Donald Sterling

[Whateverist]

You want a world of thought police. The fact is that his private beliefs did not noticeably have any effect on his public actions. The NAACP was prepared to offer him an award before all this.

We live in a different world then just a couple years ago. Privacy is gone...for everyone. As a society, we need to reflect more about how much latitude we give people in the privacy of their own minds.

Society is not to blame for his loss of privacy. He did that himself by speaking his secrets to another person and misjudging her ability to refrain from re-telling the same secret she got from him.

Should you be exempt from any consequences for information gotten from you in an inappropriate manner? You already are under the law, but that doesn't extend to the court of public opinion. And that is the basis for the NBA's ruling.

Whether or not we would like to live in a world where you can say anything you like to anyone you care to without concern, we don't. People will judge you by your words and your privacy is only as good as your ability to judge who to confide in.

[Heywood]

He has been banned for life for comments he made in his own home, am I the only guy who thinks this is wrong?

manowar

There are two issues which are separate and distinct from each other.
1)Was Sterling's privacy violated?
2)Does Sterling's connection to the NBA damage the brand of the NBA?

It was determined that Sterling's connection to the NBA damages the NBA brand and that in an of itself is sufficient cause for the NBA to want to ban him. It doesn't and shouldn't matter to the NBA that Sterling's privacy was violated.

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I'm just amazed Sterling hasn't done a better job of damage control. How much does he depend on black peope as customers? Many of his employees are black, including many of his most publicly visible ones, the players on his team. He's gotta know that these comments are going to hurt him financially, right?

A few organizations he had made donations to have given his money back. I'm not entirely sure I agree with that. Esentially, they're just giving money to a bigot; I'd rather take his money and put it to good use.

Sterling is worth 1.9 billion dollars. He isn't dependent on the NBA or the Clippers. The guy is 80 years old and has a ton of money. This scandal does not threaten his financial security. The only motivation for damage control is legacy. He simply may not care if he is remembered as a racist pig.

[c172]

Steve Ballmer pays $2 billion for Clippers. Boy, that's a lot of sushi and chocolate cake!
http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-bal...ion-2014-5