A STERLING PLAN



Donald Sterling has decided he will not be voluntarily tied to a tree while the NBA attempts to whip him.  He will fight back despite the NBA’s attempts to chop off his foot.  I appreciate his fighting spirit and his obvious attempts to further thin the veil of his racist attitudes with further racist and ignorant remarks.  He is entitled to his views.  Some of us may find them offensive and reminiscent of a shameful time but I am sure he is not the only NBA owner who has such views.  He is simply the only one stupid enough to express them in a PRIVATE conversation which was eventually made public.  Private conversations should not be made public but once they are one cannot place the Genie back in the bottle.  Now the NBA and the public must deal with the consequences of Sterling’s words.
     Sterling’s unwillingness to go quietly into the night is a dream come true for me.  His unrepentant attitude will force others to take action.  Now we will discover the degree to which the NBA and its players have been offended.  It is easy to feign disgust and demand definitive actions from others but when the responsibility falls on our shoulders it is quite a different situation.  So what will the NBA do now?   What if the NBA can’t force Sterling to sell his team for a reported $700 million in profits (after capital gains taxes)?  What if the players who refused to continue to work for such a vile man have to return next season and pick his cotton?  We will quickly discover if the largely African-American ballers of the NBA have the courage and convictions of their forefathers.  Will they bravely sit at the Woolworth’s lunch counter?  Will they march from Selma to Montgomery?  Will they march on the nation’s capital and demand the nation listen to their dream?  What can they do if Sterling refuses to sell his team?  Well, they could do anything and everything if they are cut from the same cloth as their grandparents.  They could call out the dogs and aim the fire hoses directly at Sterling’s face.  That is, if they are as honest, offended, disgusted, horrified, and courageous as they say claim to be… we will see.

     Here is my plan…
-         The Clipper players could notify Sterling they are retiring the day before training camp begins.
-         The Staples Center could break the lease with the Clippers because they cannot field a team which will produce sufficient parking and concession revenue.
-         All sponsors could back out of deals with the Clippers.
-         The NBA could refuse to share television revenue with the Clippers.
-         The NBA could create a team to play in the Staples Center and pick up the lease.
-         The NBA could create a “hardship” retirement-return plan allowing the Clippers players to return to the NBA and play for the new team.

     Now Donald Sterling can sell a team that doesn’t exist, has no arena in which to play, and has no incoming sponsorship revenue for the market value of…. zero dollars.  Sterling is not sorry… he is sorry he got caught.  He is showing no mercy.  Will the NBA and it’s players show the determination of their Civil Rights generation or will they simply do what they always do and head back to the cotton fields while singing a familiar Negro spiritual while collecting their millions and selling their souls?


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