The clip that sank Sterling

摘要

For someone who says he dislikes the company of African-Americans, owning a basketball team is an odd choice of occupation. It is also odd that Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, would share his racist views with a young female friend, V. Stiviano, who is black. Yet on a tape leaked to the media on April 25th, Mr Sterling can be heard asking Ms Stiviano (pictured) to stop bringing black guests to Clippers games and posting photos of herself with blackpeople online. The tape unleashed an uproar. Barack Obama condemned Mr Sterling, as did more or less every American with a microphone. Corporate sponsors dropped the Clippers like a flaming porcupine. The players' union warned the National Basketball Association (nba) that its members would boycott playoff games if they were unsatisfied with Mr Sterling's punishment.