What Does Donald Sterling Need To Be Banned From The NBA?

02/18/2015

Communication

AKWASI Boateng

NFL (Donald Sterling)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling told his girlfriend V. Stiviano on the phone that he does not like her bringing black people to his games or taking pictures with black people. Sterling is racist and is not only his words but his actions as well, because he has discriminated against blacks in his businesses outside of the NBA as well. He needs to be banned from the NBA for life because he is only going to harm the league and make it worst.

BACKGROUND:

• Racism to my understanding is a belief that characteristic differences between the numerous human races to determine cultural or individual

achievement, usually it involves the idea that one's own race is better, more powerful and has the right to regulate others. Graglia elaborated “racism is a form of a poor treatment of or violence against people because of their race and people believing that some races of people are better than others” (Graglia 1999). Racism has been a major problem in the NBA for a long time. In 2012 Atlanta Hawks controlling owner Bruce Levenson has self-reported to the NBA that he sent a racist e-mail in August 2012 and will sell his interest in the team. Rhoden stated “Levenson reported the e-mail to the NBA in July, almost two years after it was sent but while the league was deep in litigation over the now-completed sale of the Los Angeles Clippers. The investigation was ongoing when Levenson decided to leave the team. The e-mail, to Hawks President Danny Ferry, details Levenson's belief that the Hawks' fan base was too heavily African-American. Levenson said in a Hawks news release Sunday morning. "I trivialized our fans by making clichéd assumptions about their interests (i.e., hip hop vs. country, white vs. black cheerleaders, etc.) And by stereotyping their perceptions of one another (i.e., that white fans might be afraid of our black fans). By focusing on race, I also sent the unintentional and hurtful message that our white fans are more valuable than our black fans."(RHODEN 2014). This shows that racism has been going on in the NBA for a very long time and is time we come together as one and make our voices heard.

ISSUE:
• On September 2013 there was a racial recording of a conversation between Sterling and a female friend V.

Stiviano. In the conversation Sterling told Miss Stiviano that he does not like the fact that she associates herself with black people. Mr. Sterling was the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers professional basketball franchise of the NBA from 1981 to 2014. At 33 seasons of ownership, Sterling was the longest-tenured owner in the NBA since the death of Los Angeles Lakers majority owner Jerry Buss in 2013. Donald Sterling has been banned for life by the NBA in response to racist comments he made during the recording conversation. According to Ramona “There was a scandal that enveloped Sterling in the spring. Just days after TMZ aired a recording of Sterling making racist remarks to his former mistress; V. Stiviano, NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned him for life. It was a break that would alter the NBA and the Clippers forever, but it would not be a clean one. Sterling was never going to go quietly. The franchise would have to depose its tyrant first” (Ramona 2014). THE NBA commissioner Adam Silver said it in a press conference that he will try to force the controversial owner to sell his franchise and on top of that Sterling also was fined $2.5 million, and Silver made no effort to hide his outrage over the comments. Silver also banned Clippers owner Donald Sterling from the league for life in the wake of Sterling's racist comments. He stated that "he fully expect to

get the support I need from the other NBA owners to remove him,"(Ramona 2014).
• Crains online poll asked the question “should the NBA force Donald Sterling to sell the Los Angeles clippers?

45% people said yes. His ownership is a stain on the NBA brand and 55% people said no because The NBA is trampling on his rights as an owner, His remarks were offensive but not illegal” (Crains 2014). The national basketball association should force Sterling to sell the team because it will show loyalty to the players and also make a statement on other owners as well. It will also make the owners very cautious on everything they do or say in sports that may affect the players and fans as

well.
RECOMMENDATION: There is no room for racism in the NBA or American business in general. My recommendation is that the NBA commissioner should make a two warning rule that if any coach or player words out anything racial or act in a racial manner will be banned from the NBA for a whole year, and if it happens again will lead to a banned for life. This way people will know how to behave in a professional manner and not treat people in anyway they want because of power.
RISKS: Even though this recommendation is great, there are some risks as well because if it happens that a coach like Donald Sterling breaks the rule it might affect the NBA in a way because some people may debate that the NBA simply needs to maneuver this way to appeal and attract people who can afford to become yearly season ticket holders, and majority of these people happens to be white. If we do not go about this the right way we might end up making it worst and causing a major problem in the NBA not just for ticket sales but also it might cause a controversy between the teams as well.
SUMMARY:
• In my opinion Donald Sterling is a racist. Actions speak louder than words and in his situation the movements that he takes shows us who he really is. He uses his power and money to discriminate against others on the grounds of race. There have been lots of complaints about Mr. Sterling in the past based on his discriminations against blacks and also Hispanics, not only on the basketball court but outside it as well. Because of this he should lose his team because people like that can only harm the league not make it better. Throwing Sterling out of the NBA for life shows that Commissioner Adam Silver is exercising his powers as generally as his job report will allow.