The Sterling Affairs is a story of power and scandal in Los Angeles. When an audio recording of a racist rant by former Clippers owner Donald Sterling was leaked online in 2014, it caused an uproar that changed the NBA forever.
But Sterling had been a problem for decades -- in basketball, real estate and more. Why did it take 30 years to finally hold him accountable?
"The Sterling Affairs" is a five-part series from 30 for 30 Podcasts and The Undefeated, produced in collaboration with Western Sound. The series is reported and hosted by ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. All five episodes are available now at 30for30podcasts.com/sterling.
More: The Sterling saga rocked the NBA | The Undefeated Roundtable
Episodes of "The Sterling Affairs" are available now for fans to binge-listen. The episode lineup includes:
Episode 1: Holy Sh** That Tape
The explosive tape of Donald Sterling breaks the internet. Ramona Shelburne explains how a fight between V. Stiviano and Shelly Sterling lit the match.
Episode 2: The Opposite of Showtime
Nothing explains where Donald Sterling fits into the L.A. scene better than his relationship to the Lakers, Jerry Buss, and Showtime. Everything came easy for Buss; everything Sterling did reeked of desperation.
Episode 3: Property
Donald and Shelley grew up in the poor neighborhood of Boyle Heights, and as they built their real estate empire and bought the Clippers, they worked hard to reinvent themselves. As part of that reinvention, however, Donald Sterling also engaged in womanizing and housing discrimination -- and was rarely held accountable.
Episode 4: Fallout
With the threat of players boycotting playoff games in protest, for once it was the players -- not the owners -- who had the power to hold Sterling accountable. New commissioner Adam Silver heard the outcry and banned Sterling for life.
Episode 5: Not Fit
Sterling's ban was a bold statement, but the devil was in the details. Sterling still owned the team. Ultimately, this drama was going to be resolved where it started -- in court, with Donald and Shelly. And in a Shakespearean move, Shelly had her husband of 60 years declared mentally unfit in order to seize control of the team and sell the franchise.
Former world number 230 Juan Carlos Saez has been banned for eight years and fined £10,300 ($12,500) for breaching anti-corruption rules.
The Chilean, 28, was interviewed by the Tennis Integrity Unit after unusual betting patterns were highlighted during matches he played in.
He repeatedly failed to hand over his mobile phone for forensic analysis.
Saez separately admitted to receiving a corrupt approach at an ITF Futures tournament, which he did not report.
That is against anti-corruption rules.
Saez is 1,082nd in the ATP world rankings, having reached 230th in September 2015.
South Korea's Lee Duck-hee has become the first deaf player to win a match in the main draw of a tournament on the ATP Tour.
The 21-year-old, who is ranked 212th in the world, beat Switzerland's Henri Laaksonen 7-6 6-1 at the Winston-Salem Open in North Carolina.
"People made fun of me for my disability. They told me I shouldn't be playing," said Lee.
"I wanted to show everyone that I could do this."
He added: "My message for people who are hearing impaired is to not be discouraged. If you try hard, you can do anything."
Lee does not communicate with sign language but instead uses lip-reading.
During his post-match interview his fiancee Soopin assisted him, clarifying answers for reporters in English.
Britain's Andy Murray is among players to have come out in support of Lee, adding it must be "difficult" to play without being able to "pick up the speed of the ball" by hearing the sound.
"It's obviously a huge disadvantage, so to be able to do what he's doing is a huge effort," said the 32-year-old, who lost in the first round in North Carolina as he continues his return to singles action after injury.
"We [tennis players] use our ears a lot to pick things up."
Lee, who faces third seed Hubert Hurkacz in the next round, played his first ATP Challenger Tour event aged 14.
He played mainly in Asia before switching to hard courts in the US, reaching his first final in three years at Little Rock in June.
Andy Murray is still searching for his first singles win since hip surgery after losing 7-6 7-5 to Tennys Sandgren in the Winston-Salem Open first round.
The former world number one played with conviction and fluency in the first set, but lost it on a tie-break 10-8.
Despite recovering from a double break down to square the second set at 5-5, Britain's Murray was broken again by American world number 73 Sandgren.
