The Racism and Basketball - Term Paper Example

Task: Racism and basketball Donald Sterling is an American business magnate who had enjoyed an illustrious professional and business life before facing accusations of making racist comments in a recorded video. On April 25, 2014, a furor arose out of tapped telephone conversations that Donald Sterling was making with a female friend. In the racist comments, Sterling was instructing her female partner not to bring black players into his games. It is essential to highlight that Sterling had been an owner of Los Angeles Clippers since 1982. The business magnate has an unpleasant history of discrimination that is marked by lawsuits regarding treatment of blacks and Hispanics in his houses. In addition, some stakeholders had sensed discrimination in his handling of the LA Clippers team. The NBA Association should establish rules on racist behavior. This should occur in terms of doubling fines and accepting the pieces of evidence that prove the racist behavior of given team owners. In the end, the players should possess the entitlement to choose their own team owner. Sterling, in this sense, should be compelled to sell his team. The NBA Association should make a rule to forbid any racist conversation made by any team owner in the public. It is crucial to highlight that the term, public, connotes in this sense. A comment or a symbol that a person makes qualifies as public. As long as the person makes the conversation out of the self, the public reserves the right to evaluate the behavior of the given person. In the Sterling case, he was conversing with a female friend. This suggests that the team owner believed in the statements he was making. The assurance manifested in the video suggests that the team owner had long harbored negative thoughts about the black people playing in the NBA. Since he was disgusted at the female friend hugging Magic Johnson, it suggests he thought less of Johnson. In this view, in spite of his prowess at the field, Sterling thought Johnson was simply an inferior person as based on his race. The American landscape is a racially sensitive place since a major part of the history has built around the efforts to create a racially cohesive society. As the nation grew, racism was rife in the socio-economic and political spaces. This element tied the minority groups in socio-economic recession. From the abandonment of slavery, the American nation has tried to ensure that every individual receives fair treatment in the public space. This is visible through the civil rights movements that tried to highlight the plight of black Americans. In the end, they sought out certain freedoms that would ensure equal access to opportunities and respect for universal rights. These propositions become a backdrop upon which the nation evaluates its ethics in cases of incidences revolving around racism. In this sense, the NBA Association should use incidences of racism as a means of building on the legislations reading the freedom of speech. This means that a team owner has the freedom of speech as long as one’s words or any other connotations does not infringe on the welfare of others. The blacks are a minority in terms of the socio-economic power they still posses in the country. In this sense, they have an entitlement to face protection from the larger Caucasian majority, who may use such privilege to suppress the black players. It is notable that NBA is one of the principal places that the black community dominates in terms of players. It is, therefore, sensitive to racism. This also occurs because of the cosmopolitan outlook it has gained over decades. Acceptance of racism may set a wrong precedence for subsequent stakeholders, who might attain the freedom to make others feel bad about themselves. The NBA Association should double the fine each time for any improper racist conversation. Racism is an evil is rooted in the mentality of a person. This means that elimination of racism demands altering the mentality of a person. A society that has lax standards regarding racism promotes a culture whereby each individual possesses an uncontrolled freedom of speech. In this sense, such a society cannot draw a clear line that an individual’s freedom of speech should not surpass. The fine becomes one of the symbolical fines that the NBA society should use in disciplining team owners. In this case, the fine serves two purposes. To begin with, fines eliminate the normalization of racism in the games. This suggests that the fine manifests the criminal content of racist remarks and slurs. The individual making a racially inclined comment deserves a platform that recognizes such a comment as a criminal act. Fines mark the extent of racism that can be detected in given comments. For instance, Sterling’s comments were so blunt that it became clear he had a racist streak that had influenced his perception of basketball games. The conversations demonstrate that he was capable of physically enacting his racist inclinations had he realized that his comments did not stir public anger. The fines demonstrate that the stakeholders