“This could be us but you playin”
Yesterday, NBA Comissioner Adam Silver banned Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life from the NBA, imposed the maximum fine allowable under the NBA Constitution, and urged the other NBA owners to vote to force Sterling to sell his team. Almost immediately, Sterling went to the last place where rich, old, racist white dudes can publicly let their voices be heard: FOX News.
A defiant Donald Sterling just said he would NOT sell the Los Angeles Clippers. Sterling told Fox News‘ Jim Gray the team was NOT for sale. Gray said on Fox News he spoke with Sterling just before NBA Commish Adam Silver banned Sterling for life. Silver said in his news conference … if 3/4 of the NBA owners get on board they can force Sterling to sell the team. If that happens it looks like Sterling may well go to legal war.
After the press conference, I made the mistake of getting on Facebook, and of course all I read was “OMG 1ST AMENDMENT!” and “HE CAN’T BE FORCED TO SELL HIS PRIVATE PROPERTY!” (Allen West is even quoting John Locke. Bro. Seriously.) Ironically, conservatives and people who have never experienced institutional racism love to scream that their rights are violated, but allow me to explain why these people are idiots. Quiz: Is Donald Sterling in prison for his comments? No? Then maybe you should look up what the 1st Amendment means. Yes, Donald Sterling has every right to say whatever ignorant, racist shit he wants to say in the privacy of his own home. Granted, he didn’t know he was being recorded, but that has no bearing on this situation at all, because guess what? His punishment isn’t being handed down by a court of law. It’s being handed down by a private entity known as the NBA. Yes, Donald Sterling owns the Los Angeles Clippers. The team is his property, but guess what? He only owns the team, because the NBA Board of Governors voted to allow that to happen. Try to stay with me here, but guess what else they can vote on to make happen? This is business. If Donald Sterling is going to damage the NBA’s bottom line, his old ass has to go. So to all of you who are still looking at this as a businessman being persecuted, let’s say you owned a Chick-Fil-A and you were recorded having a Satanic gay orgy in the back. Although you purchased that franchise and you are the rightful owner, the sign out front is way bigger than you are. So take a guess how long you’ll be able to say you own a Chick-Fil-A (HINT: Not long)? Donald Sterling doesn’t have an inherent right protected by our Constitution to own an NBA franchise, even though rich, old white men think it was written specifically for them. Donald Sterling got set up by his sidechick, and now he’s paying the price because he couldn’t keep his damn mouth shut. Which, of course, is protected by the 1st Amendment. See how that works?
