By now, everyone – sports fans and non-fans alike – is aware of a recorded conversation in which LA Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling made offensive, racist comments about African Americans to his former girlfriend, V. Stiviano. Sterling objected to photos Ms. Stiviano posted of herself on Instagram with African-American men – including retired superstar Magic Johnson and Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp – and told her not to bring black guests to NBA games.
Since the tape became public, Sterling’s words have been condemned by everyone from President Obama to Oprah Winfrey to Michael Jordan. His coach and players tried desperately to distance themselves from their owner. Advertisers abandoned the team, and even the performer who was to sing the national anthem bowed out on Tuesday. Finally, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver ended speculation, confirming that the voice on the tape is Sterling’s. Silver banned Sterling from the league for life and issued the maximum fine of $2.5 million.
This is another case of a private conversation – presumably in a private home – causing public outrage. Ms. Stiviano apparently recorded conversations without Mr. Sterling’s knowledge, then uploaded them for the world to hear. This certainly isn’t the first such incident – remember Mel Gibson’s anti-Semitic rant and Michael (“Kramer”) Richard’s racist tirade? Neither career has recovered from the self-inflicted damage.
While most of us don’t own professional sports franchises or have Hollywood careers, anyone who cares about his/her reputation should take these lessons to heart. In these days of cell phone cameras and recorders, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, private behavior doesn’t always remain private. When offensive words or actions are caught on tape, they can spread across the Internet – and across the world – with lightning speed and cause irreparable damage to your reputation.
Donald Sterling offended not only his coach and players but his fan base. An apology could never undo that kind of damage. For the sake of his team, he had to go. The best scenario would have been for him to apologize, announce that he would sell the team, and then disappear from public view. In lieu of that, Silver had to act decisively – even though, as Mark Cuban pointed out, removing an owner for something he said sets quite a precedent for professional sports.
