Could the answer in getting rid of Sterling lay in The Nation?
by clippersince94 on Mar 10, 2010 4:23 PM PST
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I don't know if my frustration is blinding me from reality, but I feel strongly that we can make history by getting rid of our owner. How do we do this? Boycott. I heard people suggest this before, but this really needs to be taking seriously. I won't waste everyone's time in explaining why it needs to happen (google Donald Sterling if your really that uninformed), but this is a perfect time to do it. Just imagine the hit if at least 60 to 70% of Clipper fans refuse to buy tickets, refuse to renew season tickets, refuse to buy jerseys and other memorabilia. Now imagine it catching on and eventually becoming 90 to 100% of Clipper fans. The players will be fine. Actually they would love it. They would not only continue to get paid, but also be delighted at any possibility of Sterling stepping down. The media would jump all over it, digging up all of Sterling failures and dirt over the years, and doing it on a daily bases. We would not only have the attention of the whole sports world, but more importantly the support of the sports world, as they would realized the historic potential of our boycott. The financial hit and the constant public humiliation would force Sterling to sell while the team still has value. Imagine every Clipper game with a !0% attendance rate, at that point I feel that even Stern would be forced to step in. Lastly we could still be true fans by following the team on TV, as not watching would not hurt Sterling at all. Because he just recently made an agreement with Fox through 2016, he will get paid annually regardless if we watch or not. The key would be tickets and merchandise. What say you Nation? I'm I crazy or on to something?
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Marge Schott.
I, for one, will no longer monetarily support the team. However, there will be a new coach, a new GM, Sterling will try to lure the big name free agents and the base will return – no matter what happens.
One team already this year announced a 30% reduction is the price of season tickets, was it NJ or Min? I don’t recall. Anyhow, don’t expect anything like that here.
I realized the major change which is about to happen
in the organization with free agents and what have you, which is why this would work perfectly now into next season no matter who we end up getting. It would hit Sterling at the perfect time, as he is now banking on his “new start” approach again to lure fans into supporting his team. First lets make this clear, we are not getting Lebron. If we get Lebron, I will go on record in saying that we can forget the boycott and continue supporting Sterling’s investment just as we always have. But, we’re not getting him, and this is the same thing that Sterling has been doing to fan for years. Building our hopes with the potential of a new beginning, but it never happens how it needs to. He now has us right where he wants us, salivating at the potential of a major free agent, a prized rookie, new coach, and now new GM. But it will be the same old outcome as long as Sterling is the team owner. Sorry, just really passionate about seeing Sterling go.
The problem I see here, while everyone is looking forward to a new
beginning, is now Sterling will have actual results to compare. I can imagine him with his little ledger (ala Scrooge), “this is what happened when I was cheap and turned coaches and players over, I made this amount” vs. “this is what happened when I committed to a coach for 5 years, paid big bucks in free agency, the team still sucks, and I made xx amount.”
I think he’ll do whatever nets him the most money, and I honestly don’t know which one comes out on top.
fear
i fear that if DTS no longer owns the team someone else might try to move them, seattle lost a franchise and many other teams and sports have with ownership change, so my fear is if dts is out there is a possibility of them moving
Bingo!
Everybody wants Sterling to sell at any cost, but what happens if somebody from out of town is the one who is willing to make the purchase. Then the Clippers end up in Seattle, Kansas City, etc. How many Clipper Fans would stick by the team then? People have to be careful of what they ask for.
The best solution would be for an actual fan, or someone who has ties to Los Angeles or a desire to actually keep the team in Southern California. The Supersonics were in Seattle longer than we have been in LA, and they had much more success. Their fans have either followed the Blazers, continued to support the Thunder (mainly younger and/or international fans), support no teams or have given up on the sport completely.
I personally wouldn’t be looking to support a team in some other state. I’m not ever going to become a Laker fan. The only way that would happen is if I had a son who played for them, and I’d mainly just be rooting for him.
I have no problem with Sterling selling the team, but that is only if the team is guaranteed to stay in Southern California. If not, then I’d rather just stick it out like I have been.
by Lawler 4ever on Mar 10, 2010 8:15 PM PST up reply actions
I've said before, his wife will end up with control
of the team and move it to the middle of nowhere, where they will promptly win 3 championships in a row.
Point taking....
You see I’m a fan of the franchise. Buffalo, San Diego, or Los Angeles I’m still a fan of the franchise. I’m not from, nor ever lived in LA. With me, the decision of cheering for a team depends on more than location, though it plays a part of the equation.
With that said, I understand that the high majority of sport fans cheer for teams based on location. So I can understand and respect your fear of a new owner moving the team.
Re post of mine: What has Donald Sterling done wrong-- AS A BASKETBALL OWNER-- since 05- 06 season
I say nothing. I know that people always bring up DTS and his real estate deals but, how does that make him a bad BASKETBALL owner, It doesn’t. In recent years, he has spent money on FA, gave MDSr. a contract—- that he deserved after the success, built a training center, allowed for trades [that made the team better (financial or otherwise)], and has publicly said that he wants to win now— and is willing to pay for it.
