Donald Sterling Banned for Life

...DRAFT one...


On Tuesday, April 29th, 2014, the NBA reacted to the media publication of racists comments made by Donald Sterling, soon-to-be former owner of the Clippers. Sterling is banned for life from associating with the Clippers' organization. He may not do business; he is ordered to stay away from facilities and meetings. He has lost the wealthy privilege of owning an NBA basketball team.

I have personally never witnessed such a severe sanction against an owner. I'll admit I didn't focus too much on team owners until Mark Cuban came to the forefront of media in my world, People who live in Dallas know the name of Mark Cuban. He loves his basketball. He'll call out the refs, get fined, pay the fine and then donate double his fine to charity--every time. Cuban manages to keep his priorities straight, even though his passions occasionally flare out of check. He makes human mistakes, he's a smart man, and he's humble.

Cuban's brain-child was the betrothal of sports with the Internet. He was the right age, with the right knowledge and connections. His spark of genius has become an integral part of every sports fans lives. This happened in ancient history, before Facebook or My Space. It was part of human evolution, like the Beatles' Invasion of America. Rock and Roll was spilling over from Europe. If Ed Sullivan hadn't booked the Beatles, somebody somewhere was bound to assist the transition of music across the Big Pond.. The Beatles were full of life, love, and talent. They led a generation. Revolution finally experienced evolution, and for a little while we all felt fine. That's part of how I remember my youth, looking back at it from just this side of sixty. It's okay. John Travolta already turned sixty this calendar year, with Bruce Willis being about 10 months behind.

I would not deign to speak for them, but being born within a year of them, I know what changes they've been through in their lives: the challenges, the highs, and the lows. We are the middle of the Baby Boom Generation. We have always had the concept of Social Security in our lives, but Sterling's racist comments will no doubt puncture the American conscience.

As Americans, we have the right to speak and think. Problems often arise when one speaks before thinking. Yet, what caution quells may be a spark of creative genius Knowing when to speak and when to stay silent has become a skill in Darwin's survival of the fittest.

...........

Somebody had to have the idea of putting sports on the Internet. Smart people learn to use technology to make life more comfortable. Somebody was bound to think of it. Cuban was the one who did birth sports into the World Wide Web He sold out his interests when the time was prime, and he and his progeny were set for life then. His featured player status on "Shark Tank," as well as info one receives in home town news, has me filled with admiration and respect for the man.

When local reporters first interviewed Cuban, he was sweating a midst a walk on a very inclined treadmill. [News media gather about him for an official "no comment." He did address the press on April 28th.

{insert his quote here}


There's an old saying that one cannot legislate morality.Is racism an acceptable moral choice. It's certainly not the politically correct voice. Has society evolved to the point that one is not allowed to have opinions that are contrary to the status quo? The right of free speech carries with it a measure of responsibility, faces today and forever. People have forgotten, Nixon did go to China. Hell hath no fury like Sterling now faces.

Sterling is an old man, in his early 80s, and he undoubtedly remembers a comfortable era before the legislation of Civil Rights. The laws have changed, and most of society has adapted without a problem, But where in the Constitution is written the law of conformity?

Reader, do not think I am taking Sterling's side, but if one plays the Devil's advocate, there are some basic American principles being put to the test here. This is more than a sports' fan tamale. This is an American tamale--lots of layers.

If Sterling defies this ruling, refuses to sell his ownership (because of potential market loss, which he caused), media and public opinion will haunt the man to his grave--perhaps literally, in our gun-soaked over-emotional society.

Breaking sports news may catch my attention for the next few days. Money is still power, but not all-powerful.