Tommy Lasorda's mouth might have gotten him into some hot water. (USATSI)
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Last week, the NBA fined Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling $2.5 million and banned him from the league for making racist remarks. The conversation with V. Stiviano, Sterling's girlfriend, was recorded. She reportedly tried to extort money from him in exchange for the recording.
Longtime Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda has known Sterling for years and, according to CBS News, he told a Florida television station: "It doesn't surprise me that he said those things. And he shouldn't have said it."
That's the logical and diplomatic response to a question about the Sterling situation. Nothing controversial at all. After that though, Lasorda went off the rails. Here's what he had to say about Stiviano:
Based on his tone, Lasorda was not joking when he said, "I don't wish that girl any bad luck, but I hope she gets hit with a car."
That's not appriopriate at all. I get that Lasorda is 86 years old and comes from a very different time, but saying you hope someone gets hit by a car on television should be an obvious no-no.
Lasorda is an ambassador for both the Dodgers and MLB, and is one of the game's most beloved people. Something like this is a problem though. It's offensive and not something anyone should be saying, let alone someone in Lasorda's position. Let's hope the league takes some action.
For everything you need to know on the Donald Sterling situation, check out Eye on Basketball.
Basketball Hot News
Michael Jordan: ‘I considered myself a racist’
Michael Jordan, in Roland Lazenby’s, “Michael Jordan: The Life,” discussed his upbringing and his views on race as an elementary-school student. An excerpt (hat tip: Natalie Finn of E! Online):
Earlier that year, a girl at school called Michael a “nigger.”
“I threw a soda at her,” he recalled. “It was a very tough year. I was really rebelling. I considered myself a racist at that time. Basically, I was against all white people.”
I know where this is going: What’s the difference between Jordan and Donald Sterling?
For one, Jordan was a kid, someone with a narrow worldview due to lack of experience. Sterling’s hate comes despite a lifetime of opportunities to see the world differently.
Secondly, Jordan has changed. At that time, he was upset about the treatment his great grandfather – who had recently passed away – had received from whites throughout his life (Lazenby talked about that in his interview with PBT). Jordan’s anger was understandable, based on repeatedly seeing and hearing about whites establishing power over blacks and exercising it to do harm. Sterling came from a place of power, and he used it through housing discrimination and workplace harassment to keep minorities down.
In another excerpt from the book (full disclosure: I receive a free promotional copy), Jordan discussed the aftermath of that incident at school:
“The education came from my parents,” Jordan recalled. “You have to be able to say, OK, that happened back then. Now let’s take it from here and see what happens. it would be very easy to hate people for the rest of your life, and some people have done that. You’ve got to deal with what’s happening now and try to make things better.”
Jordan’s grade-school attitude wasn’t healthy. Jordan the adult knows that, and that’s what matters.
Nobody is perfect, but we should all try to learn and be better. Jordan did.
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