publicly with black people.

On the one hand I think NBA overreacted. OTOH, I think they're rightfully worried about the league's image. It's not like they haven't been working through previous image problems.

I don't think they want to try to make him sell his franchise, at least not push it any further than they already have. If they move to force him to sell this could stay in the news for a long time. He's a billionaire and can fund a long legal battle.

Fern

 

[Atomic Playboy]

LOL, I know you're not comparing Rashard "no knees" Lewis to Chris Paul, for instance, because he's willing to take less. He cannot demand more than a the veteran's minimum.

Last I checked, he did sign and basically stole something in the neighborhood of 75 million to stay in Orlando -- he wasn't thinking about taking "less", then to sign with a contender.

No, I'm talking about Ray Allen, Shane Battier, Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller. Every one of those guys took contracts significantly smaller than what they could find elsewhere on the open market because sacrificing money was worth it to win a ring or two. LeBron, Wade and Bosh all took less than the max they could earn so they could play together. And Chris Paul makes more money from endorsements than he does from the Clippers; he could rip up the next few weeks of Sterling's checks and not miss it at all. The guys you'd wonder about are the low-end of the roster, guys like Davis or Turkoglu who don't make much money and might miss those checks if they dried up for a spell. But I maintain that the players on that team would give up a few weeks of salary for a chance at winning the title. Hell, Griffin and Paul could pay the salaries of the low-end guys. The only person you'd worry about would be JJ Redick, and he seems like a pushover... maybe...

 

[Retro Rob]

The rush to hyper-outrage was breathtaking.

This was a private convo between this guy and his mistress yet she claims she didn't release the tape? Who did, her lawyer?

Like Don Vito Corleone I can't wrap my head around the old dude etc. She's half black yet he insists that she not be seen publicly with black people? And I thought I heard him say he doesn't care if she screws the black guys just don't be seen publicly with them? WTH? I'm really curious about why he doesn't want her to be seen publicly with black people.

On the one hand I think NBA overreacted. OTOH, I think they're rightfully worried about the league's image. It's not like they haven't been working through previous image problems.

I don't think they want to try to make him sell his franchise, at least not push it any further than they already have. If they move force him to sell this could stay in the news for a long time. He's a billionaire and can fund a long legal battle.

Fern

But this is a well-calculated way to take the focus off the NBA who, for decades, basically allowed a racist to make Billions in their league. Perhaps if the recoding was never made public, the NBA would have allowed him to become richer.

The quick action was made to explicitly done to divert attention from a league that harbored a known racist. They're in a hurry to distance themselves from their own transgressions.

 

[werepossum]

You hold personal views that others don't agree with. You should never be fired over them.

I bet you'd be against religious organizations firing people because they secretly lack belief in creationism, or privately are pro-choice, wouldn't you?

As long as my personal views remain private, I agree, I should never be fired for them. If however those views become public - through whatever means - and I become a liability to my employer, then I expect to be fired for them. Is it fair? Hell no. Life isn't fair for everybody, and frankly racist near-billionaires are pretty low on my sympathy graph.

As far as religious organizations firing people because they lack belief in creationism or privately are pro-choice, I am completely in favor of that if those beliefs become public (through whatever means) or even are privately discovered and are judged injurious to the employer.

I completely agree with you with regards to privacy. I think we're getting too used to exposure in our society; somebody tags you in a drunken party picture on Facebook and you end up getting fired. It's absurd and it's dangerous. I don't think that what's happening to Sterling is necessarily fair as far as a leaked private conversation being made public without his knowledge; that's not fair to anyone. But it's too late to undo what's been done; the tape is out, everyone's heard it and they're clamoring for his head. The NBA couldn't say, "sorry, these facts aren't admissible as evidence, pretend you never heard it;" the fans wouldn't stand for it. Lamenting the fact that privacy boundaries are rapidly diminishing is an interesting philosophical exercise, but that is ultimately meaningless here since people aren't going to forget what was said.

Agreed, and well said.

I find it funny, though, how players are happy he's gone and were outraged, but not enough to refuse to play for a racist because all they care about is money. If you hate his remarks that much, don't play for him, nor take his money, but blacks are too big of hypocrites to be that honest.

That's why I find this whole thing disgusting....

I applaud your ability to remain above the racial aspect, but I think you do the players an injustice. They made a contract, and they should honor that contract regardless of their feelings for the team's owner. After the end of the season / post-season play, if they wish to break that contract based on moral grounds I support that as long as it's a two-way street and the owner has the ability to similarly break a contract based on morals.

