Elgin Baylor on Why He Worked in a Racist Environment for Two Decades

Che I agree with you and NO EXCUSES is what I tell kids. I also tell them Don’t Let Anyone Else Choose Your Destiny In Life. I should be a racist black man, with all the racism I have endured and I am in my late 20′s. So please Baylor drop the suit and shut up. 20 Years is a long time to hear racism, without catching a case and helping out the black man is out the door now as an excuse Baylor. Baylor is turning into Isaiah with all this mess, people are forgetting about these players balling skills.

The seed again another great point. Single parent homes, men not wanting to take care of their kids, gang bangin, trying to make a quick dollar has affected our african american community. We need better schools better teachers. The problem is most families lost hope so that carrys on to the child who rather get in the street and hustle because it’s easier than actually staying in school and working hard at becoming something. Hustlin only gets you dead or in jail. But that doesn’t matter to a kid who doesn’t have much to live for anyway. It’s an endless cycle that’s why we can’t keep having this pity party. We need people who say they are for the people to be about what they say they are about. Get in the dayum community and make a difference. Do your part.

Finally people who make sense. Seed, DDB

CHE, you seem to think that not willing to take abuse is making an excuse. Why? What is making no excuse exactly?

CHE
I’m tired of some minorities who think it’s their job to tell other minorities how to handle racism. That’s what I’m tired of.
If it works for you and you’re happy, then be happy brother. But, don’t try to tell me how I should feel about racism and discrimination. Then you’re overstepping your boundaries and being mite discourteous.

Allenp i never told you or anyone else how to feel about racism, My point is it’s time for minorites to stop blaming everyone else for their problems. Answer me this, did Baylor suck at his job because Sterling was racist or did he suck at his job because he just sucked at his job. He should be happy he had a job for that long with his horrible performance as a GM. Minorities will never overcome racism by blaming others for their shortcomings. That’s not telling you how to feel that’s just the truth.

Allenp, you really think Baylor cares about helping others, someone fine his charities and what things he did to help out his own race. If he only took Money and had no say so for 20 years, do you want him playing the race card now. What Baylor is doing now is hurting the black man, with a 20 year old claim. So when it really happens, the defense will bring up Baylor’s name. So I feel Baylor needs to go home and chill and just grow old, knowing he got paid to do nothing, but maybe heard some racist jokes here and there. Baylor should have came out in the 80′s or caught a case. I will go with calling out sterling. Please people, this man is using the race card after 20 years then fired then scream racist.

Allenp, stop joking, you know, we call it the race card, cause some people pull this to get away with things, OJ and others.

Jewish and homosexual people don’t use their differences as a cruch and an excuse for all their failures in life. People like Elgin cry wolf so often that it was given a name …’the race card’.

Diesel
You think black people were getting fair trials in 1980?
Have you heard about the Innocence Project?
How about Central Park Jogger case?
Dude, you insist on arguing with me about this country’s racial history and reality, while all the time disdaining the fact that I tell you to read some books to educate yourself about the topic. Having uninformed opinions really is not the business.
Finally, from my vantage point, black people have long been willing to work hard, put up with BS and strive to make the best of their situation. Those of you who are black and have such a negative mindset about black people, I feel bad for you. Clearly, the black people you encounter in your daily life suck. Thank God, I have not had that problem.
At their core, the black people I deal with are NOT very different from the white people I deal with. Just regular folks trying to make a life. The problem is in the environments of each group and the obstacles they have to overcome to achieve success. But, some folks don’t want to hear that.

OJ is a perfect example of the race card. The justice system let a killer free because of the race card. And black people cheered their a$$es off across the nation..not caring whether he was guilty or not but just because he was black. How is that not racism? We act like black people can’t be racist against other races.
Back to the issue Baylor probably witnessed and experienced racism just feel he should have dealt with it while he was employed if he really wanted to protect young black men from this guy sterling. Now that his job is gone he pulls the race card. And I go by a persons actions because people do what’s in their heart. If baylor has invested in the “people” over those 20 years then i’d agree with him and say he stayed for the people but he hasn’t.

