Sports and Politics/Social Change

[Mori Chu]

[Nodack]

Sports Illustrated Daily Cover article today by Howard Beck: https://www.si.com/nba/2021/11/24/rober ... aily-cover



Robert Sarver and the NBA's Toughest Test Yet
What will the progressive sports league do about the Suns owner?

“This did not surprise me one bit,” Hall of Famer Paul Pierce said last week on The Crossover podcast. “If you go ask older players of my generation, this wouldn’t surprise them one bit.”

Although Pierce said he had not personally heard Sarver say anything racist, “This is something that’s been talked [about] amongst players. … The whispers get out. People talk about what type of owners, what type of people they are, and that’s something that’s been mentioned about Robert Sarver.”

Further down the list was Sarver, who contributed $179,000 to Republicans during the five-year period.

“The message has to be clear that this is not acceptable,” [Etan] Thomas says. “And I think, me personally, that Sarver should be removed.” Anything short of that, he says, would render the NBA’s social-justice efforts “null and void.”

Thomas adds, “You got to take a clear position and that will determine and affect Adam Silver’s legacy.”

What exactly does the little blurb about donations to the Republican Party have to do with this?

I think the BLM movement was embraced by pro sports in general and especially the NBA. I could be wrong but, it seems to me the BLM was definitely not embraced by the GOP. Sarver donating that much money to the GOP might indicate to some his feelings on this topic.

Being a Republican does not mean you’re racist, it means you report your support the Republican platform. And if you don’t know what that means do some research. I’m so sick of this shit.

There’s a reason I stay out of the politics section. Stop bringing it here.

What exactly does the little blurb about donations to the Republican Party have to do with this?

He asked the question. I answered truthfully and as non aggressively as I could and still make my point. The only way to answer that question makes it political and that is verboten in the Suns threads. I guess the only way to treat that question appropriately in the Suns threads would be to not answer it at all. Me being politically active and seeing that question laid out there was difficult not to answer.

I have yet to meet a single Republican who will acknowledge what BLM is about. I have yet to see it written anywhere where a single Republican acknowledges what BLM is about. Every Republican I have ever met or seen quoted says the BLM movement is just a bunch or racist anti American thugs who hate white people. Not a single Republican will say BLM is protesting violence against Blacks.

He asked what does Sarver donating a bunch of money to the Republican party have to do with people’s perception of him being a racist. I shouldn’t have answered because everyone already knew the answer.

[Nodack]

Sarver may or might not be a racist. Like Indy says, everyone is at least a little racist. I am one of the very few here to defend Sarver in any way on this site because I believe his guilt has already been determined by most here without anything resembling a trial, not because I think he’s innocent or a good guy. As virtual said he might have donated to Democrats too.

The question was what does Sarver donating to Republicans have to do with Sarver being labeled a racist. The NBA is pretty much married to the BLM movement. It’s written on the court. It’s written on their jerseys. Donating large sums of money to the Republican cause might lead some to think he supports Republicans. Republicans don’t support the BLM movement and Sarver is an NBA owner, which puts him at odds with the BLM movement if he truly believes in Republican causes today.

[Nodack]

Not sports or politics. I just saw this story and didn’t know where to put it.

A plumber found cash and checks stashed in a wall at Joel Osteen's Houston mega-church
https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/04/us/ostee ... index.html
(CNN)A plumber doing repair work at pastor Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church found hundreds of envelopes of cash and checks hidden in a wall that police think is connected to a massive 2014 theft at the Houston mega-church.

Someone stole from the church and secretly hid the money in the church wall? What?

[In2ition]

I wonder when they were planning on coming back to get it? Seems odd to keep checks too.

[Mori Chu]

Q: What's the difference between an atheist and an evangelical Christian?

A: The atheist admits that he doesn't follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.

[In2ition]

I've always questioned Joel Osteen's claims of being a Christian. If you've ever watched his broadcasts, it's a Prosperity theology that he teaches, and rarely ever talks about God, doesn't quote scripture or preach from the Bible, and all the times I've heard his sermons, I have yet to hear him talk about Jesus, which is kind of a red flag on if he's actually preaching Christianity. He's more of a heretical grifting Tony Robbins, but 10x richer because of it, imo. Not a fan of any of the televangelists.

[Nodack]

Who steals money from someone and takes to time to knock a hole in their wall, dump the loot in the wall, then re-drywall the wall, paint it in the same color to match the other paint and somehow not get noticed? The whole thing smells fishy.

My aunt was a huge Joel fan. If there is a hell I am pretty sure most televangelists will end up there.