I actually have a lot of sympathy with your points and find what Sterling said to be much less offensive than the behavior of many players. However, the NBA is a business, and its customers are much more tolerant of thuggish and even illegal behavior in the players than of racism and bigotry in the owners. Thus Sterling's relatively mild (and bizarre) racism is judged to be more damaging to the league than some player beating up his wife. Is it fair? No. Is it reasonable? No. But life is seldom reasonable and never fair, and this is our reality. In this case all Sterling had to do to continue riding the gravy train was to be a very very marginally decent person when his whore was capable of taping him. He failed to clear almost literally the lowest possible bar, and while I can certainly have sympathy for others unwittingly duped in similar situation I see no reason why Sterling deserves any sympathy.

He got used by the young woman he was using, in spite of having all the power in the relationship. I can appreciate the irony, humor and karma inherent in that. And when some dude is similarly duped and loses his $25k job managing a Burger Bitch, I'll be a hypocrite and feel twice as sorry for him just to rebalance my karma. Unless, you know, he too is a dickweed.

 

[berzerker60]

Ok, so if you don't like Islam, and work for a Muslim owner, I can bait you to say something bigoted about Muslims, tape it (without you knowing) and take that to your boss and have you fired.

And you'd go quietly, and not fight for your job on the grounds that it was a private conversation?

I don't think so.

My super-secret trick for this situation is not saying bigoted things about Islam, because I don't hold bigoted beliefs about Islam. Crazy, I know!

So you'd think it'll be ok for folks to just go around, with a tape recorder, race-baiting white owners?

I do get what you're saying, but there is no way in hell a person should be too afraid to speak openly while in private. That's the whole point of privacy.

You seem to have this bizarre idea that anyone can be "race-baited" into saying bigoted things. Many of us genuinely don't have any desire to say racist things, and wouldn't do so in any reasonable, imaginable circumstance! Something we said out of context could probably be warped, sure, but not big long rants, and especially not big long rants after a lifetime of racist assholery.

 

[Retro Rob]

No, I'm talking about Ray Allen, Shane Battier, Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller. Every one of those guys took contracts significantly smaller than what they could find elsewhere on the open market because sacrificing money was worth it to win a ring or two.

Ray Allen is probably the one who did, but Mike Miller wasn't worth a whole lot, and Haslem was already a Heat. Battier? I don't know, but I don't know how much anyone was really willing to pay him. Probably wasn't a who lot.

LeBron, Wade and Bosh all took less than the max they could earn so they could play together.

100 Million is "less". No, I don't think so. I love when people say that, especially since Wade and James get the bulk of their money off the court.

They simply don't count.

 

[werepossum]

The rush to hyper-outrage was breathtaking.

This was a private convo between this guy and his mistress yet she claims she didn't release the tape? Who did, her lawyer?

Like Don Vito Corleone I can't wrap my head around the old dude etc. She's half black yet he insists that she not be seen publicly with black people? And I thought I heard him say he doesn't care if she screws the black guys just don't be seen publicly with them? WTH? I'm really curious about why he doesn't want her to be seen publicly with black people.

On the one hand I think NBA overreacted. OTOH, I think they're rightfully worried about the league's image. It's not like they haven't been working through previous image problems.

I don't think they want to try to make him sell his franchise, at least not push it any further than they already have. If they move force him to sell this could stay in the news for a long time. He's a billionaire and can fund a long legal battle.

Fern

Yep, the entire thing about Sterling is bizarre. Who for instance is calling him because his half-black girlfriend posts a G-rated selfie with Magic Johnson, or because he has blacks in his owner's booth? Has he cornered the Klan's Grand Lizard/Illustrious Potentate single wide market? Is he the concessions king for the neo-Nazi rallies?

 

[Retro Rob]

My super-secret trick for this situation is not saying bigoted things about Islam, because I don't hold bigoted beliefs about Islam. Crazy, I know!


You seem to have this bizarre idea that anyone can be "race-baited" into saying bigoted things. Many of us genuinely don't have any desire to say racist things, and wouldn't do so in any reasonable, imaginable circumstance! Something we said out of context could probably be warped, sure, but not big long rants, and especially not big long rants after a lifetime of racist assholery.

I was speaking hypothetically about the Islam part (and you know that), but you're taking it literally because you want to appear consistent.

I readily detect that.

 

[cubby1223]

Does anyone else find it interesting that the three people in this event today are: Sterling, Silver, & a Gold Digger?

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Ray Allen is probably the one who did, but Mike Miller wasn't worth a whole lot, and Haslem was already a Heat. Battier? I don't know, but I don't know how much anyone was really willing to pay him. Probably wasn't a who lot.

