BY PAMELA RONGAVILLA

Recently, the Clippers owner Donald Sterling was caught on an audio recording by his girlfriend saying to not “bring black people to games.” This offensive racism was very disturbing and quickly became a huge concern of many within the NBA. With more than half of the Clippers’ players, and a large number of staff and fans being African American, it was not very logical for the owner himself to say. It is also very unfortunate that this scandal had to occur while the Clippers are making a playoff run, because it shined such a negative light on the organization, when it is really only the owner that is the problem. “I would like to reiterate how disappointed I am in the comments attributed to and I can’t even begin to tell you how upset I am and our players are,” said head coach Doc Rivers in a press release on behalf of the organization. The issue was dealt with by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on April 29 in a press conference, fining Sterling the maximum $2.5 million, banning him from any NBA games, practices, Clippers facilities, or offices for life. He will also try to force Sterling to sell the team. The funds will be donated to charitable organizations dedicated to anti-discrimination and tolerance efforts and these are fitting punishments. The commissioner made the right choice and his decision made a huge impact throughout the whole NBA.

Aside from all the horrible racism, it was amazing to see how Clippers and many other NBA Teams silently protested. Many teams had worn black accessories such as black socks, arm sleeves, and wristbands to show their support. Some teams, like the Clippers and Miami Heat, also wore their warm up shirts inside out to show how they were against Donald Sterling’s racist views. Also, on Twitter, different teams created “We Are One” black and white pictures with their logo to show their support for the Clippers players and organization. It is amazing to see how such a negative issue can create such powerful unity throughout the NBA, not only of teams, but of fans as well. I think that this issue made people everywhere realize that racism is still very relevant nowadays and it is often made fun of or ignored, but the NBA handled it very seriously, showing that racism shouldn’t and isn’t going to be tolerated.