April 26, 2014

Donald Sterling Remarks

An audio tape of former owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, Donald Sterling, made headlines when it revealed Sterling repeatedly making extremely racist comments in an attempt to deter his girlfriend from socializing with African-Americans. Sterling's words were not the only evidence of his racist proclivities. Federal prosecutors accused his rental company of refusing to lease Beverly Hills apartments to African-Americans and a group of tenants accused him of "numerous discriminatory statements and housing practices."

HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO STRUCTURAL RACISM?:

Even in an industry that many have called "dominated by African American athletes", a racial hierarchy persists. 98% of NBA team owners are white, while a majority of the players are black.

For more on the diversity within professional sports see, " Diversity in the NBA, NFL, and the MLB" .