the bait is not worth taking
what I think
So, with that said…
Yeah, Donald Sterling is about as big a racist as they come without violence, spitting in people's faces and the like.
I can't find it in me to be outraged about what he's said, though. I see it as him putting out the stuff he's been shamed to keep in (more or less, given his fairly extensive history of public racism) for years.
Shouting him down at this point doesn't change his fundamental beliefs; if anything, like Mr. Bundy, he'll just double down, and it'll give him more pretexts for playing the victim card (and he will play it).
Saying that Sterling shouldn't make racist comments might make people feel more comfortable, but ultimately it's just a half-measure. I'm not convinced that his mind can be changed at this point in his life: he's going to continue to think that all black people are “less than,” and no amount of public backlash is going to make even the slightest dent.
But: know what? I'm okay with that. I know what he thinks of me as a black man, and I'm under no obligation to prove myself to him, or even interact with him at all.
No connection required.
It's not like I have Clippers season tickets anyway.
Will I be disappointed if the NBA can't do anything about him? Certainly, but I can't say I'll be surprised either. He's owned the Clippers since 1981, and the league hasn't seen fit to do anything about his overt racism in thirty-three years; now their hands are likely tied, short of a hostile takeover, which probably wouldn't stand up to legal scrutiny (because there will be lawsuits).
All of that is mildly unpleasant at best, but it's times like these where remembering the Serenity prayer can help.