The Sterling incident: Racism rears ugly face

There is much for Filipinos to learn from the recent racist revelations of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling.

The first is a leadership lesson. Sports leaders, and leaders in general, can learn from the decisiveness of the NBA.

The decision of commissioner Adam Silver to ban and fine Sterling and move toward totally removing the owner from the league sends a strong message that the NBA will not tolerate any form of racism.

There were no short-term punishments and in whatever is left in Sterling’s life, none of it will be spent watching or participating in NBA activities.

Silver met head-on the first crisis of his young administration. Years of working alongside David Stern undoubtedly gave him an insider’s view of how issues must be taken by the horns. Swift, decisive and even encompassing measures must be enforced after due diligence and investigations are done.

The second lesson is that the integrity and decency of a league should never be compromised.

Racism has no place in sports and in life. Although so much has already been accomplished for better relations and fair treatment between majority groups and minorities, there are still some weeds of hatred and misunderstanding that remain embedded in different forms.

Let us hope this Sterling incident serves as a firm reminder that racism must be uprooted.

Sterling revealed his sentiments about African-Americans in a conversation with his girlfriend. The taping of that “private” exchange is a controversial issue and matters of privacy have been raised as well.

Nevertheless, the tape aired on the entertainment network TMZ unveiled an NBA owner—with a team that is predominantly African-American in a league that is equally so—who is actually racist.

Sterling revealed his racist sentiments often in subtle and blatant ways long before the taped conversation was leaked.

Bill Simmons, author of The Basketball Book and Editor in Chief of the Grantland site, said in his online column that Sterling once brought people to the Clippers locker room to admire “the beautiful bodies” of the players.

If you think that was honest appreciation, look again. Simmons revealed that it sounded like Sterling was putting racehorses on display.

The third lesson is actually an opportunity for reflection: Should we in the Philippines be affected or concerned by this issue? Do we have our own racist tendencies that must be corrected? Do we marginalize against men and women, minorities, genders, regional or ethnic differences? Are these tendencies masked as everyday jokes and jibes?