Donald Sterling: This Isn't New

Donald Sterling is a bad human being. This is not news. In fact, this is old news.

Tommy Craggs did an article for Deadspin 5 years ago about Sterling and how awful he was.

One of the many damning quotes from Craggs' article- "When Sterling first bought the Ardmore, he remarked on its odor to Davenport. "That's because of all the blacks in this building, they smell, they're not clean," he said, according to Davenport's testimony. "And it's because of all of the Mexicans that just sit around and smoke and drink all day." He added: "So we have to get them out of here." Shortly after, construction work caused a serious leak at the complex."

The quote is from 2002.

His attitude toward non-whites is not new. He is a racist. This didn't just happen. So why is it all of a sudden in the news?

Because the Clippers are doing well. And that's wrong.

Fact is, up until a few days ago the NAACP was  preparing to give Sterling a second lifetime achievement award.

Did you miss that?

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE WAS GOING TO GIVE A RACIST MAN A LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR THE SECOND TIME!!!

What is going on? His basketball team doesn't suck anymore so now he gets called out for being racist? That's unacceptable.

Tolerating, let alone rewarding, someone like Sterling isn't OK as long as his team doesn't do well. The man is certainly entitled to his beliefs and to the right to express them. But he shouldn't be rewarded or ignored. He should be called out for being a bigot.

That this has been ignored by the mainstream media is disgusting. Yes, new quotes just came out that Sterling is racist. The reaction is completely justified, it's just way too late.

Sure, better late than never. But this is something that should've been made widely known many years ago. In some circles, it has been known.

In July last year Jeff Pearlman wrote about Sterling. He talked to Rollie Massimino, who met Sterling about possibly becoming the head coach of the Clippers in 1983. Massimino told Pearlman that during the "interview" Sterling said to him, "I wanna know why you think you can coach these niggers.”

That was 31 years ago.  Yet somehow Sterling still owns a professional sports franchise.

I wonder if the Lakers had the Clippers record this season, and vice versa, what would the reaction to all of this be? Would it be swept under the rug if they'd be cellar-dwellers?

The history tells me it would have. That's wrong. It's the job of the media to report facts. The fact is Donald Sterling is a racist and should not be allowed to own the Clippers.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad this is finally getting the attention it should. It's just disappointing to know something could have been done three decades ago.

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