You are a professional basketball player for a team in the midst of the golden era of their franchise, leading a first round playoff series against your biggest rivals two games to one; geared up and ready to roll, the adrenaline and confidence of your team is at an all time high ... and then your owner grabs a hammer and tears it to shreds. That was the case with Donald Sterling, the then owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, who made insensitive racial comments against African-Americans in April 2014.
Sterling at the time was in a relationship with his then-girlfriend V.V Stiviano. In September of 2013, Stiviano posted an Instagram photo of her and Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson, which irritated Sterling.
"It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you're associating with black people", Sterling told Stiviano in the recording. "You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want ... but the little thing I ask you is ... not to bring them to my games".
Of course, Sterling’s comments had a number of negative responses from players and owners alike.
“There is no room for Donald Sterling in the NBA”, Lebron James said during an interview before a Saturday playoff game against the Charlotte Bobcats in 2014.
The owner of the Miami Heat, Mickey Arison, also called the comments, “appalling, offensive and very sad.” Other legends such as Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, and Kevin Johnson spoke out against Sterling’s remarks.
The biggest impact Sterling’s racist comments had was on the team itself, and their response was just as significant. Before their Game 4 playoff game against the Golden State Warriors, a game which they lost by a significant margin, the players took off their warmup shirts and left them on the floor. In the locker room before the game, "We are one," was written on the dry-erase board, which was the message players and coaches talked about before taking the court. The Clippers players also, in an attempt not to display the team’s logo, turned their red shooting shirts inside out and began to practice.
During the game, players wore black wristbands and black socks. The leader of the team, superstar point guard Chris Paul attempted to unify the team, declaring,
"We're going to be one, everything we do, we do it together," Paul told ESPN in 2014. "Stay together, play ball...we worked hard to be where we are..."
Sterling’s comments wasn’t just a nuisance to the players and coaches, but the city of Los Angeles as a whole. The Los Angeles chapter of the NCAAP cancelled its plan to award Sterling with its lifetime achievement award, and as a whole, the Clippers lost considerable fan support and money. Numerous sponsors, including Chumash Casino and CarMax severed their ties with the team, while other sponsors temporarily suspended their respective relationships.
It was obvious that the NBA needed to act in order to improve publicity. On April 29, 2014, newly instated commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling from the NBA for life and fined him $2.5 million. He also moved to force Sterling to sell the team based on a “willful violation of the rules.” Sterling challenged the league at every turn, but it was to no avail, as the NBA approved the sale of the team to billionaire Steve Ballmer. The Board of Governors unanimously ratified the deal 29-0, and Sterling was ousted as owner.
The NBA’s quick disposition of Sterling earned considerable praise around the league. Clippers coach Doc Rivers, who has expressed doubt about whether he'd honor the two years left on his contract if Donald Sterling remained the owner, called it "an amazing new day in Clippers history."
“I couldn’t be more excited to work together with Steve as we continue to build a first-class, championship organization," Rivers told CbsSports.com in 2014. "I am already inspired by Steve’s passion for the game, his love of competition and desire to win the right way and I know our players and fans are going to be inspired as well.”
Three years after the ordeal, the stench of Sterling as owner occasionally lingers around the franchise. After beating the Golden State Warriors in a grueling seven game series that year, they lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the semifinals. Although, the Clippers are still in the midst of the most successful period in franchise history, they’ve yet to achieve a NBA finals berth, or Western Conference for that matter.
Donald Sterling’s comments had huge repercussions regarding the team’s playoff run, and one must wonder if this fiasco, despite ousting him as owner, prevented the team from achieving even more success. Nevertheless, it’s comforting for NBA fans and players alike to know that situations like this does not go unnoticed, and it portrayed the NBA's willingness to stand up against immoral social standards.
Authored by Arik Armstead and Matthias Granja
Showing posts with label Chris Paul. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris Paul. Show all posts
Monday, April 3, 2017
Thursday, March 30, 2017
'Banana Boat Crew' delivers powerful message to begin 2016 ESPYs
During the 2016 ESPYs, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Paul, together known as the “Banana Boat Crew,” spoke out on the rise of social justice and racial profiling. As prominent figures in the NBA and influential models for those that admire them, they took the stage as an opportunity to influence change and work towards solidarity. They addressed the issues together as not only athletes, but members of the community as well.
Throughout their respective careers, James, Paul, Anthony, and Wade have been superstars that in the NBA have developed a large fan base, not just in the United States, but worldwide. Their celebrity status has allowed them the opportunity to be vocal regarding issues that exist in our society. They have taken advantage of this opportunity during their careers, and view it as a responsibility as a social figure. Anthony addressed his duty as a citizen in a Guardian editorial he wrote in 2016.
