First Sterling, then Snyder?

Many people noted the irony of the NBA's cracking down on Donald Sterling's racism while the NFL supports Dan Snyder's racism. Some tweets and images on the subject:

Dave Zirin ‏@EdgeofSports Apr 26
It's very difficult to look at universal condemnation of Donald Sterling's racism and not think about the pass given to Dan Snyder.



BlueCornComics ‏@bluecorncomics
Dan Snyder, say hello and good-bye to @NBA owner Donald Sterling. P.S. You're next. #Redskins #NotYourMascot #ChangetheName

BlueCornComics ‏@bluecorncomics
Why not "Sterling didn't mean any harm, he's helping black people, there are more important things to worry about"? Because #racism is EVIL.

BlueCornComics ‏@bluecorncomics
That shiver you just felt was every sports team owner with a racist Indian mascot wondering if he's the next Donald Sterling. #ChangetheName





Unless it's the Redskins and Chief Wahoo? Time to start applying our disapproval of racism to every sports team in America.

Getting the ball rolling

The first of what undoubtedly will be many postings on the subject:

Will Sterling lifetime ban push Redskins issue to critical mass?

By Mike FlorioTo no surprise, Oneida Indian Nation opted to use the penalties imposed on Sterling as a reason to draw more attention to the lingering controversy involving the Redskins name.

“In banning Clippers owner Donald Sterling, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and other NBA team owners have taken a courageous stand against racism in professional sports, acknowledging that professional leagues cannot be a platform to promote bigotry,” Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter said in a release. “In taking such appropriate disciplinary action, the NBA has shown leagues like the NFL that they have a moral responsibility to take disciplinary action against people like Dan Snyder, who also continues to proudly promote bigotry with the use of a dictionary-defined racial slur as his team’s name.”

While it’s unlikely that the Sterling situation will nudge the Redskins name controversy toward a critical mass, the unwillingness of the NBA to tolerate an owner expressing racist views behind closed doors highlights the question of whether and to what extent the NFL is willing to tolerate a situation where reasonable minds may differ on the existence of overt racism.
Dear R*dskins Stars: The Clippers Show You Don't Have to Fear Your Owner

For more on the subject, see What Bundy and Sterling Tell Us and NBA Bans Sterling for Life.