How the Sterling Affair Changed the NBA Forever
Five years ago, one of the biggest stories in all of basketball was the story of then Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling. Tapes had come out of Sterling making racist comments to his mistress, which threw the whole league into disarray.
Today, the effects of the event are seen in both media as well as the NBA. When the tapes were released, this was the first time that TMZ had really made an appearance in major news. With this big scandal that they released to the public, it truly pushed them up into the one of the biggest spots for celebrity and entertainment news.
The NBA as a whole was impacted greatly by this event. It was the first time that something this major had occurred with an owner of a team, and commissioner Adam Silver and the other team owners had to decide on what to do for such an event. Silver eventually decided on a fine, as well as banning Sterling for life from the NBA and from any of the games. Below is the press conference of Adam Silver announcing the punishment given to Donald Sterling.
From this event also came another aspect that focused on the players. Players today are much more likely to speak out on things that they disagree on. They are becoming more active in current events, and the event with Sterling was the spark that began all of that. With such an awful event like this, I believe its good to focus on this plus that came out of it. People used to say that sports and politics don't mix, but now more than ever they do. Players should have the right to speak out when someone does something they don't agree on, just like everyone else has the right to do that as well. It truly sparked a new era in the NBA where players are free to speak their mind and fight for their rights and what they believe in.
You can read more on the Donald Sterling saga here:
Today, the effects of the event are seen in both media as well as the NBA. When the tapes were released, this was the first time that TMZ had really made an appearance in major news. With this big scandal that they released to the public, it truly pushed them up into the one of the biggest spots for celebrity and entertainment news.
The NBA as a whole was impacted greatly by this event. It was the first time that something this major had occurred with an owner of a team, and commissioner Adam Silver and the other team owners had to decide on what to do for such an event. Silver eventually decided on a fine, as well as banning Sterling for life from the NBA and from any of the games. Below is the press conference of Adam Silver announcing the punishment given to Donald Sterling.
From this event also came another aspect that focused on the players. Players today are much more likely to speak out on things that they disagree on. They are becoming more active in current events, and the event with Sterling was the spark that began all of that. With such an awful event like this, I believe its good to focus on this plus that came out of it. People used to say that sports and politics don't mix, but now more than ever they do. Players should have the right to speak out when someone does something they don't agree on, just like everyone else has the right to do that as well. It truly sparked a new era in the NBA where players are free to speak their mind and fight for their rights and what they believe in.
You can read more on the Donald Sterling saga here:
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