OT:Hawks Owner Levensen to sell team after 2012 racist email

raptor jesus · Post #61 » by **raptor jesus** » Sun Sep 7, 2014 7:35 pm

He camouflages his convictions behind a business perspective. Even though they are gross stereotypes, it's not so simple to label him a racist like Sterling. Basing demographics off stereotypes and generalizations is common practice in business, politics. And if expulsion is the precedent, this could set the stage for a maelstrom of subterfuge, blackmail. I guess this is the slippery slope Cuban warned us about.

RonaldArtest · Post #62 » by **RonaldArtest** » Sun Sep 7, 2014 7:41 pm

Lol, blacks don't cheer as loud as whites? Learn something new everyday...

MEDIC · Post #63 » by **MEDIC** » Sun Sep 7, 2014 8:03 pm

gcsw wrote: I was saying it in the terms of we have such a multicultural melting pot here that it would be amusing to see what he'd say that's all.

Well, if he owned the Raptors he wouldn't have said anything at all because Toronto provides good support for the team. He doesn't care about where the money is coming from......As long as it is coming.

I don't think this guy truly cares about ethnicity. He cares about being profitable. If what he is saying is true, it speaks more to the racial tensions in the Atlanta area than it does about his own personal beliefs.

He could have worded things a lot differently. I wonder how well this business email would have been accepted if he simply stated that he wanted to try to get a more diverse crowd at the arena? Probably still be viewed as racist by many, but sometimes you just can't win.

MEDIC · Post #64 » by **MEDIC** » Sun Sep 7, 2014 8:17 pm

I'm thinking this guy wanted to sell the team. This is just a strange situation.

I'm getting tired of the NBA drama. Such a joke of a league sometimes. They should be embarrassed.

RonaldArtest · Post #65 » by **RonaldArtest** » Sun Sep 7, 2014 8:26 pm

MEDIC wrote:I'm thinking this guy wanted to sell the team. This is just a strange situation.

I'm getting tired of the NBA drama. Such a joke of a league sometimes. They should be embarrassed.

Sadly this might be true. Vince McMahon should've been the new commissioner.

VinBaker6 · Post #66 » by **VinBaker6** » Sun Sep 7, 2014 8:31 pm

MEDIC wrote:I'm thinking this guy wanted to sell the team. This is just a strange situation.

I'm getting tired of the NBA drama. Such a joke of a league sometimes. They should be embarrassed.

Woj's tweets suggest so. This is such a reach its hilarious.

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HiMyNameIsTrey · Post #67 » by **HiMyNameIsTrey** » Sun Sep 7, 2014 8:35 pm

I was expecting much worse before I read the email. Definitely not a racist guy. I give it 1 Sterling out of 5.

Kabookalu · Post #68 » by **Kabookalu** » Sun Sep 7, 2014 8:44 pm

raptor jesus wrote:He camouflages his convictions behind a business perspective. Even though they are gross stereotypes, it's not so simple to label him a racist like Sterling. Basing demographics off stereotypes and generalizations is common practice in business, politics. And if expulsion is the precedent, this could set the stage for a maelstrom of subterfuge, blackmail. I guess this is the slippery slope Cuban warned us about.

Well put. Businesses will make it seem like they have the good intentions of all their audiences, that everyone is treated equally under their eyes, and they don't discriminate, but in reality they do, but it's not because of racism. The majority of the country is white, that's a fact. They're going to cater to their biggest market first and foremost to achieve the highest output.

On the other hand Levensen could have been far more discreet and busy savvy with his email. Honestly his word choicing sounds like it was written up by a RealGMer. That is if this email isn't a deliberate attempt of trying to cash out on the team.

UnderdogRaptors · Post #69 » by **UnderdogRaptors** » Sun Sep 7, 2014 8:47 pm

Seattle groups need to jump on this quickly if there is a team who needs to be contacted it's the Hawks

Darkseid · Post #70 » by **Darkseid** » Sun Sep 7, 2014 8:47 pm

I've read the email.

