Where is the outrage?

[mjs34]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2014/06/07/grizzlies-johnson-arrested-for-domestic-assault/10167633/

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me!

Seems apparent that this no longer holds true. How come Lebron hasn't come out and demanded Johnson be banned from the league? Isn't that what league leaders are supposed to do?

Why hasn't Silver made a statement banning Johnson for life?

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Exactly. Yet Sterling's private conversation gets exposed and he's banned for life, forced to sell his property. Ridiculous.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I assume your post is intended to point out how the league handles differently the actions of players and those of owners. Johnson is arrested for assault and the league is silent, Sterling makes racist comments and gets a lifetime ban. I agree with you that while both actions are despicable, domestic assault is more heinous than a racist comment. But I think it doesn't make sense to conflate the two actions. Professional leagues know that a subset of its players is going to have trouble with the law, and generally league brass doesn't find it their responsibility to dole out the punishment...that is left up to the authorities, or the team if they believe the actions are harmful to the team.

But Sterling's words are a different story. The NBA is an organization in which an ownership that is primarily white employs a workforce that is primarily black. When one of the white guys makes comments like Sterling's, it threatens the delicate balance implicit in the racial profile of the league, and the league cannot allow this to happen. Silver needed to act promptly, and he did...and the players were pleased.

Which action is worse? Certainly Johnson's (assuming allegations are true), although I certainly don't condone Sterling's words. But which action was potentially more damaging to the NBA? Unquestionably Sterling's.

[mjs34]

I assume your post is intended to point out how the league handles differently the actions of players and those of owners. Johnson is arrested for assault and the league is silent, Sterling makes racist comments and gets a lifetime ban. I agree with you that while both actions are despicable, domestic assault is more heinous than a racist comment. But I think it doesn't make sense to conflate the two actions. Professional leagues know that a subset of its players is going to have trouble with the law, and generally league brass doesn't find it their responsibility to dole out the punishment...that is left up to the authorities, or the team if they believe the actions are harmful to the team.

But Sterling's words are a different story. The NBA is an organization in which an ownership that is primarily white employs a workforce that is primarily black. When one of the white guys makes comments like Sterling's, it threatens the delicate balance implicit in the racial profile of the league, and the league cannot allow this to happen. Silver needed to act promptly, and he did...and the players were pleased.

Which action is worse? Certainly Johnson's (assuming allegations are true), although I certainly don't condone Sterling's words. But which action was potentially more damaging to the NBA? Unquestionably Sterling's.

I'm calling BS!

The bolded part of your statement is racist. Basically you're making the argument that if a black owner made those comments about white people, it would be OK. I also found it funny that you said "assuming allegations are true", because I don't remember any players taking that same stance and giving Sterling his due process.

Sterling made racist comments on many occasions way before this tape surfaced, and had they investigated those incidents, they would have found it to be true.

Chris Paul signed on for 5 more years with a racist owner, who was sued by one of the marquee names in the NBA in Elgin Baylor only a few years earlier. Apparently, that wasn't a concern while Paul was getting paid, or when Doc signed on last season.

So from LeBron's perspective, it is OK for a guy to choke a woman because he is in the small percentage of players in the league? Murderer's are in a small percentage of society as well, so we should give them a pass?

It's this type of thinking that creates the problem. I am sick and tired of this whole "using the race card when it suits me" crap.

[BloopOracle]

Disregarding Sterling would have cost the league millions in lost revenue by boycotts and public outrage, this story won't. If this was racial related they would have gone after Sterling a long time ago. It's about money and it always will be.

[kms789 [enjin:6694798]]

Just to be clear...first LeBron is the reason the NBA sucks because Lance Stephenson blew in his ear. Now you're personally calling him out for not responding to James Johnson domestic abuse charges.

I'm not sure what LeBron did to you, but the fixation on him is pretty weird.

[mjs34]

Just to be clear...first LeBron is the reason the NBA sucks because Lance Stephenson blew in his ear. Now you're personally calling him out for not responding to James Johnson domestic abuse charges.

I'm not sure what LeBron did to you, but the fixation on him is pretty weird.

Sorry if you think I am attacking your hero, but he was pretty quick to call out Sterling before they even verified his voice on the PRIVATE TAPE. Just wondering where that quick trigger is when it is one of his own.

[mrhockey89]

I see both sides of this issue and I think there's reasons that Sterling should and reasons he shouldn't be thrown out. It was a pretty dumb comment of him given that his team and league are mostly black though which begs the question of why own a NBA team is those are your beliefs.

With that said... I don't think the outrage would have been sparked at the same level if it were a black owner saying that about white people, nor do I think there's a chance that LeBron would have come out and made taken the stance he did had the situation been reversed. And that's really what is what ticks me off about the issue.

[kms789 [enjin:6694798]]

Just to be clear...first LeBron is the reason the NBA sucks because Lance Stephenson blew in his ear. Now you're personally calling him out for not responding to James Johnson domestic abuse charges.

I'm not sure what LeBron did to you, but the fixation on him is pretty weird.

Sorry if you think I am attacking your hero, but he was pretty quick to call out Sterling before they even verified his voice on the PRIVATE TAPE. Just wondering where that quick trigger is when it is one of his own.

Hundreds of current and former players spoke out against Sterling, including Kobe, Jordan, and of course Magic. Disagree if you want, but the fixation on just LeBron is weird.

[mjs34]

Just to be clear...first LeBron is the reason the NBA sucks because Lance Stephenson blew in his ear. Now you're personally calling him out for not responding to James Johnson domestic abuse charges.

I'm not sure what LeBron did to you, but the fixation on him is pretty weird.

Sorry if you think I am attacking your hero, but he was pretty quick to call out Sterling before they even verified his voice on the PRIVATE TAPE. Just wondering where that quick trigger is when it is one of his own.

Hundreds of current and former players spoke out against Sterling, including Kobe, Jordan, and of course Magic. Disagree if you want, but the fixation on just LeBron is weird.

First off, it isn't weird since Lebron is considered the face of the NBA players, but maybe the bolded part will help you understand.