Everybody has been talking about it. The National Basketball Association came down hard on the Clippers’ owner, Donald Sterling.  Sterling is an old man—in his eighties.  He has owned the Clippers for thirty-three years.

  And all that time it has been a well-known secret that the man is by every account despicable.  He is profane and a racist and immoral. 

And the league tolerated it—until now.   Now his girlfriend has revealed a taped recording of Sterling on a racist rant.  And the league is shocked, shocked!  So the league, as if they had been waiting for this excuse, leveled every penalty on him that they could.  They have banned him for life from the NBA.  He cannot come to games.  He cannot attend his team’s practices.  He cannot have anything to do with the management of the team.  And they fined him $2.5 million.

Sterling is a billionaire, so I suspect he will be able to pay the fine.   But in any case, it is a pretty hefty penalty.  Now his girlfriend says, “Aw, he may say those things, but he’s not really that bad in his heart.  But he should apologize.”  I wouldn’t count on Donald Sterling doing anything of the sort.  And I doubt if the league will modify its judgment against him.  He’s gone.

That’s not a bad thing.  The Bible says from one end to another, “Purge the evil from your midst.” (Deuteronomy 13:5; 17:7)  And “Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.” (I Corinthians 5:13)  That’s a good thing to do.  And the NBA is congratulating itself on its decisive action.  The media is doing cartwheels.  The league has cleansed itself from what has long polluted it.  It feels good to be righteous!  (Applause please.)

OK.  Good for them.  But forgive me if I am not overly impressed.

According to one source, "You can find eight NBA players and one coach, a total of nine men who have hooked up with 55 women and produced 72 children over the past few years with no marriages involved.”    I wonder when the NBA will scrub these men from the league?

They won’t, will they.  Why?  Because there is money involved.  Because these men are stars.  And because they are Black.  And in today’s climate, if you are African American you are untouchable, except by “racists.”  (Irony intended.)

Which is the greater sin?  An old reprobate’s disgusting words and verbal insult toward members of another race, or unchecked adultery and sexual promiscuity?  And fifty-five women used.  And six dozen children who will not grow up with a father and a mother and whose lives will be forever blighted?

You can decide that one.  I will vote for the children.

So until the National Basketball Association gets serious about all the sin that is in their midst, I will not be much impressed by their bold judgment on Donald Sterling.  Oh, it’s good that they have dealt with him, make no mistake.  But indignation that is selective doesn’t go far enough.  One might even suggest the accusation, “Hypocrites!”

But we are all guilty of hypocrisy to some extent, aren’t we?  Jesus said, “In the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.  And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:2-5)

Maybe we need a round of national eye cleaning.  Starting with ourselves.

Dr. Rick Perrin is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and Chairman of the Board of World Reformed Fellowship..  He writes a weekly blog called ReTHINK which may be accessed at www.rethinkingnews.wordpress.com. He may be contacted directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..