Thoughts on Donald Sterling

If the TMZ reports are true, this man needs to go.

"Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops."

~Luke 12:3 ESV

One day in Korea, I was in the car with my uncle. I asked him if he would rather stay in Korea or America because he spent a significant amount of time in both countries. My uncle answered Korea because he has the comfort knowing he won't be discriminated by anyone there for his race.

I share this story in the wake of the alleged racist comments by Donald Sterling. Now, it's a TMZ report, so we're not 100% sure if it's right or not. They've released iffy reports before. Donald Sterling even came out saying he doesn't know if it's legit or not and it doesn't reflect his views towards blacks. It's certainly plausible that the voice could have been fabricated much like the whole Manti Te'o hoax. But then again, would he really come out publicly and admit the whole thing is true???

Suppose the whole exchange between Sterling and his girlfriend is fake. Then we move on and this blog post was a waste. Actually...either way, whether it's fake or not...

It doesn't change the fact that racism still exists in America

But if it's true, then as Ernie Johnson of Inside the NBA said perfectly, "If it's true and if it's him, there's no place in the league for Donald Sterling..."

When the initial reports came out. I just shook my head and said one word: Sad.
It's sad to see racism still alive in a country that is a blessing to live in. That promises its people equality.

Racism in professional sports isn't a new development. Recently it's happened before with Riley Cooper and Richie Incognito. The former remained with the team while the latter was cut.
In terms of dealing with an owner, what can you really do? Dealing with players seems more simple as you can just get rid of them. But what do you do with an owner who has so much wealth and power? Who owns a multi-million dollar franchise like the Clippers?

I feel sorry for my friends Coach Doc Rivers and Chris Paul that they have to work for a man that feels that way about African Americans.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 26, 2014

This will be a big test to new NBA commissioner Adam Silver. Charles Barkley and ProBasketballTalk proposed suspending/banning him for a period of time. In my opinion, Silver and the other owners of the NBA should force Sterling to sell the team immediately. But I'm not sure if they have that kind of power.
If only it were that simple...

I can't believe the NBA would let a potential scumbag like this run a team in a league that predominantly has African-American athletes. This isn't the first time where Sterling appeared as a pig-headed fool. In the past, he was sued by Elgin Baylor who claimed he was fired based on his race. According to him, Sterling said:

“...Donald said something that was very shocking to me. He said, ‘Personally, I would like to have a white Southern coach coaching poor black players. And I was shocked. And he looked at me and said, ‘Do you think that’s a racist statement?’ I said, ‘Absolutely. That’s plantation mentality.”

Baron Davis, who formerly played for the Clippers, voiced his own opinion via Twitter. When he played, he claims he was heckled and taunted by Donald Sterling courtside. 

That's the way it is...He is honest about what he believes in..Been going on for a long time, Hats off 2 the Team.. 4 playin above it all.
— Baron Davis (@Baron_Davis) April 26, 2014

All these actions alone (before the racist allegations) should tell you Donald Sterling deserves to be called one of the worst, if not the worst, owners in the NBA. After all these developments, shouldn't he feel the need to get out of this mess and sell the team?

I know my views can't represent what black people are feeling about this. But if there were a league where most of the players were Asian, and one team's owner goes out and makes racist remarks towards Asians, I'd be furious. And I'd bet African-Americans everywhere are pissed at these remarks. But you don't have to take my word for it. Here's what Snoop Dogg had to say...

I can't imagine what it's like to be a Clipper fan right now. Many are calling for his head and are no longer supporting the Clippers. I also can't imagine what it's like to be a Clipper right now (especially one who's black) playing for an owner like this. How will they play through all of this "noise" in their title run?

DeAndre Jordan posted this poignant photo on his Instagram:

Apparently, that's the actual photo. Makes you think...

It's unfortunate that the foolishness of this man is affecting the many lives of other people in a negative way. Magic Johnson tweeted that Sterling's comments are "a black eye for the NBA." Not only that, but Sterling's comments puts the Clippers now in a negative spotlight as long as he's the owner. 

As Inside the NBA said, if you were a Clipper, would you re-sign with the team? Or if you're a free agent, would you want to sign with the Clippers?

In the middle of a playoff run, as the team is chasing for a championship, I hope the Clippers overcome this mess. We shouldn't be mad at the Clippers. We should be mad at Sterling. Chris Paul, Doc Rivers, Blake Griffin, and the other staff and athletes shouldn't be lumped together with this debacle. Unfortunately, people are doing so and don't want to root for the Clippers anymore. 

The Clippers have never won a championship in their 44 year-existence. Maybe it's partly because of Donald Sterling. The Clippers are now a relevant team and in the hunt for the Finals. Right when the Clippers are moving towards the right direction and starting to become something great, this occurrence might hold them back. It's sad. It's stupid. It's frustrating. It's unfair to the superstars of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. For me, I'm still rooting for the Clippers because they are a team that has suffered so much and must endure this additional problem. 

I'll say it again, if these reports are true, for the benefit of the Clippers organization...

Donald Sterling needs to go.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier Review

Captain America: The Winter Soldier 

Directed by: Anthony and Joe Russo

Ratings (as of 4/12): IMDB - 8.3/10 Rotten Tomatoes - 89%

WARNING: THIS REVIEW HAS SPOILERS

Before watching the film, I came in with relatively low expectations because I wasn't a huge fan of Captain America: The First Avenger (the first installment of the Captain's series). By the way, if you haven't seen both films (the first and second Cpt. Americas) then I recommend watching the first before the second. This is because much of the plot of this new film makes key references to the first.