You can see the stats here. Ray Allen was coming off a big contract in Boston, so he obviously was going to see his pay decrease, but he could've made twice as much to play somewhere else; he took the lower amount to play for the Heat. Miller took a 40% pay cut to play with the Heat. Battier took a 50% pay cut to play with the Heat. Haslem was already with the Heat, but took a 50% pay cut to facilitate the signing of James and Bosh. Players want to get paid, but saying it's the only thing that motivates them is nonsense.

100 Million is "less". No, I don't think so. I love when people say that, especially since Wade and James get the bulk of their money off the court. They simply don't count.

You're the one who compared Rashard Lewis to Chris Paul. If endorsement contracts mean a player's salary doesn't count for this exercise, let's ignore Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan; we know they could survive 6 weeks without Clippers income. Who on this list (scroll to bottom for salary information) decides they can't live without salary for 6 weeks to pursue a ring?

 

[werepossum]

Does anyone else find it interesting that the three people in this event today are: Sterling, Silver, & a Gold Digger?

I had not noticed that.

 

[Retro Rob]

I applaud your ability to remain above the racial aspect

Well, thanks. I was trying to think rationally and not with "the mob" mentality ready to burn and behead a man who didn't make public statements about his feelings about blacks.

No one would be saying anything if this wasn't recorded and made public, which means that as long as he was paying them tens of millions of dollars and "falling in line", they'd love him. Remember, Chris Paul claimed to not know anything about his racist past....I guess the money made all that go away.

In actuality I think many, if not all, of the black players are taking the PC route. A rational person would point out the sheer hypocrisy of players signing to play for a well-documented racist.

but I think you do the players an injustice

Why? Because since I'm black I have to side with them?

I make my own mind up on stuff like this, but I see where you're coming from a bit...I think.

They made a contract, and they should honor that contract regardless of their feelings for the team's owner. After the end of the season / post-season play, if they wish to break that contract based on moral grounds I support that as long as it's a two-way street and the owner has the ability to similarly break a contract based on morals

Oh, so they can't break a contract on moral grounds but they can use the same morality to force a man from the NBA?

I actually have a lot of sympathy with your points and find what Sterling said to be much less offensive than the behavior of many players.

This is the bullcrap I'm taking about. The ONLY reason why black players don't lash out against black thugs is because they're black, and Sterling is white.

How is this not racism in it's own right?

However, the NBA is a business, and its customers are much more tolerant of thuggish and even illegal behavior in the players than of racism and bigotry in the owners.

Because they're racists. Its the same as when I call my friend a n****r, and I hug him, but when a white man does it, its WW3.

 

[Retro Rob]

You can see the stats here. Ray Allen was coming off a big contract in Boston, so he obviously was going to see his pay decrease, but he could've made twice as much to play somewhere else; he took the lower amount to play for the Heat. Miller took a 40% pay cut to play with the Heat. Battier took a 50% pay cut to play with the Heat. Haslem was already with the Heat, but took a 50% pay cut to facilitate the signing of James and Bosh. Players want to get paid, but saying it's the only thing that motivates them is nonsense.

:thumbsup:

Well, you got me there. You had facts, and I didn't.

You're the one who compared Rashard Lewis to Chris Paul. If endorsement contracts mean a player's salary doesn't count for this exercise, let's ignore Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan; we know they could survive 6 weeks without Clippers income. Who on this list (scroll to bottom for salary information) decides they can't live without salary for 6 weeks to pursue a ring?

Well, those players (though I haven't looked at the list) shouldn't be complaining and mentioning a walk-out.

 

[JEDIYoda]

What I am finding quite comical is those who say -- in California it is illegal to tape a conversation between 2 people without both people giving permission.....

I even find it comical when people post the exact law and say - IT is illegal!!!

The problem is when was the last time somebody was actually charged with a crime for illegally taping what was suppose to be a private conversation?

The problem lies not in the recording...it is done all the time! But what is the recording going to be used for??

Then judges have a wide discretion as to whether the tape is admissible.....

I know half a dozen people will go online a respond with the typical letter of the law or with exceptions to the rule and say I am wrong because the internet says so......

Yet most of them have never had to deal with a court proceeding that involved a taped conversation....

 

[berzerker60]

This is the bullcrap I'm taking about. The ONLY reason why black players don't lash out against black thugs is because they're black, and Sterling is white.

How is this not racism in it's own right?

Or because it's a completely different situation. If it was a black owner who ranted about keeping a specific race away from his stadium, then he too should absolutely be fined and kicked out just the same.

What "black thugs" exactly do you mean? If you mean outside the league, NBA players don't exactly have some mandate to put out statements weighing in on the actions of each person in society.