Allenp don’t act educated and talk about things you refuse to acknowledge. The fact that African Americans have the largest drop out rate in the nation doesn’t concern you? Most of the jails are filled with African Americans. And 90% of those that are in jail dropped out of school. So what does that say about our community. It might be peachy clean in your side of town but OVERALL it’s not looking good. My point is we need more people to step up and make a difference. Not people like you who act like there is no problem or people like baylor who use “the people” as an excuse.

Pve84 The point is if Baylor knew all these years Sterling was like this then why keep his mouth shut all these years? If he was such a stand up guy and wanted to protect others from this horrible guy then why didn’t he speak up sooner because by allowing this guy to get away with it for 20 years knowing he is this way is just as worse as being the guy. I find it hyporitical to “pull the race card” AFTER he gets fired. Is my only point

CHE
If you think Baylor should have spoken up earlier, doesn’t that mean you’re telling him how he should have handled racism?
I mean, that seems simple enough even for a simple minded fellow like myself to comprehend, but maybe I’m missing something.
If you’re telling minorities that we’ll never overcome racism by blaming other, aren’t you once again suggesting that instead of blaming other people we should find another way to deal with racism? So, once again you’re telling us how to respond to racism.
It’s almost too much for my simple mind.
Finally, if the actions of a single black man are hurting all black people, whose fault is that? Is it with the single black living his indivdiual life, or with the people who insist on using the actions of one black man to inform themselves about all black people. The mere fact that some of y’all think that Baylor’s actions are “hurting black people” is a sign that you believe that when one black perons messes us, we all mess up. I wonder, did the screw ups of George W. Bush “hurt white people?”
How about Dick Cheney?
Brittney Spears?
Scott Layden?
Just curious.

Diesel
You’ve seen me blame everything on race?
Interesting because I have yet to write anything to that affect.
What have I blamed on racism? I’m curious.

Its used as a cruch to accept failures…Didn’t get a job – its because I’m black. I don’t need to try harder, the world just needs to get less racist. I’m not good at school – its because I’m black and the government doesn’t want to spend money on black schools. Its used an excuse to get out of working harder. You can just blame the world for being racist and convince yourself you’ll never get a fair shake so why even try.

You know what’s interesting?
We were having a discussion about Elgin Baylor and whether race played a role in his dimissal.
Nobody knows if this is the case.
Yet, from this discussion, we’re not discussing how black people behave in job interviews and the OJ case.
That says something about racial discussions.
OJ, man, that kills me.
OJ and the race card. That just kills me.

Che, I hear you, but in the end, Baylor is his own man. It was his choice to make. Who are we to judge him? We don’t know Baylor and what he’s gone through. Sure it might have been “braver” of him to address it as soon as Sterling first began to commit any offenses in Baylor’s presence, but he didn’t and we can’t change. My point is that in any case, if Sterling is in fact clouding his ownership duties with racism, then he needs to be put on blast and hopefully this exposure will change the way Sterling handles himself publicly, if not changing his mindset altogether, and that’s what we all should be pulling for. At the very least, Baylor is bringing the attention to what may or may not be Sterling’s racism that it should require. In any case, this whole event inspired a discussion about race which I feel that we as a country can’t get enough of. Racism isn’t going anywhere any time soon, so we might as well be as aware of it as we possibly can and at least acknowledge the different views that we all have. Let’s not jump down each other’s throats over differing views of what racism is and isn’t. There is no point in people of color attacking each other over differing views on racism’s role in African-American society–at the very least we should be providing thoughtful and respectful criticism. At the end of the day none of us know each other and we’re only connected by a common website. Let’s just keep an open mind on race while we gather on said website, and at the end of the day make sure we get out into our own communities and make sure we actually do something about racism in our lives/communities because that is what actually matters.

The suit alleges that Sterling refused to rent to non-Koreans in Koreatown and to African Americans in Beverly Hills.

The suit alleges Sterling once said he did not like to rent to “Hispanics” because, “Hispanics smoke, drink and just hang around the building.”

Sterling also allegedly said, “Black tenants smell and attract vermin.”