But after watching it, out of all the Marvel movies I've seen, I think this one is pretty up there. 

The first aspect of why this film is great is because of its star-studded cast. I believe the first Captain America movie did not do as well because there weren't that many stars to carry the film. Other than Chris Evans, the first had notable actors such as Tommy Lee Jones and Hugo Weaving. And that's pretty much it (no disrespect to the other actors of that film). This second film? Yes, they used most of the same characters from The Avengers, but there's Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson (playing a more integral role than the 1st), Robert Redford, Anthony Mackie, and...ah yes... the beautiful Scarlett Johansson.

How I Met Your Mother and Community fans, Cobie Smulders and Danny Pudi are in this movie too. It was pretty weird seeing them...because it doesn't matter, they'll always be Robin and Abed!

The Star Spangled Cast

Granted, just because a movie has a star-studded ensemble, it doesn't necessarily mean the film will be good. But the cast in this film was effective in that the audience empathized with the characters. For instance, when the mighty Nick Fury died, the audience became disheartened and Alexander Pierce was effectively a contemptuous antagonist throughout. Following Fury's death, I could not help but think "Man, of course the black guy has to be the first to die..." (I apologize for this stereotype, but that was honestly my thought). The other thought was, "Oh no...not Samuel L. Jackson! He's a Jedi and Coach Carter! He can't die!"

Samuel L. Jackson is a BAD dude.

The plot was very interesting as it contained many twists and turns. When the police were shooting at Nick Fury, I was very surprised. Then, you discover S.H.I.E.L.D. has been compromised. Afterwards, you discover that members of Hydra have been working behind the scenes of S.H.I.E.L.D. all along. Oh snap. And they were the ones who planted the seeds of chaos throughout history (since WWII) to coerce people to turn to S.H.I.E.L.D. for protection, giving up their liberty in the process. They portray stark images of dictators like Hitler and Kim Jong Un to emphasize this shocking point. They also were the ones who killed Tony Stark's (Iron Man) parents! Double snap. 

That means North Korea and other totalitarian governments were influenced by Hydra? I don't know why, but I thought it was a bit funny to imagining Kim Jong Un whisper, "Hail Hydra..." like the Senator did in the movie. (헤일 하이드라?) 

I totally forgot who Hydra was until I saw their skull-octopus emblem thing.  

Hail Hydra

Perhaps the greatest twist in the film was the reveal of The Winter Soldier's (the assassin hired by Hydra) identity. When I saw his face, I was like..."Umm....Who the heck is that?" And then they showed flashbacks and I was like "OHHHH." Like I said, watch the first movie if you haven't yet. So yeah, The Winter Soldier is Bucky, Captain America's best friend from the first film. But Bucky's memory was wiped so he doesn't remember Steve Rogers. Indeed, the best-friend-turned-enemy-development further supports the film's effective storyline.

Visually, the film was great. Michael Bay explosions everywhere. CGI was good like all other Marvel films. I wish I had a car like Nick Fury's. The film also contains many humorous jokes and makes multiple references to other Marvel characters. For instance, Bruce Banner's (The Hulk) serum saving Nick Fury or Pierce's request for Tony Stark to come to his niece's birthday party. I wish Iron Man would come to my birthday party.

Here are some random thoughts and comments I had on various things regarding this film: 

• Loved when Danny Pudi appeared as a security guard and basically acted how Abed does.
• I don't know how Captain America's face wasn't pancaked and deformed after getting punched by Bucky's metallic arm multiple times. If his arm could make a dent in freakin' concrete...
• Out of all things, my friend Eric Chung points out: "There's no way the spaceships can fly that fast." I'd have to agree.
• After the Captain saves his friend from being crushed, the first thing Bucky does? Tries to fight him. What an a...
• Bucky regains some bits and pieces in his memory regarding Steve Rogers, but Alexander Pierce? He wipes his memory again. The thing I don't get is why Bucky agrees to this and doesn't resist. "Oh, sure! I'd be glad to let you electrocute me!" What the heck Bucky.
• Is there something going on between Captain America and Black Widow? What was that conversation at the end of the film? That kiss on the cheek even though she tells him to pursue his neighbor? Foreshadowing? The two did have some sort of chemistry when they were together. What about Hawkeye, Black Widow?
• I liked Anthony Mackie's character. You can argue anybody can fly the Falcon jetpack and he's nothing without it. But I mean, Captain America isn't as great without his shield and Batman isn't as great without his money and weapons. I hope he's in future Marvel films. I wish he becomes a Captain so he can go by the name of Captain Falcon. That would be awesome. 
• Pulp Fiction is my all-time favorite movie. So you can say I loved the engraving on his tombstone of:  "The Path of a Righteous Man" ~Ezekiel 25:17. Clever of Marvel to do that.
• For the post-credits scenes: I first honestly thought the scepter was Loki's. 
• Don't know who the super-twins are, but I guess they're Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch? Girl was freaky-looking.
• The second post-credit scene: That's it?
• Wait...BUCKY EVENTUALLY BECOMES THE NEXT CAPTAIN AMERICA?!

I LOL'ed when I saw this

Overall, I enjoyed this film which is partly why I wanted to write a review for it. Yeah, my reasons for why it's good aren't that strong but...Go watch this film. This is especially a must-watch as its story will likely be integral for future Marvel films, especially the next Avengers film. 

Score: 8.5/10