The Ethics Cloud Over Ballmer's $2 Billion B-Ball Buy

theodp (442580) writes '"It is hard to imagine any more heinous way of earning money than by benefiting from racism," writes Rick Cohen, who argues that Donald Sterling and the NBA owners are being unjustly enriched by Sterling's racism, which led to the $2 billion sale of the L.A. Clippers to ex-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, a record-high sum for an NBA team. "Indeed, the only losers in the Sterling affair are the players," adds the NY Times. "What held promise as a possible D-Day in the N.B.A., a day when N.B.A. owners stood up to be counted and voted Donald Sterling out of the league, instead turned into a great day for the status quo." Forbes contributor Robert Wood speculates that if he plays his cards right, Sterling's windfall could be tax-free.'

Re:Racism or Thought Police?

[Anonymous Coward]

What happened to Sterling is the exact same thing as someone going into your house, reading your diary, and then getting offended at the content. And then trying to get you fired from your job over it.

Re:pishaw

[Anonymous Coward]

If you don't live for yourself then you live for others. Living for others makes you a slave.

Re:Racism or Thought Police?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, but that is NOT why the team was sold, and in fact, had nothing at all to do with it. His ONLY crime was being recorded in a private conversation without his knowledge or consent. You're correct, it doesn't matter what you think about his personal opinions, but they are just that, his personal opinions which he was purposely baited into revealing.
If you're going to hold everyone to the same standard, which we should, have you ever said a negative thing about anyone to a close personal friend, in private, and had that friend secretly record you, where that view was not the popular view? If so, we should all be able to march into your life and take whatever we want without any compensation to you, because we don't agree with your view.

Re:Racism or Thought Police?

[blackraven14250]

The definition of "ownership" when it comes to sports franchises varies, but basically Sterling doesn't own anything. According to the NBA's constitution, he doesn't even really own so much as the name - if the NBA terminates his ownership, the NBA immediately takes over the team and all its' assets (and has to provide the market value from the sale or liquidation of those assets). The NBA is structured more like a club, where when you join, you get a name under which you can conduct business, and have to share a bit of the profit with the club, and have to follow an extremely detailed set of rules on how to conduct that business.

Re:pishaw

[kaatochacha]

Selfishness is a negative, by definition.
Self-interest, however...that's a whole different kettle of fish. Self-Interest is a universal law, like gravity.
As long as you understand it, you can moderate/use it.