Lesson or two for IPL from Sterling episode

The US basketball league on Tuesday banned a team owner whose racist remarks had set off a national firestorm with even the President weighing in on it from his Asia tour.

The US basketball league on Tuesday banned a team owner whose racist remarks had set off a national firestorm with even the President weighing in on it from his Asia tour.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has banned Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life, fined him $2.5 million (Rs 15.1 crore) and said it will force him to sell the team. All this happened within four days of publication of the remarks.

In contrast
Contrast this to the snail-paced IPL response to the allegations of spot-fixing involving Chennai Super King officials, which forced the Supreme Court to intervene.

The IPL may like to follow this NBA case closely. “The views expressed by Mr Sterling are deeply offensive and harmful,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver, “that they came from an NBA owner heightens … my personal outrage.”

“Accordingly, effective immediately, I am banning Mr Sterling for life, from any association with the Clippers organisation or the NBA. Mr Sterling may not attend any NBA games or practices, he may not be present at any Clippers facility and he may not participate in any business or player personnel decisions involving the team.”

Team owners have been punished before by the league, but this is the first time an owner will be forced to give up his team, if the NBA succeeds in pushing it through.

In the audio recording, Sterling is heard telling his-then girlfriend not to post pictures of herself with “black” people on Instagram and not to bring them to Clippers’ games.

The remarks set off a national outrage after gossip website TMZ posted them last weekend. President Barack Obama called them “incredibly offensive racist statements”.

Basketball great Magic Johnson, who was referenced by Sterling in his racist rant, said in a statement, “He (Sterling) shouldn’t own a team anymore.”

He probably won’t. The franchise, which Sterling bought in 1981 for $12.5 million (`75.6 crore) is now said to be worth $500 million (`3016 crore) or even a billion.

Sterling, who made his fortune in the real estate business, has a history of discrimination. A former employee accused him of having a “racist attitude” in 2009. The same year, Sterling settled a housing suit brought against by the justice department accusing him of discriminating against African Americans, Latinos and families with children.

Deal reinstated
Berlin: German sportswear firm Adidas has reinstated its partnership with the Clippers after the NBA banned its owner. “As a long-term partner of the NBA, we are proud that the commissioner is taking serious action to ensure prejudice is not tolerated in the game,” Adidas stated.