“[Speaking out] is not really about politics,” Anthony said. “There’s nothing political about taking a stand and speaking on what you believe in. When I chose to speak out, it was a matter of being honest, speaking from the heart about what’s going on and calling on my colleagues to step up, get out there and put pressure on the people in charge to not let this happen anymore.”
The ESPYs is an annual award show for individual and team athletic achievement and other sports-related performances. The ceremony is broadcasted on ABC and ESPN, where millions of viewers tune in to see their favorite athletes get recognized. With the increased publicity of racial profiling and retaliation within society, prominent athletes took the stage to raise awareness for these issues. They commenced the award show with brief, powerful speeches on the importance of solidarity and change.
“We stand here accepting our role in uniting communities to be the change we need to see,” Paul said during his speech at the ESPYs. “We stand before you as fathers, sons, husbands, brothers, [and] uncles.”
Wade addressed the rise of police brutality in recent years, particularly against African-Americans as a source of the tension in society. He condemned the offenders, and also called on athletes like himself to help modify the culture in America, no matter how difficult it may be.
“Not seeing the value of black and brown bodies has to stop,” Wade said to the audience. “Now, as athletes, it’s on us to challenge each other to do even more than we already do in our own communities. And the conversation, it cannot stop as our schedules get busy again. It won’t always be convenient. It won’t. It won’t always be comfortable, but it is necessary.”
Together, the four stars spoke out on the issues plaguing society as communal members and harbingers of change. Like everyone else, they were tired of the societal inequalities and injustice that has reigned supreme against African-Americans and minorities for hundreds of years. The problems were not new; however, the methods of change and raising awareness in efforts of reaching solidarity as a community has become a mission for these NBA stars.
“The system is broken,” Anthony urged in his ESPYs speech. “The problems are not new. The violence is not new, and the racial divide is definitely not new. But, the urgency for great change is at an all-time high.”
James, arguably the best player of his era, echoed the thoughts of hopelessness that many Americans feel today. He finished their collective speech by calling for everyone to look at their actions and see where they could improve to benefit society.
“We all feel helpless and frustrated by the violence,” James said. “It’s time to look in the mirror and ask ourselves what are we doing to create change. ...We all have to do better. Thank you.”
Authored by Armani Damiron and Michael Stern
Throughout their respective careers, James, Paul, Anthony, and Wade have been superstars that in the NBA have developed a large fan base, not just in the United States, but worldwide. Their celebrity status has allowed them the opportunity to be vocal regarding issues that exist in our society. They have taken advantage of this opportunity during their careers, and view it as a responsibility as a social figure. Anthony addressed his duty as a citizen in a Guardian editorial he wrote in 2016.
“[Speaking out] is not really about politics,” Anthony said. “There’s nothing political about taking a stand and speaking on what you believe in. When I chose to speak out, it was a matter of being honest, speaking from the heart about what’s going on and calling on my colleagues to step up, get out there and put pressure on the people in charge to not let this happen anymore.”
The ESPYs is an annual award show for individual and team athletic achievement and other sports-related performances. The ceremony is broadcasted on ABC and ESPN, where millions of viewers tune in to see their favorite athletes get recognized. With the increased publicity of racial profiling and retaliation within society, prominent athletes took the stage to raise awareness for these issues. They commenced the award show with brief, powerful speeches on the importance of solidarity and change.
“We stand here accepting our role in uniting communities to be the change we need to see,” Paul said during his speech at the ESPYs. “We stand before you as fathers, sons, husbands, brothers, [and] uncles.”
Wade addressed the rise of police brutality in recent years, particularly against African-Americans as a source of the tension in society. He condemned the offenders, and also called on athletes like himself to help modify the culture in America, no matter how difficult it may be.
“Not seeing the value of black and brown bodies has to stop,” Wade said to the audience. “Now, as athletes, it’s on us to challenge each other to do even more than we already do in our own communities. And the conversation, it cannot stop as our schedules get busy again. It won’t always be convenient. It won’t. It won’t always be comfortable, but it is necessary.”
Together, the four stars spoke out on the issues plaguing society as communal members and harbingers of change. Like everyone else, they were tired of the societal inequalities and injustice that has reigned supreme against African-Americans and minorities for hundreds of years. The problems were not new; however, the methods of change and raising awareness in efforts of reaching solidarity as a community has become a mission for these NBA stars.
“The system is broken,” Anthony urged in his ESPYs speech. “The problems are not new. The violence is not new, and the racial divide is definitely not new. But, the urgency for great change is at an all-time high.”
James, arguably the best player of his era, echoed the thoughts of hopelessness that many Americans feel today. He finished their collective speech by calling for everyone to look at their actions and see where they could improve to benefit society.
“We all feel helpless and frustrated by the violence,” James said. “It’s time to look in the mirror and ask ourselves what are we doing to create change. ...We all have to do better. Thank you.”
Authored by Armani Damiron and Michael Stern
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