The Baylor allegations fit neatly into a package with the previous charges which, if found true, should convince the NBA to force Sterling to sell the team immediately.

Pve84 I agree with what you are saying but the topic of the article is why would Baylor wait for 20 years. On the other article it just stated the whole situation and i posted something simalar to what you said. We really don’t know either party and what was said and done. We can go off of heresay but none of us were there to really give a definite answer. But this post was more of why would he wait 20 years. I know for me if someone who i cared for was being mistreated I wouldn’t wait 20 years to say something If I truly have a heart for them is my point. Based on His actions I can only give an opinion on that. His actions showed he said NOTHING for 20 years until he got fired. To me that’s fishy and then to use “young black men” as his crutch to why he didn’t speak up sooner. Kinda sounds like double talk. If you really have a burden for them take them out of the situation instead of having them suffer with you for 20 years.

CHE
You and many other folks have been focused on why Baylor stayed.
Today’s link shows Baylor offering a RESPONSE to questions posed to him by others.
So, the original issue was never “WHY DID YOU STAY?”
The original issue, the one in the lawsuit, was “Was Elgin Baylor fired because Donald Sterling is a racist and dislikes old people?”
Since nobody knows whether this is true, I have found quite sad that so many people are sure Elgin Baylor is lying, or they are sure he’s bitter. It’s even more disturbing that so many people have decided not to discuss whether these accusations might be true, but instead have decided to question why Baylor stuck around so long if they are true.
After all, Baylor’s decision to stick around does not make the accusations true or false. His motivations are his own. Yet, not only are people focused on his motivations, they have decided that his explanation for those motivations must be a lie.
IT SEEMS LIKE SOME FOLKS JUST WANT ELGIN BAYLOR TO BE A BITTER LIAR.
Not sure why this is, but, hey y’all must know.

CHE
Once again, if all or most of the black people you know blame their failures on “whitey” then I would suggest you expand your social circle.
The black people I hang out with don’t do this. It would seem that if it bothers you that black people do this, you would either find some new black people, or stop hanging out with black people. Your choice.
And, question, when your white friends blame reverse racism and affirmative action for their inability to succeed, do you correct them?

This may be an article that stemmed from the first one but it still remains a different topic. The questions is why he stayed. That is why there are two different articles. If you want to comment on whether you think Sterling is racist go to the other article and write that. But i thought this article was why would Baylor wait for 20 years to speak up.

It goes both way though allenp, how can you be 100% that he is telling the truth about doing for the “people”? I just go based on actions. People can say whatever the hell they want to say it’s what they do that counts. I can say I love children and never once in my life spend time with one. My actions would speak otherwise. So based on his actions I don’t think he stayed to protect others from Sterling..lol That doesn’t even make sense if you think about it. Sterlings actions also speak for itself.

Jukai
Do you think that just because an issue comes up in court, it must be relavant to the facts of the case?
I’m not a lawyer, but I’ve sat through enough trials to know that’s not the case. Sure, Sterling’s lawyers will bring this issue up, that’ a given.
But, all Elgin has to do is show a pattern of racism and discrimination on Sterling’s part, and offer a plausible explanation for why he stayed. He just offered an explanation, and now he has to document the racism and discrimination. It’s really that simple.

CHE
So, on the other post, the one that was about the lawsuit, you didn’t discuss why Elgin Baylor stayed? You saved those comments just for this post.
Do I need to go back to that post and cut and paste what you wrote CHE?
From the beginning you’ve taken this stand, you can pretend otherwise, or you can be honest about your gut reaction and your choice in how you tried to steer the conversation. It’s totally up to you.
And CHE, I would suggest you read my posts again. Never once did I say Elgin Baylor was telling the truth. Not once. In fact, I expressed skepticism about his claims about why he stayed in the job.
But, what I ultimately decided, is that I don’t know why he stayed. Nor do I know if Donald STerling is racist.
The rest of y’all don’t seem to have that problem. Y’all know that that there is no good reason why Elgin stayed.
Like I said, I would kill for the ability to read minds, it’s amazing how prevalent it is among SLAM readers.