Could the market have been even more powerful?

Matt Dale is a friend of Fansmanship and has been a podcast guest in the past. Today, he had a semi-unique perspective on the Donald Sterling fiasco:

Donald Sterling (center) probably won’t be the owner of the Clippers for much longer. By Cliffwildes (NBA event), via Wikimedia Commons

By: Matt Dale

Donald Sterling is a disgusting and vile racist. No question there — however Adam Silver and the NBA’s decision to remove him is a misguided attempt to cure an error of thoughts and beliefs.

A brief disclaimer – I am an avowed liberal and proud Democrat and I believe that Silver and the NBA owners are wrong.

To remove an owner, basically what’s happening, for private thoughts and speech is a clear violation of our American liberal capitalist beliefs and system. Sterling’s feelings on these issues are not news to anyone around the league.

At this point the league is deciding what thoughts are okay and which are not. To this point – Mark Jackson is an outspoken critic of gay marriage. Does he get to keep his job? And who gets to decide: Adam Silver, the individual players or the fans?

Moving beyond the issue of racism, and to continue with the Jackson situation, has the league now begun legislating thoughts? Has Mark Cuban ever used a homosexual slur? What about the other league owners?

My suggestion: let the markets decide. If players, sponsors and fans want to be aligned with a racist – let it be known through their continued association. Should any of these groups disagree – simply refuse to be associated with this team and man. He will feel the pain both competitively and economically very soon.

Sterling’s bottom line, and more importantly, his social status will suffer and rightly so. In a league that is at its heart a business, this should be enough to right any wrongs.