Last updated on May 2nd, 2014 at 12:28 am
On Tuesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life from the league. This was in response to racist comments made by Sterling that were caught on tape by his then-girlfriend, V. Stiviano. Sterling is not allowed to have any association with the team or the league, and it is widely expected that the league’s Board of Governors will force Sterling to sell his interest in the franchise he’s owned since 1981.
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
Around the league and the country, the lifetime suspension was met with relief and a certain sense of gratification, as Sterling’s long history of racism and discrimination was finally punished. However, there are a few conservative voices that have popped up that feel that Sterling got a raw deal or that he was even set up by others. Prior to the NBA announcing Sterling’s punishment, both Donald Trump and Rush Limbaugh essentially defended Sterling. After the suspension was handed down, we saw not only Limbaugh jump into conspiracy theory territory, but other prominent right-wing voices.
From The Rush Limbaugh Show on Tuesday:
RUSH: All right. Well, this is a fascinating theory. This is a fascinating theory. And, Neil, I’m glad that you held on through the break so I could dig deep, explore further. I really… You know, you got it. I really appreciate that you’re in the audience, and I’m taking under close advisement your requests that I don’t cross the line so I stay here and entertain you every day, and not give them a chance to take me out.
I appreciate that. I really do. But you’re on a tear. This is fascinating. So here. Let me sum up Neil’s theory. Sterling’s 81 and has dementia. By the actuarial tables, he’s gonna die sooner than later. The NAALCP and all the charities have gotten as much money out of the guy as you’re gonna get. They bled him dry. He’s had to pay for all of his past transgressions.
He’s paid up. He’s donated here and he’s donated there to cover things up, and now it’s time to get his team. So they get this groupie to go in there and become his sugar baby. She’s got this tape recorder, and her story is that he asked her to tape him because his memory’s failing and he thinks he says brilliant things and he wants to be able to remember ’em.
In truth, the whole thing is a setup ’cause this is a groupie. This babe knows all kinds of athletes. She hangs around with Dodgers players. She’s in a picture with Magic Johnson. That’s what ticked the guy off, don’t forget. That’s what ticked-him off: She’s in a picture with Magic. So now they bled the stone dry. He’s donated as much as they’re gonna get. They want to get the team before he can bequeath it to his family, and he’s being set up.
Jumping on board the ‘Sterling was set up so Magic Johnson could buy the team’ theory was Patrick Howley of The Daily Caller:
Question for @MagicJohnson: Did you in any way help V. Stiviano leak Sterling tape to TMZ?
— Patrick Howley (@PatrickHowleyDC) April 29, 2014
Stiviano denies leaking tape to TMZ. So who did? Wife said she thought parts were cut out (how would she know?) Magic, meanwhile, wants team — Patrick Howley (@PatrickHowleyDC) April 29, 2014
Magic’s possible role in leaking tape should be explored but @tmz can’t give up source MSM can’t go after Democrat. We on outside should dig
— Patrick Howley (@PatrickHowleyDC) April 29, 2014
Magic Johnson jumping on Clippers acquisition much like he jumped on Dodgers sale after MLB intervened re: McCourt. http://t.co/ppeNwv6wxp — Patrick Howley (@PatrickHowleyDC) April 29, 2014
Magic Johnson needs to be asked about possible role in leaking tape to TMZ before NBA approves sale. Sterling a bad man but questions linger
— Patrick Howley (@PatrickHowleyDC) April 29, 2014
Now, in case anybody thought he was a ‘defender’ of Sterling, Howley made sure to say that the NBA did the right thing, but that he was merely ‘asking questions’ about Magic’s involvement:
. @JD_Meadows @TMZ Sterling is a bad man and the NBA did the right thing. But why overlook an interesting component? — Patrick Howley (@PatrickHowleyDC) April 29, 2014
Besides some conservatives buying into the Sterling trutherism, we had others who utilized the decision to do some accusations of ‘double standards’ and perform some good ol’ race-baiting.
Freeze this moment, because @NBA will forget about it’s new “policy” after #DonaldSterling when the next star player gets himself in trouble
— Andrew Wilkow (@wilkowmajority) April 30, 2014
Translation: The NBA is going to look past NBA players’ transgressions because they are black and everyone has to kowtow to black people now in Obama’s America.
The narrative here from conservatives appears to be that you just can’t trust black people. Basically, blacks are out to screw over the white man anyway they can. In this instance, they are trying to use this story that a black man (Magic Johnson) took advantage of an old, possibly mentally-feeble white man (Donald Sterling) in order for the black man to get his hands on the white man’s property. Per the narrative, the white man has no chance when accused of racism and the black man will be able to sneak in and take what he wants.
Justin Baragona is the Managing Editor at Politicus Sports as well as Senior Editor at PoliticusUSA. He was a political writer for 411Mania.com before joining PoliticusUSA. Politically, Justin considers himself a liberal but also a realist and pragmatist. Currently, Justin lives in St. Louis, MO and is married. Besides writing, he also runs his own business after spending a number of years in the corporate world. You can follow Justin on Twitter either with his personal handle (@justinbaragona) or the Sports site’s (@PoliticusSports).
