Sophomore business major Ruben Arenaz spent his yesterday morning scrolling through Twitter. He sneaked in glances on his phone screen, anxious to see the NBA commissioner’s ruling on Clippers owner Donald Sterling.
Sterling, who found himself in the middle of a racism scandal over the weekend, was banned from the NBA for life and fined $2.5 million for his racist comments that surfaced over the weekend. In addition, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has also urged the NBA Board of Governors to force Sterling into selling the Clippers.
“I’m a Clippers fan and [Sterling’s comments] were really embarrassing,” Arenaz said. “I think the NBA made a good decision and it definitely showed the stance that the commissioner took.”
An audio recording of a private conversation between Sterling and his girlfriend Vanessa Stiviano were released on Saturday, where he chastised her for wanting to be seen with minorities and posting Instagram photos with African Americans, including former Los Angeles Laker Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
Similar to Arenaz, some Cal State Long Beach students also reacted to the NBA’s decision and found it to be an appropriate punishment.
“It’s 100 percent what they should have done,” said Anson Moye, a Long Beach State basketball player and freshman business major. “I thought it was a big problem — bigger than the Clippers. It is about the whole NBA.”
Moye said he also suggests the team continue to protest during this season’s playoff games, as it did when members wore their shirts inside out during practice and had matching black socks during Game 3. He also suggested that fans protest as well.
“I wanted [the Clippers] to sit out the whole season,” Moye said. “Basketball is not the only thing on their minds right now. Fans should also go and boycott the games or something. Hit [Sterling] right at the money.”
After the NBA renounced its professional relationship with Sterling, however, Arenaz said he feels that everyone involved is now put in an awkward situation.
“I just don’t know how the ban on Sterling is going to work out,” he said. “But by getting a new owner, I think the Clippers will be more pumped.”
Junior criminal justice major Sarah Ceja said she thinks the issue is actually more complicated than it seems.
“On the technical side, even though it’s awful and it’s not okay, I think there should have been some sort of middle ground,” she said. “As much as I disagree with what [Sterling] said, it doesn’t mean that he isn’t allowed to say what he wants to say. He has a right to free speech and we can’t just take that right away.”