Joseph Abdul
5/3/2014
Democracy Now! Week 10 (Extra Credit)
Last week's DN! broadcasted the case of Donald Sterling, owner of the LA Clippers who was caught on tape on a racial rage. Author Dave Zirin claims that the NBA have always known of Sterling's prejudice and looked the other way. Sterling was also accused of running African American families out of an apartment complex that he owns. In response, athletes protested by placing their practice jerseys in the center of the court emphasizing that they do not want the NBA or team logo on their clothing. Fans have also turned away from attending games. Sterling is being pressured to sell the team as he is banned from the NBA for life. It is the strength of many people put together that made it possible for him to be banned.
In other news last week, music legend Neil Young spoke out against the Keystone pipeline project. It was a rally event in Washington to protest against the Earth-damaging project. With his powerful words, Young seemed to attract the attention of his audiences. Whenever a popular figure speaks out about an issue, the results shout turnout great. Whether the person is a musician or an athlete, popular figures make for successful social movements. This is a tactic called block recruiting, and it works great.
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