It is funny how winning seems to over shadow the short comings of athletes and their owners with respect to their personal lives. Jerry Buss sleeps with young girls (good for him) but still a little gross, Jerry Buss drove drunk and got a DUI, Jerry Buss is a gamble aholic, but he wins. Kobe is over looked because he make shots at the end of games, however, he probably forced himself on a little white girl in Denver and got away with it. The fact does remain that he cheats and is an adulter—- but he makes shots.
The bottom line is nobody is perfect and without their own faults. I think DTS is not as racist as he is made out to be. The last case against him was settled out of court by the insurance company—- that was not the choice of DTS. He bought a basketball team and the last time I checked—- even during the time of purchase—- the players are mostly black. He kept an incompetent and horrible GM in Elgin Baylor for all those years and after he is fired, Elgin decides to make a big deal out of it. BS! Sterling did him a favor keeping him on that long. The hundreds of thousands of dollars he received—- with Elgin’s track record—- was way too much to pay.
The next 6 months are going to really determine the true colors of this franchise. They have NEVER been in a situation, this promising before. If they go the cheap route and sign sub par players, hire a cheap inexperienced coach, and make no effort to WIN NOW, then I will join the I hate DTS band wagon. Then, at that time, people can talk all the trash they want about DTS because he is a bad BASKETBALL owner. Until then
GO CLIPS!
by ChrisS.Oaks on Mar 11, 2010 12:25 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
As I always say...
everyone is entitled to their opinion. However, Im gonna have to strongly disagree.
I’m not here to judge anybody, especially someone who is simply providing entertainment. But too far is too far. This isn’t a one occurence thing with Sterling, this is a continuous string of events that can be seen here for example.
We’re not just talking about things that are morally wrong, we’re talking about things that also have a direct baring on the future of our team.
I strongly disagree with the player comparison. I’m not defending any of their actions, whether proven are not, but these guys get tarred and feathered for bad decisions that the everyday person make on a daily bases (see Tiger). Whereas, Sterling never answers to anybody. Did we ever witness a press conference with a sobbing apologetic Sterling? Did we ever hear anything remotely close to an apology from Sterling for any of his actions, past or present? He is the NBA’s Nixon. DUIs, one or two allegations of sexual foul play, sure that wouldn’t be great, but something you could kind of chalk off as poor decision making or false accusations. But not Sterling. Anyone who takes the time to examine this man’s history knows that he is bad news.
With all that said, the point is there is plenty of bad people out there. Just the facts of life. So yes , many players, coaches, owners, etc do have some skeletons in their closets. The problem here is this man’s skeletons has a direct correlation with his team’s success. Btw, the whole “he spends money now” argument is not valid enough for me. We’re applauding him for what an owner should do. What he should have been doing. He’s not doing anything out of the ordinary. In my eyes, he is still falling short of what a good owner should be, giving the state of this franchise (see Dunleavy firing [not the decision, but the way in which it was done]).
Its like a child who is not only failing all their classes, but also misbehaving to the point of getting kick out of class and school everyday. Well, with all the complaining he finally behaves enough to stay in class, and we’re singing his prasises has he continues to fail his way out of school. And that my fellow citizens is Sterling.
by clippersince94 on Mar 12, 2010 8:26 AM PST up reply actions
i agree, well written. But, still my question is, What as an owner has he done wrong BASKETBALL wise since 05 06?
What decisions has DTS himself made that have been so bad, that it lead to a losing team. Please don’t answer with, it is what he hasn’t done either? I don’t care about the way he fired Elgin or Dunleavy either.
I do agree about it is what he should do— but that remains to be seen.
by ChrisS.Oaks on Mar 12, 2010 12:17 PM PST up reply actions
Going to have to wait for DTS to kick the bucket
during the boom he turned down a reported BILLION dollars for the franchise.
Bill Simmons swears by it in his latest column.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/part1/100312
FA in 2010.
Overthrowing Sterling
I think it could be done, but I don’t think Clipper Nation could do it. It would take a multi-year effort, requiring commitment, coordination and unity of purpose. Just not buying tickets and watching on TV wouldn’t be enough.
Aside from the off-court stuff, I think the problem with Sterling is he just doesn’t have a winning mentality. Teams that win consistently don’t tank to get a better draft pick, or to get favorable position in the playoffs. Losing is Never OK. Never! I wasn’t sorry to see Dunleavy go, but firing him at halftime without even telling him first was about as bush-league as it gets. Typical Sterling, typical Clipper Circus. Also, the off-court stuff is basketball-related if it causes free-agents not to want to play for the team. Or causes them to want to jerk the team around so they renounce players and clear cap space, only not to sign when the time comes.
As I look at certain Clipper fan forums – one forum in particular comes to mind (not this one) – I just don’t see anything like the kind of unified fan base that could pull such a thing off.
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