What Sterling said was racist and possibly stubbornly hateful, but I'm not sure I've ever heard of someone being forced out of business for making a stupid and racist remark. I guess something like this can end a political career or any other that relies upon a person's popularity.
The punishment should fit the crime, but I'm not sure what the crime is. Maybe this is classified as hate speech, and it violates the rules of NBA ownership.
It sounds like he's going to be forced to sell the team and be barred from attending NBA games....all because he made an ignorant comment that was surreptitiously recorded and shopped to TMZ. The whole situation just seems odd to me.
If he was caught using cocaine, or if he bet on games, or he hired a prostitute...do you think he would receive the same banishment?
I just don't know.