Not racist. Just a dude who lacks awareness.

Tofubeque · Post #71 » by **Tofubeque** » Sun Sep 7, 2014 9:02 pm

VinBaker6 wrote:
MEDIC wrote:I'm thinking this guy wanted to sell the team. This is just a strange situation.

I'm getting tired of the NBA drama. Such a joke of a league sometimes. They should be embarrassed.

Woj's tweets suggest so. This is such a reach its hilarious.

Sent from my XT1034 using RealGM Forums mobile app

He wanted to sell his stake in the team, so he... had someone leak a racist letter he wrote to the NBA so he could sell? How does that work? Why wouldn't he just sell on his own accord? This doesn't increase the value of his share, if anything it does the opposite.

The bit in the letter that grossed me out the most was where he says the crowd is now 40% black, but it still "feels" like 70% black to white people. Are you kidding? That's obviously their problem, when you've made black customers literally the minority in your stadium and it's still not enough.

VinBaker6 · Post #72 » by **VinBaker6** » Sun Sep 7, 2014 9:14 pm

Tofubeque wrote:
VinBaker6 wrote:
MEDIC wrote:I'm thinking this guy wanted to sell the team. This is just a strange situation.

I'm getting tired of the NBA drama. Such a joke of a league sometimes. They should be embarrassed.

Woj's tweets suggest so. This is such a reach its hilarious.

Sent from my XT1034 using RealGM Forums mobile app

He wanted to sell his stake in the team, so he... had someone leak a racist letter he wrote to the NBA so he could sell? How does that work? Why wouldn't he just sell on his own accord? This doesn't increase the value of his share, if anything it does the opposite.

The bit in the letter that grossed me out the most was where he says the crowd is now 40% black, but it still "feels" like 70% black to white people. Are you kidding? That's obviously their problem, when you've made black customers literally the minority in your stadium and it's still not enough.

Woj had some tweets that suggested he came forward with the email. In this case he's forced to sell as opposed to just selling which could get him more cash.

I felt it was a reach on his part. Its not that racist, just distasteful and a little ignorant.Trust me I'm the furthest from ppl that say "racism isn't a big deal stop whining". Just find it weird.

I personally found it funny.

Edit: what's his stake in the team?

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Kabookalu · Post #73 » by **Kabookalu** » Sun Sep 7, 2014 9:32 pm

Tofubeque wrote:He wanted to sell his stake in the team, so he... had someone leak a racist letter he wrote to the NBA so he could sell? How does that work? Why wouldn't he just sell on his own accord? This doesn't increase the value of his share, if anything it does the opposite.

The Hawks have struggled with trying to fill in seats and gain a dedicated following for years now. If he sold the team on his own accord he could be getting lowballed on a property that doesn't have that much value (relative to other NBA franchises). Compare that to a team being sold from a media perceived "racist" owner eating off of the momentum stemming from Donald Sterling, and the publicity alone would generate more interest and value in the selling of a team than just the act of selling the team by itself.

If the Hawks were sold would anyone care at all? It'll probably be featured on ESPN for a day, but that's it. Now if there's some stereotypical ties to the selling of a team, it's going to run circles in the media circuit. Billionaires will be part of the bidding war for the publicity alone, and that'll increase the value of the Hawks.

I'm not saying that this is what happened, but there is incentive for Levensen to purposely posture himself as a racist.

kevindurant1 · Post #74 » by **kevindurant1** » Sun Sep 7, 2014 9:41 pm

Scarface844 wrote:This is why I was against forcing Sterling out. Mark Cuban was right. It set a terrible precedent. Adam Silver is no better then David Stern.

It doesnt matter if you are against it or not. Majority of the players and ex-players wanted him out.

Cuban isnt right. He was trolling just like he always do. He knew he took it a little far with that comment that is why he had to back off on that position.

Do you really think Cuban cares more for sterling than his team?. :lol:

kevindurant1 · Post #75 » by **kevindurant1** » Sun Sep 7, 2014 9:42 pm

ROBBS wrote:I was expecting much worse before I read the email. Definitely not a racist guy. I give it 1 Sterling out of 5.

