OT-Sterling has prostate cancer
http://nypost.com/2014/05/01/disgraced-clippers-owner-donald-sterling-is-battling-cancer/
It's apparently been know for at least 2 years. Interesting (or not) that this gets "leaked" now. He's 80 years old and has prostate cancer. I obviously don't know anything about his staging, but he's probably more likely to die WITH it than BECAUSE of it. And my vote is, "No," having cancer does not get you off the hook for being a bad person.
a story about his son dieing over a year ago was recirculated on the web yesterday
Clear attempts at sympathy for our poor old rich racist billionaire
When you begin to hate or have no human sympathy for people who have given themselves over to hate and an unsympathetic life, you become what you despise.
"The vast majority of people his age have prostate cancer." Women don't get prostate cancer.
Also, mocking the dude for having cancer? That's low. Yes, he's a racist, but come on, he's not Hitler.
EDIT: Guh. Then I read below about even shittier things he's done, like not pay for his assistant coach to get treatment for prostate cancer. Why do you have to be so easy to hate, Sterling?
How can he be Hitler? He's Jewish.
Well, I said he's NOT Hitler. Anyway, it's known that some Nazis were at least half-Jewish. There was one high-ranking Nazi in particular that was half-Jewish but I forget who. Himmler?
@ypsituckyboy:
One can complain about the timing of media stories without necessarily being happy that Sterling has prostate cancer (which he's apparently had for a while.) The OP could be read as mocking the ostensible narrative that is being forwarded by news stories which are now publicizing said cancer.
I have sympathy. I actually feel sorry for Sterling, and what and who he is. But having sympathy and feeling sorry for someone does not mitigate what needs to happen. I pity Sterling, and even think he is a sacrificial scapegoat the NBA owners are offering up, when some are quite slimy themselves. This does not change the fact that he was properly banned for life, and that the team needs to be sold.
I'm with you, except for the part where he is a billionaire and a cheating prick. It's really, really hard to have any sympathy for people who have gone out of their way to amass so much fortune for themselves. There's nothing wrong with becoming a billionaire, just understand when others don't sympathize with other problems that may arise in your life.
It's also really hard to sympathize with guys who cheat on their wives.
Then there's that racism thing.
Oh, and that he made it to 80. That's the lottery ticket for his generation to reach that age.
Real, real hard to sympathize with this guy in any capacity.
is directed at the clear attempt to gain sympathy and make a racist asses comments be softened by his condition, and the clear attempt at making him seem human by recirculating his sons death story thats over a year old.
Cancer sucks, I've lost a very close loved one to cancer, but I would feel terrible about him if he used it to gain sympathy over something awful he had done in his past.
http://time.com/79590/donald-sterling-kareem-abdul-jabbar-racism/
"a lot has been revealed about Sterling’s business practices:
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2006: U.S. Dept. of Justice sued Sterling for housing discrimination. Allegedly, he said, “Black tenants smell and attract vermin.”
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2009: He reportedly paid $2.73 million in a Justice Dept. suit alleging he discriminated against blacks, Hispanics, and families with children in his rentals. (He also had to pay an additional nearly $5 million in attorneys fees and costs due to his counsel’s “sometimes outrageous conduct.”)
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2009: Clippers executive (and one of the greatest NBA players in history) sued for employment discrimination based on age and race.
...
"All this other stuff I listed above has been going on for years and this ridiculous conversation with his girlfriend is what puts you over the edge? That’s the smoking gun?
"He was discriminating against black and Hispanic families for years, preventing them from getting housing. It was public record. We did nothing. Suddenly he says he doesn’t want his girlfriend posing with Magic Johnson on Instagram and we bring out the torches and rope. Shouldn’t we have all called for his resignation back then?
"Shouldn’t we be equally angered by the fact that his private, intimate conversation was taped and then leaked to the media? Didn’t we just call to task the NSA for intruding into American citizen’s privacy in such an un-American way?
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"Make no mistake: Donald Sterling is the villain of this story. But he’s just a handmaiden to the bigger evil. In our quest for social justice, we shouldn’t lose sight that racism is the true enemy. He’s just another jerk with more money than brains.
"So, if we’re all going to be outraged, let’s be outraged that we weren’t more outraged when his racism was first evident.
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"Let’s use this tawdry incident to remind ourselves of the old saying: “Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.” Instead of being content to punish Sterling and go back to sleep, we need to be inspired to vigilantly seek out, expose, and eliminate racism at its first signs."
and the stats aren't much better at younger ages. My dad had it at 54.
The thing about prostate cancer is that most men over the age of 50 have at least some prostate cancer cells. Fortunately, most are never diagnosed with it and most prostate cancer is indolent and will never cause problems. But autopsy studies have been done and the resulting rule of thumb is that your age is also the percent likelihood that at least some prostate cancer cells can be found on autopsy. So an 80 year old is about 80% likely to have at least some cancerous cells.
