NBA Racism:

We See Things Differently

Mr. C. Caldwell
Financial Times
1 Southwark Bridge
London
SE1 9HL
Dear Mr. Caldwell
NBA Racism: We See Things Differently
t!s "een a"out nine months since wrote a re#oinder to $our article a"out Tra$%on
Martin& "ut once again am com'elled to write $ou another ()e See Things
Di**erentl$+ letter in res'onse to $our article titled (The ,B-.s racism drama is more
a"out mone$ than morals+ which was 'u"lished in the Ma$ /
rd
0112 weekend edition
o* the Financial Times.
The central thesis o* $our article is& (It will be hard to discipline Sterling without
ramifications for other basketball personalities. 3ou also argue that the 'unishment
melted on Mr. Donald Sterling has more to do with mone$ than morals as the ,B- is
a multi "illion s'orts *ranchise and i* an owner o* a team has "een *ound to make
racist remarks& this could im'act turnouts and re%enue.
n re*erring to the discussion "etween Mr. Sterlings and Ms. Sti%iano& which was
rela$ed on TM4!s we"site& $ou argue& (Offensive the audio is. But hateful+ is too
strong a word.+ To su''ort $our 'remise $ou make re*erence to a *ormer "ase"all
owner who said eighteen $ears ago that Hitler was good in the "eginning. )hile $our
statement that the audio is o**ensi%e is %alid& howe%er& $our argument that the word
(hate*ul+ is not a''ro'riate to descri"e the contents o* the audio is *lawed "ecause it
assumes i* Mr. - sa$s something more hate*ul than Ms. B& then what - has said is
not hate*ul. Does this then mean that a 'erson who sa$s he wishes all ,igerian men
dead has not said an$thing hate*ul "ecause another 'erson said eighteen $ears
earlier that he wished all -*ricans died5
3ou then descri"e the contents o* the audio recording as an (intimate 6uarrel+
"etween two lo%ers and sa$& (Something is upsetting Mr. Sterling very much but it is
not black people ! at least not primarily. It is the Moli"re#es$ue predicament of an
%&#year#old man with a young companion he cannot control. 7erha's& $ou ma$ want
to do some additional research on Mr. Sterling!s 'ast and then $ou will reali8e that he
has a 'ho"ia *or "lack 'eo'le or should sa$ non9whites : at least 'rimaril$.
n 011/& nineteen tenants o* a 'ro'ert$ owned "$ Mr. Sterling *iled a discrimination
lawsuit against him& which was settled out o* court in 011;. - $ear later& the <S
=ustice De'artment sued Mr. Sterling *or housing racial discrimination& which was
settled in 0119 *or >0.?m. -lso in 0119& an e@ em'lo$ee sued Sterling *or age and
racial discrimination. From the testimon$ o* witnesses in these cases& it is o"%ious
that there was (something u'setting Mr. Sterling and it was 'rimaril$ non9white
'eo'le.+ -*ter all when a man sa$s he needs to *ield a team o* Apoor black boys from
the South playing for a white coach+ is it not 'rimaril$ a"out "lack 'eo'le5 )hen a
man sa$s to a 'ro'ert$ de%elo'er& ('hat(s because of all the blacks in this building
they smell they(re not clean&+ is it not 'rimaril$ a"out "lack 'eo'le5 )hen a man tells
the same 'ro'ert$ de%elo'er& ()nd it(s because of all of the Me*icans that +ust sit
around and smoke and drink all day+ is it not 'rimaril$ a"out non9white 'eo'le5
)hen a man sa$s& (Is she one of those black people that stink, -ust evict the bitch+
is it not 'rimaril$ a"out "lack 'eo'le5
Sir& when 'eo'le in m$ communit$ e@amine the audio recording& we also see that Mr.
Sterling is u'set onl$ this time we think that it is 'rimaril$ "ecause o* "lack 'eo'le. -s
long as 'eo'le in m$ communit$ hear words like& (.eah it bothers me a lot that you
want to promo / broadcast that you(re associating with black people+ we will alwa$s
*eel that it is a"out "lack 'eo'leB as long as 'eo'le in m$ communit$ hear words like&
('hen why are you taking pictures with minorities&+ we *eel alwa$s *eel that it is a"out
"lack 'eo'leB as long as 'eo'le in m$ communit$ hear words like& (By walking and
you(re perceived as either a 0atina or a white girl. 1hy can(t you be walking publicly
with black people, 1hy2, Is there a benefit to you, we will alwa$s *eel that it is
a"out "lack 'eo'leB as long as 'eo'le in m$ communit$ hear words like& (.ou can
sleep with them 3blacks2. .ou can bring them 3blacks2 in4 you can do whatever you
want. 'he little I ask you is not to promote it on that and not to bring them 3blacks2 to
my games&+ we will alwa$s *eel that it is a"out "lack 'eo'le. also suggest that $ou
listen to the e@tended %ersion o* the audio recording& which contains an additional si@
minutes o* recording& and ho'e*ull$ $ou will see wh$ $our assertion that Mr. Sterling
is not u'set a"out "lack 'eo'le : at least not 'rimaril$ is incorrect.
