The Donald Sterling Saga

A week ago, did you know who Donald Sterling was? You may have known the name…maybe not, but could you have picked him out of a line-up?  Most likely not, but today 95% of America knows him as the racist owner of the Los Angeles Clippers who has now been banned for life from the NBA.  In a matter of days, Donald Sterling, who has a history of racist accusations went from the owner of the worst franchise in sports over the past three decades, to the worst person in the country.  There are a lot of issues here, and the full story hasn't been told yet.  We haven't heard from Donald Sterling.  The full story on the girlfriend/mistress/associate of his, who happens to be about 50-years his junior, hasn't been told.  The issue of why these private conversations were recorded and released will be discussed in detail. All of that is valid conversation worthy of the dialogue it will receive.  The big picture is, no matter how the conversation was obtained, the content is undeniable.  It there was just one statement in the recordings that could be considered offensive, it would be a different story.  What we all heard was a consistent theme of racist banter from a man who has made his basketball fortune, largely on the sweat and efforts of African-Americans….the exact group of people to whom he exhibited so much disdain.  As an entity, the NBA decided it cannot be associated with those beliefs, and I believe, acted appropriately in banning Donald Sterling for life. I entertain the conversation as to how the recordings were obtained, but the NBA, losing sponsors and credibility had no choice but to force Donald sterling out of their Association.