That's why past a certain age, testing just doesn't make sense. Most don't die from it and the potential complications from treatment when it's found outweigh the benefit of treating it in the few cases where it would actually prolong life.
A looong time to die from prostate cancer.
Particularly in older patients, it tends to be very slow moving.
to know you aren't letting him off the hook. FInally someone with some conviction! This thread sucks, btw.
1) Having cancer doesn't make someone not a douche, or even LESS of a douche.
2) Being a douche doesn't mean it's good someone has cancer, or that it should be celebrated or viewed as divine retribution.
I am on the internet, and therefore cannot hold these two thoughts in my head at the same time. Since I read #1 first and agreed with it, that rules out #2.
This was actually in an ABC News segment this morning, and despite all that took place (and like most everyone else, I still think Sterling is a despicable person), you did find players such as Blake Griffin and Chris Paul offering sympathy and even Doc Rivers said that while he was unaware, he hoped that it was not true.
It's nice to see those guys take the high road.
"It wouldn't be the first time Sterling has made headlines over prostate issues.
In 2002, Sterling famously refused to pay for then-assistant coach Kim Hughes to have surgery for prostate cancer. The billionaire's reasoning was that if he made an exception for Hughes to have the $70,000 surgery, he'd have to make it for everyone.
Instead, four players chipped in to pay for the procedure."
(http://gawker.com/donald-sterling-may-have-cancer-1570674370)
If that's true, which is sounds like it is - that's one of the worst things I've ever heard. Good for the players for helping him out though. Sometimes I really hate people, but then I have to remind myself that most people in the world (at least IMHO) are good - it's just the bad ones seem to make the biggest waves.
Owners and senior executives do weigh the consequences that exceptions for one employee might have on the rest, or upon their expectation at the least. So I can understand why he chose not to pay the entire amount. But then again, he could have paid, half or a third, or done other things, but since he's a douche, guess not.
I don't wish death upon him, but at the same time I really have a hard time feeling bad for a man like this (taking into account his deplorable acts and behavior throughout the years). Karma man.
Do you know where Brian hid the bodies or something? Other than that, there is no justifiable reason for you to be here anymore.
What? Sure, Silver thought to himself, "This guys got cancer anyway. I'll take him down to make a name for myself." I'll bet he also had something to do with the CIA taking down the WTC.
...he'd still have a job?
You are by FAR the most ignorant, trolling, poster on this site. And not because of anything you've said in this thread...but because of everything you say, always.
How do you define "much longer"? Just because average life expectancy is less than 80 doesn't mean an 80 year old won't live much longer. The life expectancy of someone who is actually 80 is 90 years old. 10 years seems like a relatively long time to me.
Looks like the vocal small minority (/s) got their wish.
He gone.
To see which new profile he will create and keep on with his ways.
You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. You are completely and totally ignorant of this entire scenario yet you keep running your mouth.
This controversy threatened to derail the entire league. They had to get rid of him.
Per Bill Simmons:
Every single sponsor of the Clippers pulled out. Major NBA sponsors were threatening to pull out. The Clippers TV deal ran out at the end of this season and the new TV deal was reportedly going to be worth billions. The TV provider was threatening to not pick up the deal, which would essentially black out all non-national Clippers games in the LA area.
The players were going to wait until opening tip so that it would be live on national TV, and walk off the court after the ball was thrown up, in every single game had Silver not banned Sterling for life. All of the Clippers players were then going to bring lawsuits against the NBA and the Clippers in an effort to get out of their contracts, citing an unsafe/hostile work environment. Players were also threatening to boycott the league next year if he wasn't gone.
Sterling had to go.
Is the NBA sorry to see him leave? Absolutely not, but they've hated him for 30 years and haven't tried to force him out before.
This guy is such a terrible owner and an unrepentant piece of shit that you would have a strong case for booting him out even sans the racism.
He's 80. Prostate cancer grows very slowly, it probably won't kill him at this point, something else will. But if he isn't already incontinent, he probably will be in the near future.
So, sitting around in adult diapers, wondering why your girlfriend screwed you over, why your soon to be ex-wife had enough and is suing both you and your girlfriend, wondering why your son wasted his life away on drugs, why the old boy's club of the NBA kicked you out, why the Feds won't leave an honest to goodness slumlord alone... But hey, you're worth $1.9 billion, that's got to feel good, no?
Some other young lady with a need for cash will find her way to the old guy. LA never runs out of these types.
Ultimately, he will never learn, and judgement will be made after he expires.
We should pray for his health and well-being. We should also pray that he learns to love all human beings. It is very easy to pray for those we like or those we are friends with. I think it is just as important to pray for those with hate in their heart. My thoughts are with him.
... is a very slow killer. if you are 80 years old and were diagnosed only two years earlier you will likely die from some other cause. Prostate cancer is much more of a problem when you are diagnosed at 60.