"I think there was some good stuff in there," Murray, 32, told BBC Sport.
"I think my ball striking was better than last week. I hit quite a few more winners, came to the net quite a lot. Obviously I didn't win but I do feel I was a bit more in control of what was happening out there.
"Physically I felt OK in the rallies, but I did notice in the second set that my first serve wasn't as good, and I think maybe my legs were a little bit heavy at the end there."
Last week, Murray lost in straight sets to Richard Gasquet in Cincinnati in his first singles match since January's Australian Open.
His match against Sandgren started at 22:15 local time after a five-hour delay caused by heavy rain, thunder and lightning.
And even after completing the warm up, the players had to remain in their chairs for a further 15 minutes to wait for another light shower to pass and the court to be dried with towels and electric blowers.
Murray started superbly, forcing nine deuces and one break point in a 14-minute opening game before Sandgren eventually held his serve.
Both men served very well after that, but having saved three set points in the tie-break, Murray put a stretch volley into the net and Sandgren won it 10-8.
The first set lasted 74 minutes, but after making a poor start to the second, Murray struggled in vain to take the match into a decider.
Murray will not be in New York when the US Open gets under way on Monday, but he may instead play on the ATP Challenger Tour.
He will fly home from Winston-Salem on Tuesday but is actively considering whether to compete in next week's Challenger event in Mallorca.
"I think for my body it would be a good thing because I do feel at that level I will be winning matches each week," Murray added.
"And I think it would be good for my game as well because I'm not quite seeing the points as I used to. And if I can get more matches, I'll start to work that out a little bit quicker, and see it faster.
"I would probably rather stay playing outdoors because the next couple of tour events I'm playing are outdoors in Asia, but I haven't given it tonnes of thought."
Tomas Konecny lifted the spirits of the home crowd as he recorded a straight games win over Russian Anton Kotov (11-4, 11-7, 11-4, 11-9).
It was a commanding display from Konecny, who was certainly roused by his supporters. Frenchman Enzo Angles kept up the European mood by winning against Uzbekistan’s Elmurod Kholikov 4-0 (11-3, 11-4, 11-7, 11-4).
Czech Republic’s Frantisek Onderka could not keep the host nation’s fans happy as he lost out to Bulgaria’s Vadim Yarashenka (11-5, 11-3, 7-11, 11-9, 14-12).
Despite pushing Yarashenka back into repeated backhands, Onderka had little luck in getting the final shot in. It was patient play from the Bulgarian, who need no more than four games to go through. On table 13, India’s Amalraj Anthony moved on to the next round after his Ukrainian opponent Bohdan Sinkevych had to withdraw.
European fans would be delighted to see the incoming results on the first day here in Czech Republic, as France’s Jules Rolland and German Steffen Mengel both recorded first round victories.
Rolland needed five games to see off Samuel Kaluzny from Slovakia (11-9, 3-11, 11-4, 12-10, 11-1). His European compatriot Mengel had a tougher task with Swiss Cedric Tschanz giving the German a hard time and stretching the match to six games (11-2, 6-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-3, 11-1).
Sutirtha Mukherjee had a good start to the week in Olomouc as she saw off the challenge of host nation’s Anna Matejovska 4-2 (11-7, 4-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-4, 11-4).
The Indian took the first game, but had to dig deep as Matejovska hit back with strong returns on the volley. Mukherjee eventually found her feet and closed the game in six. Meanwhile, Matejovska’s compatriot Tamara Tomanova fared better as she beat Slovakian Eva Jurkova by the same scoreline (11-2, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 12-14, 11-2).
Check out who gets the nod ahead of the main stage event in two days, right here:
Here’s the schedule for day one of the qualification tournament in Olomouc:
New balls, please: Alison Waters is a fast learner in the table tennis during the London Open Racketlon event
Racketlon growing in popularity with Olympic aspirations
By GORDON KERR – Squash Mad Correspondent
The four sports are played in ascending order of racket weight/head size. A hybrid scoring system applies to each; one game to 21 points but the winner must be two points clear. Serve oscillates every two points and the players change ends (except in squash where they just take a breather) when the leading player reaches 11 points. Close matches last approximately one hour.