Scarface844 · Post #76 » by **Scarface844** » Sun Sep 7, 2014 9:49 pm

kevindurant1 wrote:
It doesnt matter if you are against it or not. Majority of the players and ex-players wanted him out.

Cuban isnt right. He was trolling just like he always do. He knew he took it a little far with that comment that is why he had to back off on that position.

Do you really think Cuban cares more for sterling than his team?.

Cuban is trolling? So letting people know that we're headed down a dangerous path by using something someone said in his own home against him by stripping him of his business?

He didnt take anything far. Go read the Woj article I posted. Adam Silver and the players have created a huge mess. Actions have consequences. Players wanted the owner out and now, its about to get a whole lot deeper then just owners. It's gonna start impacting what players say to.

Ahmed1212 · Post #77 » by **Ahmed1212** » Sun Sep 7, 2014 9:54 pm

Kurtz wrote:
nahom1319 wrote:
Ahmed1212 wrote:So I only read the first half of this letter. It doesn't seem racist to me.

It just seems like he was trying to market to a different demographic?

Anyone else get this vibe or am I tripping?

I read the entire thing. There is minor bit where he mentions his theory that he feels whites would cheer louder but other than that I see no real evidence of racism.

I wonder if he's wrong there, though. From my experience at Raptors games, black guys just don't cheer, period. I'd say East and South Asian guys probably cheer the best.

Funny, my experience is completely different. I saw game 2 of the playoffs with a couple of black guys in Raptor Square. And we went actually bonkers. Pushing each other to our hardest jumping up and down yelling this our city cussing at Brooklyn. It actually felt like a concert lol. That's just my experience though.

Dr Comeback · Post #78 » by **Dr Comeback** » Sun Sep 7, 2014 10:12 pm

Don't get me wrong tho, I'm not saying what he said was good, he's essentially saying; let's find away to cater to racism rather than fighting it, but white people do that everyday tho.

Does he think by causing all this controversy some how there's a 2 billion dollar pay day waiting for him at the end of this? Why the hell would he self report this.

This is fishy as hell.

TdotRap4Lyfe · Post #79 » by **TdotRap4Lyfe** » Sun Sep 7, 2014 10:21 pm

Doesn't really seem like racism to me, just seemed to be more of an analysis of the current population, demographic and marketing angles reported in the letter. But as we can see the slope is only going to get more slippery. People praised Silver for his decision and execution, but in actuality it seems he has begun to dig his own career a grave. If this keeps up, even the smallest issues can end to life-long bans, forced to leave the league. etc.

Kabookalu · Post #80 » by **Kabookalu** » Sun Sep 7, 2014 10:32 pm

TdotRap4Lyfe wrote:Doesn't really seem like racism to me, just seemed to be more of an analysis of the current population, demographic and marketing angles reported in the letter. But as we can see the slope is only going to get more slippery. People praised Silver for his decision and execution, but in actuality it seems he has begun to dig his own career a grave. If this keeps up, even the smallest issues can end to life-long bans, forced to leave the league. etc.

The unfortunate thing was that I don't know if Silver had a choice. The black community, rightfully, were so outraged by Sterling that they threatened to boycott the NBA for being associated with Sterling, even if it was just as an owner. Now I think a lot of those guys were bluffing, though it takes only one vocal leader to take a step forward for everyone else to too. If Doc Rivers was going to be that guy, then those that were less brave about being expressive would have joined in, and more and more and more will put their foot forward, to the point that those that had no voice in the issue would have joined in just because that's where the stream is heading. And what race primarily comprises the majority of the players in the league? Black people.

Silver had a dilemma on his hands, and it was either avoid a major issue now and deal with it much later on or get it over with address it right now. There's consequences either way.

If there's anyone to blame it's that hoe for causing this mess by recording Sterling in the privacy of his own home. The world was better left in ignorance until Sterling's passing.