Donald Sterling’s history as a racist, horrible professional sports owner and all-around bad person is well documented.
The Los Angeles Clippers’ contemptible owner of the made the news again over the weekend when his caught-on-tape remarks about his distaste for black people made national news. His racist rant solidified his place in the Archie Bunker Sports Hall of Fame next to such luminaries as Marge Schott, Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder and Al Campanis.
The reaction around the league was swift as everyone took the opportunity to speak out against Sterling’s comments. It also put his team in a terrible spot as they prepared for Game 4 of the Western Conference first round at Golden State. (A series that they were winning, by the way). The Clippers went on to lose to Golden State 118-97 to tie the series at 2-2 heading back to Los Angeles for Game 5.
The Clippers’ players had their own silent protest before the game as they put all of their gear with the Clippers’ logo on it in a pile at half court and went through the pre-game warm ups wearing plain red sweats and shooting shirts.
I thought that was cool, but I would have loved to them to sit the game out. Do not come to the arena and forfeit the game to the Warriors. In my opinion, that would have made the perfect statement. Not only are the Clippers a predominantly African-American team; their star player Chris Paul, is the President of the Players Union and head coach Doc Rivers is the most prominent African-American coach in the league. They would have stood taller than they already have in this situation.
Here is why they should have sat out the game:
First, the Clippers had already won Game 3 on the Warriors’ home court and had taken a 2-1 lead in the series, thus regaining home court advantage. I think the chances were good that Golden State was going to win the game and even the series because of the sense of desperation and urgency. That turned out to be the case as they lit up the Clippers for 39 points in the first quarter and did not look back. This would be the least important of the reasons.
However, a one-game boycott would have sent an even bigger statement to the league and its owners, who are Sterling’s cronies, whether they like him or not. What made a sit-out ideal was that the game was not in Los Angeles, it was in Oakland. A boycott would have cost the Warriors’ owners a home playoff gate, complete with parking, concessions, souvenirs and all of the other money that is being made on that day.
We all know that owners love money more than anything else and to miss out on any kind of cash is bound to create some anger amongst the Warriors’ ownership. Who do you blame? You don’t blame the Clippers players. You blame your fellow billionaire boys’ club owner who cost you this money. Yes, you blame the man you have enabled and kept propped up to continue his reign of terror as a horrible NBA boss. That’s your guy. You reap what you sew.
And how would the NBA office and its new commissioner Adam Silver react? Would they come down hard on the Clippers players? You had better not. Once again, the league has sat by and let Donald Sterling be Donald Sterling all this time and do little or nothing. To go one step further, former league commish David Stern continued to feed the Sterling monster when he nixed the Chris Paul trade to the Lakers a few years back. Paul was later traded to the Clippers, thus giving Sterling one of the league’s best players and most marketable stars. And a championship contender to boot. What a nice reward for decades of disgraceful behavior as one of the league’s worst owners.
So, sitting out a playoff game and forfeiting a precious postseason victory would have been a huge ask for the Clippers’ players. But, it would put the Donald Sterling problem right where it belongs. On the doorstep of Sterling’s fellow owners and the NBA League office, which has enabled him for all of these years.Â