If you mean "black thug" players (examples?), then white and black players alike absolutely get fined for even minor actions the NBA thinks could be embarrassing, as I've posted examples of already. There are a lot of players, so their individual actions have less impact on the league's reputation. Of course they get less condemnation and punishment than one of the 30 owners. They also don't have hiring and firing power over 1/30th of the NBA.

 

[emperus]

Well, thanks. I was trying to think rationally and not with "the mob" mentality ready to burn and behead a man who didn't make public statements about his feelings about blacks.

No one would be saying anything if this wasn't recorded and made public, which means that as long as he was paying them tens of millions of dollars and "falling in line", they'd love him. Remember, Chris Paul claimed to not know anything about his racist past....I guess the money made all that go away.

In actuality I think many, if not all, of the black players are taking the PC route. A rational person would point out the sheer hypocrisy of players signing to play for a well-documented racist.




Why? Because since I'm black I have to side with them?

I make my own mind up on stuff like this, but I see where you're coming from a bit...I think.



Oh, so they can't break a contract on moral grounds but they can use the same morality to force a man from the NBA?




This is the bullcrap I'm taking about. The ONLY reason why black players don't lash out against black thugs is because they're black, and Sterling is white.

How is this not racism in it's own right?



Because they're racists. Its the same as when I call my friend a n****r, and I hug him, but when a white man does it, its WW3.

Honestly. I'm very confused by your position.

Sterling is a known racist. He has been already sued multiple times. Some in which he lost and others in which he won, like ELgerin Baylor. It's frustratingly hard to prove someone is racist or convince "other" upper staff in a corporation that their boss/owner is Racist. People just don't come out and say it, esp, when people claim we are living in a post-racial society. So, when you claim racism, it's usually dismissed and your blacklisted, so African Americans who generally want to succeed, tend to not say anything and suffer silently in hopes of just moving up eventually.

So, players play for documented racists, just like many African American work for known racists. There aren't too many options when your in a specialized field (Sports, I-banking, Law, etc), the majority of Executives in this country are white and most of them over 60 (grew up in a society lacking diversity). (I'm not saying everyone over 60 harbors racist inclinations, but it takes a lot of self awareness to transcend the environment which you were raised) If you listen to the tapes, he mentions his other friends alerted him of his g/f's pictures. Who do you think these other people are? What type of friends does a multi billionaire keep. Probably other captains of industry.

There are 30 owners in the NBA. Mostly an old boys network. The owners most likely knew of Sterlings views and did nothing even after being sued time and time again. What message do you think that sends to the players in the league? What happens to a player who decides to call out the owner of his team and in turn make the other owners less money?

I agree it can be seen as cowardly but it is an untenable position to be put in.

 

[classy]

Does anyone else find it interesting that the three people in this event today are: Sterling, Silver, & a Gold Digger?

LOL

Good one, that should be a newspaper headline

 

[Retro Rob]

Or because it's a completely different situation. If it was a black owner who ranted about keeping a specific race away from his stadium, then he too should absolutely be fined and kicked out just the same.

He should be, yes, but he won't...and you know why? Because most of the NBA's players and customers are black, and black people (especially men) think they can actually be this way because the "man" owes it to us to make up for 400 years of slavery.

I used to think the same way.

What "black thugs" exactly do you mean? If you mean outside the league, NBA players don't exactly have some mandate to put out statements weighing in on the actions of each person in society.

I mean the Ramon Felton's of the world, who pull guns on their wives, or the Ray Rice's, who drag their unconscious financee's from elevators -- I hear nothing from the black community about these public acts of thuggery, but a private conversation is "zero tolerance".

 

[classy]

Well, thanks. I was trying to think rationally and not with "the mob" mentality ready to burn and behead a man who didn't make public statements about his feelings about blacks.

No one would be saying anything if this wasn't recorded and made public, which means that as long as he was paying them tens of millions of dollars and "falling in line", they'd love him. Remember, Chris Paul claimed to not know anything about his racist past....I guess the money made all that go away.

In actuality I think many, if not all, of the black players are taking the PC route. A rational person would point out the sheer hypocrisy of players signing to play for a well-documented racist.




Why? Because since I'm black I have to side with them?

I make my own mind up on stuff like this, but I see where you're coming from a bit...I think.



Oh, so they can't break a contract on moral grounds but they can use the same morality to force a man from the NBA?




This is the bullcrap I'm taking about. The ONLY reason why black players don't lash out against black thugs is because they're black, and Sterling is white.

How is this not racism in it's own right?



Because they're racists. Its the same as when I call my friend a n****r, and I hug him, but when a white man does it, its WW3.

Lets pretend all that is true. What does any of that have to do with what Sterling said and what he believes in his heart of hearts? Talking about the ills of every other person on the planet does not excuse what this man said and has done. So what is your point?