April 29, 201412 yr BUT FIRST AMENDMENT!!!!!!!!! - said no one who understands the Constitution ever. I have many thoughts, most of which are not wholly-formed. It will certainly be interesting to see how this develops, i.e. litigation, an owner vote to try and boot him out, etc.
April 29, 201412 yr How can he be 'banned' yet still own the team? Commissioner is going to push and have the owners force him to sell.
April 29, 201412 yr Can he buy a ticket as a fan and attend a game? I don't think he'd want to with all the black players. ... I'm just saying.
April 30, 201412 yr How can he be 'banned' yet still own the team? He still has legal ownership of the team, but he's banned from all games, league events, etc. If your question was rhetorical, then I don't see what the problem is.
April 30, 201412 yr Author Commissioner is going to push and have the owners force him to sell. yeah I think they'd need 75% of the owners to agree. Or 75% of the board of governors, so a portion of the owners. In any case you'd imagine the owners will vote him out at this point. So yeah. Actually if he were just given a big fine, it would have been very interesting to watch how it played out. I mean apparently Doc Rivers was going to quit, wonder if his players would have wanted to stay, would enough fans boycott? would any free agents sign there? Wonder if they could have just shamed him into selling the team..
April 30, 201412 yr Well that escalated quickly. It was well known for years that Sterling was a horrible racist person. This is unprecedented, but obviously Silver had unanimous support from everybody around the league to make this move. Also I now know it costs $2.5 million to be caught stating your racist opinions to your girlfriend who is secretly recording you. Not saying he didn't deserve huge punishment like the one he got, but it's a dangerous precedent to set to kick somebody out of the league for his own beliefs (no matter how stupid and horrible they are). Do we make this kind of punishment if somebody says they don't want gays at their sporting events? Is this limited to only certain kind of bigotry or is all encompassing. We don't have to deal with that question now, but it opens the floor to future discussion. But it did take huge cajones for Silver to do this. I can't even say for certain if Stern would've had the nuggets to make such a decision given it's future ramifications.
April 30, 201412 yr Also why are people reacting so strongly now when these facts about Sterling have been open for the public to know for many, many years? It just seems a bit weird that some of the least horrible stuff Sterling has ever said ends up being the comments that get him kicked out of the league. Not the comments he made to Danny Manning during the draft process, not the fact he openly refused to rent out any of the real estate he owned to blacks and minorities, not for the racist horrible heckles he made towards Baron Davis during a game back in the day, not for the things former GM Elgin Baylor says that Sterling said and did, but for the vague racist comments in an audio recording that he didn't even know was being recorded. He deserved it obviously, but the circumstances are just odd.
April 30, 201412 yr He still has legal ownership of the team, but he's banned from all games, league events, etc. If your question was rhetorical, then I don't see what the problem is. It wasn't.
April 30, 201412 yr Very harsh...what happened to freedom of speech? Its not like he killed someone, gosh
April 30, 201412 yr Very harsh...what happened to freedom of speech? Its not like he killed someone, gosh Knew this would come up. Freedom of speech does not protect you from criticism and/or repercussions. In fact ... BUT FIRST AMENDMENT!!!!!!!!! - said no one who understand the Constitution ever.
April 30, 201412 yr Author difficult though because it was said in private. I mean this was driven by the players though, the owners really had no choice seeing as how the NBA is nothing if the players decide to sit. Dim to the gay comparison, he wouldn't have been banned for it, maybe a fine.
April 30, 201412 yr I'm glad Sterling was banned, but what of Admin Johnson's comments about creating an all-black league? Does racism only extend to blacks? Apparently.
May 1, 201412 yr difficult though because it was said in private. Sure. It's not a "free speech" issue, though, insofar as that typically refers to the 1st Amendment to the US Constitution. That said, it's completely reasonable to be concerned with how speech is treated and punished, even when the employer/punisher is a private entity.
May 1, 201412 yr Personally, I'm disgusted that CNN continues to run a front page article that says "Hold on... Sterling is a victim too." The NBA is not the law. If a law was broken in recording that conversation, that's a private matter between the two parties. The NBA chose to take action based upon the truth, and they've every right to do so. No law protects Sterling from his contractual agreements with a private organization, so long as the organization operates lawfully. For what it's worth, I was one who thought the lifetime ban and forced selling (impending) was fully appropriate. However, I first questioned the thought of rather steep $2.5 million fine. But then after considering it again, I understand why that was done. Sterling is going to sell this team, and he's going to make a profit. A profit much larger than $2.5 million. By seeking the maximum fine, they're just not letting him get away with anything entirely. Which is nice.
May 1, 201412 yr Knew this would come up. Freedom of speech does not protect you from criticism and/or repercussions. In fact ... Threats to life or property yes I can understand. But when it comes to Insults, thats life. I dont think one should face repercussions for that. Slippery slope into a full out police state, before you know it you wont be able to look at someone the wrong way. Bigger fish to catch out there (didn't want to say fry)
May 1, 201412 yr Threats to life or property yes I can understand. But when it comes to Insults, thats life. I dont think one should face repercussions for that. Slippery slope into a full out police state, before you know it you wont be able to look at someone the wrong way. Bigger fish to catch out there (didn't want to say fry) How are the actions of a PRIVATE ORGANIZATION the first step on a slippery slope (a term being bandied about now that many people really don't understand) toward a police state? It's like banging my head against a fucking brick wall.
May 2, 201412 yr I have no issue with a private organization caving to social pressure. I mean, what other alternative do we have? Government? That's much much worse. He definitely should have faced some punishment; I mean, it's offensive to the vast majority of players...
May 2, 201412 yr Maybe if the private org is a security company? What kind of security company? There is a doctrine, I believe, that ascribes quasi-governmental status to certain entities in certain situations if they work too closely and/or appear to represent the government. Otherwise, I'm not sure what you're referring to.
May 2, 201412 yr I have no issue with a private organization caving to social pressure. I mean, what other alternative do we have? Government? That's much much worse. He definitely should have faced some punishment; I mean, it's offensive to the vast majority of players... I mean, you could theoretically have no regulation, whether governmental or social/economic (ugh I hate that false construct since the two aren't distinct) pressure, of behavior. I'm not sure how that would even function in its purest form, since behavioral choices are inevitably a response to outside stimulus in some capacity. But here at least, the alternative would be to do nothing I suppose? It's interesting that members of the NBA, including players, coaches, and owners, themselves drummed up a lot of that social pressure.
May 2, 201412 yr Was a yoke, mang. Das it, mane. Got you now. We super srs here 4 ril, so I wasnt sure.
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