Jackson Mote is a French
major from Indianapolis.
CHRISTA SCHRODEL / THE DEPAUW
On Tuesday, the National Basketball Association commissioner Adam Silver banned Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life from the NBA due to controversial comments he made regarding African Americans.
Sterling can no longer attend Clippers' games, practices or make any team decisions. The league also issued a $2.5 million fine to Sterling.
The ban against Sterling is the harshest punishment that the NBA has ever issued against a team owner, especially since Sterling was not convicted of any crimes or bankrupt.
Sterling was investigated for racism after two voice recordings of a person, who is believed to be him, were revealed by TMZ. The male voice heard in the recordings states to a female that she should not bring any black people to Clippers games or publicize photos of the male and Hall of Fame basketball player Magic Johnson together.
Several former professional basketball players spoke out expressing their support of the punishment after Silver announced the ban for Sterling. Even the Clippers organization praised the action taken against their owner in a statement they released that said, "We wholeheartedly support and embrace the decision by the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver today. Now the healing process beings".
It is widely rumored that other owners in the NBA will now vote to force Sterling to sell the team. The league would need to have a three-fourths majority vote from other team owners. It seems likely the vote will come through and Sterling will be forced to sell the Clippers, if he doesn't take that action on his own.
The punishments against Sterling seem rather harsh, but they will never equate to the hatred that he held in his heart towards African Americans. The $2.5 million that he will be forced to pay will not majorly affect his $1.9 billion net worth.
He won't be able to attend NBA games, but I'm sure that the flat screen TV in his home will display crystal clear images of Chris Paul assisting Blake Griffin for a monster slam dunk.
Donald Sterling is a part of the racist elite that has not been brought to justice. No matter the amount of dollars paid in fines or the ban against attendance at respective events, the racist elite will continue to promote hate against groups of people that they perceive as lesser.
It is time that we as college students speak out against the acts taken by people like Donald Sterling. It is time that we show the extremely affluent that their racist opinions cannot hide behind their stacks of billions of dollars. We must promote the change of values that we want to see from our generation and the next.
I implore you to never be guilty of defaming another person's character because of their ethnicity or heritage. We are all humans experiencing this wild ride known as life together. The more we work together to combat racism, the better off we will be as a college community, as a country and as a human race.
To Donald Sterling and the racist elite: you deserve the contempt of all good people and in time, you shall receive it.
-Mote is a sophomore French major from Indianapolis.