I Love LA, But Why Does Donald Sterling?

Da Realist:

i saw the lakers/clippers game last night and saw a fan with a #24 kobe bryant clippers jersey on. everytime the lakers scored, half the crowd cheered. maybe more. this was a HOME game for the clippers.

WHY DON'T THEY LEAVE LA? why not go someplace they can be beloved? they will NEVER get love from LA while the lakers are in town, no matter who is the better team that year. it's almost like donald sterling enjoys being the doormat of the city. go back to san diego or vegas or maybe san francisco. isn't oklahoma city still trying to get a franchise? if the sonics move there, then go to seattle. anything but LA.

just doesn't make sense to me.

Gangsta D:

You're asking why Sterling doesn't move from LA? He's an LA real estate guy. The Clippers ain't going nowhere mane...as long as Sterling is the owner.

Da Realist:

what a waste. even when they're good, they don't matter. donald should be like paul allen. paul lives in seattle but owns the portland trailblazers. you gotta find some way to make it work. branding is probably the most important marketing tool a team can have. the lakers brand is all over LA. the cowboys are all over dallas. red sox are all over boston. you gotta go someplace where you can develop your own brand. make it your city.

if stern allows it, i would move to vegas if i was donald sterling. vegas isn't that far from LA but far enough to seperate yourself from the purple and gold. get out of the staples center, get out of LA.

the clippers are a joke and will continue to be no matter how good they are.

Gangsta D:

As long as the clips keep turning a profit, they ain't going anywhere. Sterling isn't Mark Cuban. He really doesn't give a squat about winning a title. I mean how else do you explain how Elgin Baylor has kept his job for so long?

Da Realist:

the sad thing is that you're right. there's no way to ensure the owners have "good intentions". these teams are at least in part "public entities". we support these teams. we should at least be reasonably assured that they will do anything realistically possible to create a winning atmosphere.

the tribune company ran the cubs like a business. the cubs bring in more money and are more well-known than any team outside of new york and boston. yet they suck every year. the key is they turn a HUGE profit every year. you couldn't get into wrigley field unless you go to a ticket broker because they sell out every seat every year even though they suck every single year. i'm glad the tribune company is selling the cubs. donald should think about selling the clips.

Gangsta D:

If the Clips go into the red for two consecutive years, then he will. I can see both perpectives. As a businessman, you want ROI. That's why you buy businesses. To some, they just wait for the annual valuation figures. If the value of the franchise keeps going up and they turn a nice profit, then they're happy. That's what they care about. Spending $200 million on a team and selling for $400 million. On the other hand, as a fan you want them to do what it takes to put a winning team on the field. In the end, it just comes down to what kind of businessman buys the team. An owner that believes in increasing valuation through marketability, acclaim, and championships or owners like Sterling.

Waldini:

He's in a prime position right now which is why he wont say the Clips. D just said it, his ROI was still good even when the Clips were a s**** organization for all those years before last year. And now that they are winning? Its like Christmas to him.