Well this is the saddest ish we've heard this week. Not because (gasp!), some multi-millionaire reared their racist head. We're no longer shocked by that. But it's incredibly sad that there has been hardly any uproar--not even from the players themselves--about the L.A. Clippers owner saying ON TAPE that black people--including Magic Johnson--are not welcomed at his games...and he doesn't even want blacks in pictures with him or his girlfriend.
For those who give a damn...deets inside....
You can't control racist assholes, but you damn sure can control the role YOU will have in their racist antics. The owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, Donald Sterling (seen above sitting courtside with the ball and eyeing Chris Paul), was caught on tape saying some disgustingly racist things about blacks. He's demanding her to stop "bringing blacks" to Clippers games and stop taking pictures with them (this time it was a picture with Magic Johnson) and posting those pictures publicly. He sounds absolutely disgusted by blacks. Which is nothing new. But here's the real gag--he said these things to his girlfriend V. Stiviano -- who is half black and half Mexican herself!
She's pictured with Sterling below:
And V. seemed to oblige his wishes since she removed the Instagram pics he was upset about. Anything for a multi-million dollar penis, right girl? Pathetic. Racist white men who love sexing black women is nothing new...but now that Sterling's ish is public, the black woman he's sexing actually comes off more pathetic than him.
Here's the tea from TMZ:
Sterling rails on Stiviano -- who ironically is black and Mexican -- for putting herself out in public with a black person (she has since taken the pic down). But it doesn't end there. You have to listen to the audio to fully grasp the magnitude of Sterling's racist worldview. Among the comments:
-- "It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Do you have to?" (3:30)
-- "You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on that ... and not to bring them to my games." (5:15)
-- "I’m just saying, in your lousy f******* Instagrams, you don’t have to have yourself with, walking with black people." (7:45)
-- "...Don't put him [Magic] on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me. And don't bring him to my games." (9:13)
Sterling has a documented history of allegedly racist behavior -- he's been sued twice by the federal government for allegedly refusing to rent apartments to Blacks and Latinos.
He was also sued by former Clippers exec Elgin Baylor for racial discrimination -- though a jury was ultimately not convinced and shot down Baylor's case.
He's also been known to allegedly refer to players as "N*ggers". Check out the horrific 9+ minutes of audio between Don and V. below, where V even says she wishes she could change the color of her skin! This woman actually apologized to Don because of HIS insecurity (he was mad she took a pic with Magic Johnson and posted it) and HIS racism. And hates her own skin because of it? Absolutely Pathetic.
And if you're confused on how an NBA owner can be A-OK with blacks PLAYING for him, but does not want blacks attending games or being publicly connected to his or his girlfriend's lives (and being racist in other parts of his life), don't be. Slave owners never thought of blacks as fully human and often hated blacks in general--yet blacks were allowed to work for and around their family, even take care of their children. Not to mention the sexual relations that occurred between slave owners and their slaves. And since the NBA is often said to be a vision of modern day slavery, it's a similar concept.
We can only wonder if the players, of all races, will actually use the power they rarely realize they have and refuse to play until the owner is ousted. Or is that asking for too much? Surely seems that way. There has been barely any uproar about these leaked tapes, so it seems many folks are OK with being utterly disrespected as a human being, as long as they get their check.
Hopefully those YBF celebs who are just dying to be seen courtside at the Clippers game will think twice about supporting a team with a seemingly VERY racist owner who does not even want them there. But asking a celeb to not let thirst outweigh what's morally right is....asking for a lot.
The leaders of the Clippers team--both on the court (like Chris Paul and Blake Griffin) and off the court need to speak up. If they don't, they are silently co-signing on being disrespected as a human being, publicly, by your pathetic ass employer. And that's an incredibly sad scenario for the world--including their own kids--to see. Accepting any and all treatment for the sake of a check is a dangerous situation. When you're touted as a leader and a role model, you have to act like a leader when it counts. Not just sit back and collect your millions at all costs, because of the easy cop out --"There's nothing we can do about racist people". I expect more. I expect them to not act like million dollar slaves. Hopefully others do too.
By the way, Clippers players have remained mum since this story surfaced. But Magic commented: "It's a shame that Donald Sterling feels that way about African-Americans....He has a team full of amazing African-American basketball players that are working to bring a championship to Clippers fans. The Clippers also have a strong minority fan base."
In this situation, the main people with the DIRECT power to affect this situation are the players, the leadership in the front office, Clipper fans, celebrities who bring attention to the Clippers by attending their games (that the Clippers organization OFTEN hand them tickets to), and sponsors.
We shall see...
Photos: Getty