)hile $ou acknowledge that (some+ o* Sterling!s characteri8ations are racist& $ou
a''ear to tri%iali8e what he has said "$ arguing that the issue o* race did not come
into the con%ersation until Ms. Sti%iano mentioned it in the discussion. 3ou note&
('here is something stilted oratorical and manipulative about almost everything Ms
Stiviano says. 3ou a''ear to "e using the same logic $ou a''lied in $our article
a"out Tra$%on Martin onl$ this time $ou su"stitute the cause o* the racist attack *rom
4immerman!s "loodied head and torn clothes to Ms. Sti%iano!s mani'ulation and
rhetoric!s. For 'eo'le in m$ communit$& the issue o* Ms. Sti%iano!s mani'ulati%e
tendencies is o* little rele%anceB what is o* rele%ance is what Mr. Sterling said.
M$ communit$ is a''alled when it sees 'eo'le shi*t the "urden o* "lame. )e scratch
our heads when we see 'eo'le like Donald Trum' arguing that Mr. Sterling was set
u' "$ his (girl*riend *rom hell+ or when we hear Cush Lim"augh sa$ that Donald
Sterling is in trou"le "ecause he did not donate enough mone$ to 7resident Barack
D"ama. Blaming Ms. Sti%iano *or Mr. Sterling!s racist out"urst is like "laming a
woman who has "een ra'ed "ecause she was wearing a mini skirt or "laming the
owner o* a house whose house has "een "urgled "ecause he did not install a secure
locking s$stem in the house.
3ou also 6uestion the admissi"ilit$ o* the audiota'e "$ noting& (One would not want
to lean too heavily on it in a courtroom. 5othing Mr. Sterling said violates any laws.
1hat made the audio a problem is it angered the 5B)(s players.+ The rele%ant issue
is not what law Mr. Sterling did not %iolate& "ut which law did he %iolate.
For 'eo'le in m$ communit$ and me& we see two t$'es o* laws namel$ the legal law
and a moral law. Because someone commits an acts that does not %iolate a legal law
does not mean that the act is right. Ha%ing seen our ancestors go through sla%er$&
colonialism& =im Crow and a'artheid& m$ 'eo'le o*ten see that the legal s$stem is
stacked against us& so we ha%e come to rel$ on a higher *orm o* law that is not man
made& "ut Eod made. t is through the 'rism o* this Eod made law or moral code that
we %iew Mr. Sterling!s actions. Moreo%er& the audio did not onl$ anger ,B- 'la$er!s it
also angered man$ white -mericansB it angered the 7resident o* the <S- who during
a 'ress "rie*ing in Mala$sia had to wash -merica.s dirt$ linen in 'u"lic "$ sa$ing&
('he 6nited States continues to wrestle with the legacy of race and slavery and
segregation that7s still there the vestiges of discrimination+ it also angered not onl$
-*rican -merican!s "ut "lack 'eo'le in Euro'e& -*rica and all o%er the world.
,ow "ack to the central thesis o* $our article that 'unishing Mr. Sterling could ha%e
rami*ication *or other "asket"all 'ersonalities. 3ou make re*erence to Ton$ 7arker a
French ,B- 'la$er o* -*rican descent who made the 6uenelle salute and then $ou
ask the 6uestion& (Is there a place for 8arker in the 5B), To answer $our 6uestion&
the answer is there should "e no 'lace *or an$ racist in the ,B- whether he is a
"lack 'la$er or a white owner.
Mr. Caldwell& instead o* e@'loring whether the moti%ation "ehind Donald Sterling!s
'unishment was mone$ dri%en or whether his racial out"urst was not illegal or
whether Ms. Sti%iano mani'ulated him to make those raciall$ incendiar$ comments&
we should rather commend the ,B- *or taking a stand. n recent da$s& we ha%e
heard a"out racist attacks melted on Dani -l%es& the Barcelona 'la$er and read
a"out =erem$ Clarkson using the (,+ word in his To' Eear 'rogramme. Cacism is a
moral scar on humanit$ and drastic actions need to "e taken i* we are to stam' out
racism in the 01
st
centur$.
)h$ do m$ 'eo'le alwa$s see things di**erentl$5 To understand& one has to go into
the histor$ "ooks and read a"out the o''ression o* m$ 'eo'le. Martin Luther Fing
'ut it elo6uentl$ when he said& (I should have reali9ed that few members of the
oppressor race can understand the deep groans and passionate yearnings of the
oppressed race and still fewer have the vision to see that in+ustice must be rooted
out by strong persistent and determined action.+ So when it comes to the issue o*
race& m$ 'eo'le will continue to see things di**erentl$. )hile others ma$ see throwing
a "anner skin at Dani -l%es as no "ig deal& we see it as an insult to our raceB while
some 'eo'le in go%ernment see no need *or the BBC to terminate =erem$ Clarkson!s
contract e%en though he used the (,+ word& we see it as the go%ernment turning a
"lind e$e towards racism taking 'lace in the mediaB while some ma$ see the recent
,B- *allout as a drama more a"out mone$ than morals& we see the recent ,B-
*allout as a traged$ more a"out morals than mone$.
Selah
3ours *aith*ull$&
-hmed Sule& CF-
suleaosGgmail.com
Ma$ 0112
CcH Editor o* The Financial Times