Doc Rivers

[MUMac]

What I can't get over is that the NAACP was about to give Sterling a "Lifetime Achievement" award. How ironic! Obviously, these awards are simply for show money

VS

Fixed it

[mutpm]

What I can't get over is that the NAACP was about to give Sterling a "Lifetime Achievement" award. How ironic! Obviously, these awards are simply for show

VS

Plus he had been sued for discrimination in the past. This guy has exhibited racist qualities for years, but it took this recording for people to get mad. We now live in a world where words are worse than actions. What he has actually done for years is far worse than anything he said on that recording.

[TheSultan]

Many act like they are hurt. Many like acting mad for the sake of being mad. I would like to be a tape recording when others have said things about gays, whites, females or another race of many who play in the NBA. Will there be the same outrage in that case is the question?

Actually, Bomani Jones (who I am hot and cold on) really said it best here.

http://awfulannouncing.com/2014/boma...-sterling.html

This takes awhile to get going, but when he hits the main point (about the 4:30 mark), that what Sterling *said* pales in comparison with what he *has done* as a property owner. The people who are outraged NOW...where were they THEN?

Here is the article from six years ago that is mentioned:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...e=jones/060810

Charles Barkley touched on this as well. He said that he really doesn't care what he said, but he cares deeply about how he used his position of power to put his thumb on a group of people simply because of their race.

[MUMac]

Plus he had been sued for discrimination in the past. This guy has exhibited racist qualities for years, but it took this recording for people to get mad. We now live in a world where words are worse than actions. What he has actually done for years is far worse than anything he said on that recording.

This is the point I agree with. He has been publicly flogged for a taped private conversation, but the NBA and others turned a blind eye to his pulbic actions throughout the years.

[Goose85]

I think Stern was hoping he would just go away, but he never did. I think they didn't do anything sooner because they knew he would sue, and will likely do so now.

[MulliganMusings]

What I can't get over is that the NAACP was about to give Sterling a "Lifetime Achievement" award. How ironic! Obviously, these awards are simply for show

VS

It's worse than that as this would have been the second "lifetime achievement" award. The awards are driven by money and the NAACP should hang their head in shame as this incident is only one in many of Sterling's long history of racial prejudice. He has been sued multiple times for racial discrimination and even investigated by the federal government. Being a billionaire, Sterling has been able to buy off most of the litigants and somehow he did prevail in the racial discrimination base brought against him by Elgin Baylor.

As for the comments, made by Tim Hardaway about gay people, a few years can make a great deal of difference. If those same comments were made today, about gays or any other group, by an active player, coach or owner, I believe there would be swift and serious consequences. I'm sure someone will evoke the 1st amendment which would be ignorant as the only protection the 1st amendment offers is against the government taking action on the basis of speech regardless of how hate filled it might be. However, private entities, especially consumer driven businesses that don't want to have their revenue stream endangered by boycotts, are taking action pretty quickly when they perceive that comments, made by an employee or someone associated with the business/organization, might offend a huge group of consumers. Sometimes it can be something as remote as the recent example of Mozilla (the company that produces the Firefox web browser among other products) where the CEO lost his job when it came out he had contributed to the Proposition 8 (the campaign to repeal gay marriage in California) initiative. As Mark Cuban said, it can be a "slippery slope" and it will be interesting to see if there will be any other cases of speech, public or private, which result in action by a league or business against an employee or associate.

[MU/Panther]

That being said, people are still can have their thoughts on things. That is why there is the 1st amendment.

[kneelb4zerg]

That being said, people are still can have their thoughts on things. That is why there is the 1st amendment.

There's no First Amendment right to be a jackass and damage the entire NBA brand.

[ziggysfryboy]

Jerry Krause was having an affair with his chins.

[MU/Panther]

There's no First Amendment right to be a jackass and damage the entire NBA brand.

Sure there is, in some respect. You just have to watch what you say, or you might be paying the price.