[Nodack]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/plumb ... uxbndlbing
A plumber who discovered cash and checks hidden in a toilet wall while doing maintenance work at pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston — possibly helping solve a $600,000 burglary at the congregation seven years ago — received a $20,000 reward Tuesday for his find.

The plumber, identified by local media as Justin Cauley, was given a $20,000 gift by Crime Stoppers of Houston for finding about 500 envelopes of cash and checks last month, the nonprofit’s CEO, Rania Mankarious, told The Washington Post.

[Nodack]

America's wealthiest pastor Kenneth Copeland - who is worth $770m - dodges $150K property tax on his $7m mansion home by claiming it's a 'clergy residence'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... y-tax.html
The televangelist's mansion is owned by his church, which claims it as a humble clergy home, or parsonage
Based on a century-old Texas law, Copeland is exempt from paying $150,000 a year in property taxes
The 18,000 sq ft home features a tennis court, crystal chandeliers, a spiral staircase and a boat dock
He's haggled with county appraisers to keep its value artificially low, according to the Houston Chronicle
Copeland, 85, also bought a Gulfstream V jet from Tyler Perry in 2018 and asked his congregants to chip in $17 million for a plane hangar and runway.

Copeland has previously said that God told him to build the home for his wife Gloria.

'You may think that house is too big,' he said at the 2015 Southwest Believers' Convention in Fort Worth. 'You may think it's too grand. I don't care what you think. I heard from heaven. Glory to God, hallelujah!'

In 2019, Copeland angrily defended using three private jets in an Inside Edition interview after in 2016 he called flying commercial getting in 'a long tube with demons'



Pfft

[In2ition]

Copeland is a clown, imo.

[Superbone]

Drewspocket posted this in the main board:

Al Sharpton is calling for #SackSarver and closing of investigation:

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/335 ... ert-sarver

[Superbone]

I can understand asking them what's the hold up and pressuring to complete the investigation but how can you just ask that Sarver be removed as owner without due process. Last I checked, we don't do that here in America.

[Indy]

I can understand asking them what's the hold up and pressuring to complete the investigation but how can you just ask that Sarver be removed as owner without due process. Last I checked, we don't do that here in America.

They can do that if they want. The NBA board of governors can pretty much do whatever they want. They have the authority, and the power because of the deals they have made to operate as a monopoly. There is no requirement for criminal proceedings or even guilty verdicts.

I guess that all depends on how specific the language is in the contract Bob has.

[The Bobster]

Where's Sharpton's outrage over the Dallas situation?

[AmareIsGod]

Griner situation stinks.

[Nodack]

I can understand asking them what's the hold up and pressuring to complete the investigation but how can you just ask that Sarver be removed as owner without due process. Last I checked, we don't do that here in America.

They can do that if they want. The NBA board of governors can pretty much do whatever they want. They have the authority, and the power because of the deals they have made to operate as a monopoly. There is no requirement for criminal proceedings or even guilty verdicts.

I guess that all depends on how specific the language is in the contract Bob has.

I think they worry about their image more than anything. Does booting him as owner help or hurt their image? If he’s guilty of everything claimed they would probably boot him I think. If they boot him before any investigation is held then it looks like a hit job. So far I haven’t seen any results from any investigation, just speculation.

[Nodack]

Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver set for interview as part of NBA investigation, sources say
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/334 ... ources-say
The lawyers leading the NBA's investigation into the Phoenix Suns are preparing to interview Robert Sarver regarding the accusations against the team and its majority owner, sources close to the investigation told ESPN.

Sources said more than 300 people have been interviewed as part of the investigation, which the league launched in November after ESPN published a story that included allegations of racism and misogyny in a sometimes hostile and toxic workplace in Phoenix during Sarver's 17-year tenure.

The lawyers have asked about specific allegations in the ESPN report, which was based on interviews with more than 70 current and former employees. Employees have confirmed a range of published allegations

while introducing others, sources said, and have provided the investigators with documents, specifically emails.

As part of the investigation, the Suns, who did not respond to a request for comment, have granted access to internal emails and human resources records, sources said.

A timeline to complete the investigation remains unclear. The lawyers have consistently explained to current and former employees that they are in the "fact-finding" stage.

"The investigation is ongoing and the Wachtell Lipton law firm will report their findings to the league at its conclusion," league spokesperson Mike Bass told ESPN.

[Mori Chu]

Feels like they want to time this Sarver investigation so that it culminates during the offseason, so as not to distract from NBA play this year. That'd be my guess.

[Nodack]

I think that would be a good guess.