There is a pan-European tournament circuit, and the London Open event was held last weekend at the sumptuous Roehampton Club, formerly better known as a polo club frequented by statesmen such as Lloyd George and Winston Churchill.
Two personal friends were playing. A brief explanation. Having retired from serious amateur Real Tennis competitions in 2000, I returned to squash at Southgate.
The committee asked me to play for the club’s third team in order to keep a watchful eye – particularly at away matches – on a promising 16-year-old, Alison Waters. They were worried that overly competitive adult male players would try and knock her off the ball.
Far from being miffed at playing ‘down’ in the thirds, I thoroughly enjoyed the season and managed to engineer most of the schedules such that we did not play simultaneously; I therefore watched most of Alison’s matches.
The committee needn’t have worried; she was already such a deft mover that the one or two ignorant opponents she came across failed to unsettle her; she nimbly stepped away from every potential collision. There were hardly any let calls in her entire season.
At the end of the season the good news came through that she had been selected to join the elite England set-up under the then Squash Rackets Association. We started playing and training together on Saturdays.
Fourteen years later, having switched clubs to Oakleigh Park, I started playing regularly with another promising junior, David Bennett. David, today just 17 years old, is ranked in the top ten juniors in the world at Racketlon, having won two European Under-16 junior team titles representing Great Britain. When I learned that both David and Alison were playing at Roehampton on Saturday, I willingly tore up my Ashes cricket ticket and went to watch.
I was not to be disappointed. David had entered both the Under-21 event and the Advanced Men’s B category. His first opponent was an experienced Swiss, Beat Ladner, who confided to me in the warm-up that David had last year beaten his son in a different junior event, so he was out to restore family pride.
The table tennis was nip and tuck, but Ladner edged it 22-20. At badminton, David’s agility and reflexes were too much for the slower Swiss gentleman, 21- 14. Next was squash, and I am personally acutely aware of how good David has become.
He is so mobile that I feel I have to win each point about three times. The intelligent Ladner employed the sensible tactic of going for outrageous winners, and did well to score five points; one or two were flukes off the frame. Tennis was, however, a mere formality; David quickly secured the single point he needed.
Alison was next. She had drawn Racketlon’s world ranked number two, Zuzanna Severinova of the Czech Republic.
In our brief warm-up chat, Alison revealed that she had been surprised the previous day by the quality of table tennis play. Partnering Roehampton squash pro Paul Lindsay, they were frequently foxed by the degree and direction of spin.
A modest crowd watched as Alison showed what a quick learner she was, dealing well with the attacking play of Severinova and counter-attacking herself. Alison actually had three game balls before going down 23-25.
The badminton was a legitimate high-class ladies’ match at which Severinova’s greater experience was matched by Alison’s reaction speed and athletic lunging, notably catching the 21-year-old Czech with measured counter-drops off wonderful low retrievals at the front.
Next was the squash. 21-0 to Alison. What a brutal and perfect sport squash is, where winning a single point is a major success for the weaker player if there is a marked distinction in playing standard. And squash is the only non-Olympic sport of the four! Such was her lead that Alison needed only five points at tennis to pull off a remarkable upset.
I was not there on the Sunday, but the well organised FIR published this report.
In summary, Alison reached the final after a narrow win over Kim Hay, where she lost to the impressive German, Amke Fischer.
David Bennett, encouraged throughout by his mother Joanna, (herself a good squash player, in fact a former Middlesex County Under-16 team mate of Alison), reached the finals of both events, losing to the top seed Luke Griffiths in the Under-21 event, and to Matthew Davidson in the Men’s B competition.
Pictures courtesy of Gordon Kerr and UK Racketlon
US number one Todd Harrity will be fired up for the World Teams
Squash On Fire to host World Teams in Washington DC
By HOWARD HARDING – Squash Mad International Correspondent
Hosted in Washington, D.C. at the capital’s premier squash facility, Squash On Fire, the 2019 WSF Men’s World Team Squash Championship will take place between December 15-21 when 23 nations comprising the world’s leading male squash players will battle it out for the prestigious biennial World Squash Federation championship title.
Buy tickets here.