of basketball games are serious about racism in games. Racism, in this context, is a distraction in the enjoyment of games and the pursuit of excellence in the fields. In addition, the fines act as a deterrence mechanism to individuals capable of racism. When individuals observe the penalties of individuals involved in racism, they would strive not to involve themselves in racist acts. It is essential to highlight that the 2.5 million that Sterling received as charges is the highest in the NBA history. This is crucial for highlighting the context under which Sterling made the comments. At a time when the American nation has triumphed over numerous forms of discrimination, the nation should be committed towards manifesting that racism is out of place in the 21st century context (Knickerbocker 1). Any tapped personal and private tap that shows the racist behaviors of the NBA owner should be used as a piece of legal evidence. Racism is a factor that thrives on the mentality of a person (Jesse 1). Such a thought deserves punishment when the owner demonstrates the same. This occurs regardless of whether demonstrates racism publicly or privately. As long as the public attains the information that a person is not wary of expressing their racist personality, such a piece of evidence could serve as basis for prosecuting the involved person. Racism does not deserve condoning even in private situations. In the Sterling’s case, he was conversing with a person who would be susceptible to one’s beliefs. This suggests that in as much as he was in a private conversation, he was not afraid of expressing his opinions about black people. By expressing the same opinions to an external party, Sterling clearly demonstrated that the blacks are a group he did not like. It is essential to highlight that Sterling is not receiving punishment for his thoughts. Instead, he is receiving punishment for his actions of making racial remarks over a telephone conversation. In a digital revolution, there is a blurry line between what is considered public and what is considered private. This is because private conversations that touch on public concerns can spread trough social media in a rapid sense. Players of the NBA team should share the right of either voting for the stay or retirement of the owner. Notable reasons explain this decision. To begin with, it is essential to highlight that the players receive direct impact out of their seniors’ decisions and behavior. In case of reckless behavior, the NBA players suffer the fate of risky decisions. For instance, a racist Sterling may ensure that a certain race retains the major part of the decision-making process in LA Clippers. Decisions that follow a racist line risks the future of NBA players. In addition, the players should vote because they have considerable history with the team owner. In a great sense, the players may know the other side of Sterling that the public does not know. This may lead towards rational voting that does not rely on one-sided perception of the matter. Besides, the public should pay attention to the feeling of the black players who received the racist comments directly. It is arguable that the context under which Sterling grew up could excuse his actions (Bruinius 1). For instance, Sterling grew up in an age whereby racism was a normalized affair. He grew a time whereby the whites had succeeded in the American socio-economic landscape than the blacks. In turn, he would have internalized these images. In addition, it is arguable that his removal will financially devastate the LA Clippers team (Wood 1). Sterling, however, deserves limited excuse because he also witnessed the struggle gains’ the racism. In addition, the team could be sold to another party who can still manage LA Clippers to stardom (Velasco 1). Indeed, Sterling should be compelled to sell his team. This is because of the racist comments that he made in private telephone conversations. Since he is a major stakeholder in the NBA, the public has an entitlement to be concerned of his past treatment of minority racial groups. His racist comments manifest a suppressed bias towards the large group of black players. In spite of the privacy of his conversations, the recorded telephone exchanges are valid pieces of evidence for prosecuting Sterling. The players also share the entitlement of participating in the voting that determines whether he stays in the NBA. Works cited Bruinius, Harry. "Donald Sterling comments: Is racism hiding in plain sight?." Christian Science Monitor, 28 Apr. 2014. Web. 15 May 2014. Jesse, Washington. "Racist views, not actions, exiled Donald Sterling from NBA." Guelph Mercury (ON), 01 May 2014. Web. 15 May 2014. Knickerbocker, Brad. "Clippers owner Donald Sterling: I am not a racist." Christian Science Monitor, 27 Apr. 2014. Web. 15 May 2014. Velasco, Schuyler. "Should Donald Sterling give up Clippers? Magic Johnson could step in." Christian Science Monitor, 28 Apr. 2014. Web. 15 May 2014. Wood, Daniel B. "Donald Sterling: Will it be hard to force him out of NBA?." Christian Science Monitor, 29 Apr. 2014. Web. 29 May 2014. Read More