The NBA Missed Their Chance For Real Change. So they caught Donald Sterling with his pants down if you will. Think of the issue like a drug dealer in the sense that you caught the one who was dumb enough to get caught but you didn’t treat the overlying problem which is that his attitude is pervasive across sports. Now had they caught a room full of owners using the same language then you have something. A lot of people rushed to judgment needing to punish someone now. How stupid is it for these over paid, over priced players to just toss their allegiance aside and say they won’t play for a bigot. Well if you toss your allegiance aside you are also cast aside the allegiance the fans have for the team/players. Who are the Golden State Warriors the clippers opponent for their first round playoff series that they can decide that they want to wade into the quagmire and make a stupid decision to rip off the fans who paid good money to see this series and who are the ones who will most likely stand with you at such a difficult time. Had the Clipper season ended without a playoff berth then I say have at Sterling. But please don’t act like you’ve accomplished something. At most you forced the like minded to go underground.

Certainly they had to throw the book at Sterling because he is an all around jack ass but please do not act like he’s the only one. To do so would be insulting to fans of all major league sports especially the ones where there is an overwhelming presence of African American players. Sterling has been making his comments for years and would explain why the Clippers have been bad for so long. What took the league so long and the other leagues to do something? Investigate something? It sucks in this day and age that two people cannot have a conversation without fear of it being recorded but this is the world we live in. The world of the open mic. People shouldn’t have to fear their words will get out even when they spew the most vile things we could imagine. And remember this possibly started from others in either Sterling’s inner circle or others (owners and their inner circle) in the league who complained about his mistress having black people on her online account.

This is also a case of “strap hangers.” People who want to be around because someone knows someone famous. Believe me Michael Jordan probably had the same conversation with his wife at one time not to bring people around like that. Sterling just got specific with his demands. This happens with every team in every league people want to be seen and it helps to be seen with a pretty girl whether or not you’re a married man as in Magic Johnsons case. Now why go after Magic Johnson when he’s probably the most famous Laker of them all? The Lakers play in the same building as the Clippers.

Please don’t think this is the end of the situation because as I’ve said they haven’t done anything until the expose the entire and all of the other leagues. Every petty accusation. Every slip of the tongue. Every back room dealing whether it not it had to do with the sport. This is bigger than Sterling and one should question the owners of all their favorite teams. It wasn’t but a couple of years ago the Ricketts family who own the Cubs were alleged to have made a controversial if not racist political commercial about Barak Obama. Nothing came of that because it was the elder statesman of the family who supposedly has no stake in the Cubs. That was quickly swept under the table because the actual owners separated themselves from their father views/actions. So let’s stop kidding ourselves and really get at the heart of the matter. Racism does exist but let’s not make Donald Sterling a poster boy or an example and think he’s alone.