Truth. Money masks a multitude of sins in society.
Agreed. Money has been known to mask a multitude of sins in society, ...however, it can also be the root of a whole other multitude of sins. Don't get me wrong, I am no adherent to the belief that "money is the root of all evil" or that money is bad. I believe counterfeit money in the form of a Federal Reserve promissary notes are the root of all that plagues society today, ...but that's a topic for another thread.
I'm refering to the punishment handed down...
But at least they are finally doing the right thing and getting rid of that turd.
Hmmm.... How was his lifetime ban the right thing to do and for whom?
As a Black person, I'm going to try to look at this objectively, ...and I know I'm probably going to take a lot of heat for this... but I think the penalty was not only NOT the right thing to do, but infact was a very slippery slope as far as ushering in "thought crimes legislation". Think the wrong way, and we're going to make you pay. We've seen this used too many times over the years with disastrous outcomes for all concerned. Don't get me wrong, I think the man is an idiot... and a very tortured idiot at that, ...but denying him his right to enjoy the fruits of his labours? Forcing him to relinquish ownership of his business enterprise... in a capitalist society ...because of what he thinks? Are people not allowed the right to have an opinion... even an ignorant one? The man is 80+ yrs old and having sex with young babes. His heart is gonna give out sooner, rather than later. He's gonna die off soon enough anyway... but couching this decision under the mantle of "doing the right thing" and pretending it's about how "racism is wrong" yada yada yada is nothing more than platitudes & rhetoric that allows people to feel good about themselves. Call it for what it really is... an attempt to save their own skins {pun intended}
I'm glad his mentality has been revealed. People now have the ability to make up their own minds as to whether or not they want to have anything to do with him.
Nate Silver's response was a tremendous one as far as the NBA goes, ...and I harbour no illusions that this was done out of morality. It was about the same thing it is/ has/ and will always be about...
MONEYA good 80% of NBA players are Black, I don't know the % of the fans in the stands, but I have to believe it's pretty high. Then there are the Billions upon Billions in merchandising... jerseys, equipment, etc.,
What does Mark Cuban or any other team owner do if because of Sterling... players refuse to play the Clippers, thereby losing games by default? There there is Sharpton calling for a boycott on games, fans & players alike boycotting games? Wouldn't that be special? ...or in the case of players... mailing in their free throws {no pun intended}
The economy is bad enough, but losing a major sports industry as well, ...an extremely effective tool for the distraction & pacification of the masses.... not to mention all the other industries & businesses that thrive on the commerce spun off NBA basketball. Bars, restaurants, pay-per-view, gas stations, public transit, even municipal parking lots all thrive & benefit from players on the court in all their glory.
What Sterling did, and why so many players & team owners support his decision, he did for the preservation of the league, and the financial gravy train it provides for all fiduciary parties. I don't think compassion, enlightenment, and morality entered into the equation. This was about ensuring that Mark Cuban, and guys like him aren't taken down by a tortured relic of times gone by... entrenched institutional & systemic racism. Damn what a legacy!!
This was a very effective pre-emptive strike using conventional sticks & stones, in the hopes of ending the battle before African Americans both in & out of the league unleashed a thousand 50 megatonne nuclear warheads across every NBA franchise in North America. That might not have been such a bad thing... Instead of little boys in the hood striving to buy $150 sneakers, or forking out all their cash on Jerseys, they might actually pick up a book, and receive no resistance when expressing curiosity about the sciences, or attempting to pursue academics.... This story I'm sure is far from over... nowhere even near that.