Reigning champions Egypt will return to defend their crown, alongside Hong Kong China and former champions England and Australia and many more. Team USA will also compete on their home turf, having appeared at the Men’s World Team Championship every tournament since 1973 and who recently enjoyed a highly-successful Pan American Games campaign, winning gold medals in the men’s doubles and men’s team event in Lima, Peru.
“The Men’s World Team Squash Championship is one of the most highly-anticipated tournaments that the sport has to offer,” said Squash On Fire co-founder Philippe Lanier.
“We’re thrilled to bring the world’s top male players to Washington, D.C. for what promises to be a spectacular week of competition. Squash On Fire is no stranger to hosting major squash tournaments and we’re excited to welcome all athletes, coaches and spectators to our club. We urge squash fans to pick up their tickets now to guarantee a front row seat to see all the action.”
Tickets for the 2019 WSF Men’s World Team Squash Championship start at $20 for General Admission, and VIP packages which include access to the VIP Lounge or Premium courtside tables are available starting at $50.
For more information on the tournament, follow the event on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or visit www.worldteamsquashdc.com
Picture courtesy of Squash On Fire and ToC
Scotland were thrashed by France in Nice on Saturday, but what changes would you make for the return match at Murrayfield if you were Gregor Townsend?
Pick and share your XV below.
Who should Scotland pick for their opening Rugby World Cup warm-up Test against France? Pick your team then share it with friends.
Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge is close to agreeing a lucrative deal with Trabzonspor after arriving in Turkey to undertake the formalities of a transfer, sources have told ESPN FC.
The 29-year-old free agent, who was courted by Fenerbahce earlier this summer, has been assessing the options available to him with clubs from La Liga, MLS and Qatar interested in signing him.
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Trabzonspor have put the best proposal together, offering him a two-year contract understood to be worth just under £3 million per year.
There could be an option for a further 12 months, with Sturridge's representatives -- including his uncle and manager Dean Sturridge -- having met with the club's vice-president Sertac Guven last week.
If all goes as planned, the Super Lig side expect to announce the signing of the England international this week, with fans sharing clips of themselves doing the Sturridge dance on social media in an effort to convince the forward to complete the move.
Sturridge was released from Liverpool when his contract expired at the end of June, saying goodbye on a high after the Champions League final triumph against Tottenham in Madrid.
He scored 67 goals for the club in 160 appearances following his £12m transfer from Chelsea in January 2013.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said the attacker "earned the right to be considered a modern-day great" at Anfield, adding "he came while we were trying to rebuild and re-establish ourselves. Some of the goals he has scored for us were so, so, so important."
Manchester United have "utterly condemned" the racist abuse aimed at Paul Pogba after the midfielder missed a penalty against Wolves, branding it "disgusting."
Pogba saw a second half-spot kick saved by Rui Patricio as United were held to a 1-1 draw at Molineux.
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The midfielder stepped up ahead of Marcus Rashford -- who was successful from the spot against Chelsea on the opening weekend of the season, prompting a small minority of fans to send racist abuse to him on Twitter.
United have launched an investigation into the incidents in a bid to identify the supporters responsible and have promised to take "the strongest course of action" against any supporter found to be involved.
A statement issued by the club on Tuesday read: "Everyone at Manchester United is disgusted by the racial abuse aimed at Paul Pogba and we utterly condemn it.
"The individuals who expressed these views do not represent the values of our great club and it is encouraging to see the vast majority of our fans condemn this on social media also.
"Manchester United has zero tolerance of any form of racism or discrimination and a long-standing commitment to campaigning against it through our #AllRedAllEqual initiative.
"We will work to identify the few involved in these incidents and take the strongest course of action available to us. We also encourage social media companies to take action in these cases."
United defender Harry Maguire added: "Disgusting. Social media need to do something about it. Every account that is opened should be verified by a passport/driving licence. Stop these pathetic trolls making numerous accounts to abuse people."
Speaking after the game, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer defended Pogba's decision to overrule Rashford and take the penalty himself.
Pogba, who has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford this summer, has missed from the spot four times in the last year while Rashford was on target against Chelsea and in the final minute of the dramatic Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain last season.
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