LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling may be losing control of his NBA franchise, but he’s already got at least one firm job offer after his professional sports franchise days are over.
According to sources close to the situation, Fox News has offered the controversial billionaire a Saturday evening talk show where he can share his views on race, gender relations, class warfare and the economy.
“I think he really connects with our audience,” says Fox News President Roger Ailes. "He’s not bogged down by political correctness. He’s not afraid to say what’s on his mind. And he remains true to the old-fashioned values that made this country great.
“Plus, at 80 years old Donald Sterling is smack in the middle of our demographic. Obviously our viewers love to see women like Megyn Kelly do the news. But they also want to see someone more like themselves. The average age of our viewers is around 85, so Donald may even help us attract a slightly younger audience.
“Now I know a lot of liberals out there are gonna ask, ‘Why give this guy a platform?' Well why do we give anyone a platform? Why give Sean Hannity a platform? Why give Glenn Beck a platform? Because giving idiots platforms drives ratings, which make us money. What’s wrong with making money? What’s wrong with capitalism?”
Longtime owner Donald Sterling has been banned from the NBA for life after a tape recording surfaced of him telling his former girlfriend not to bring black people to LA Clippers games.
In an emotional press conference yesterday, newly installed NBA Commissioner Adam Silver also vowed to make sure Sterling is forced to sell the Clippers, which he has owned since 1981.
During the conference Silver took questions from several reporters, and only Fox News’ correspondent asked a question sympathetic to Sterling: “Should someone lose their team for remarks used in private? Is this a slippery slope?”
Such support for an overt racist is rare for a network that more often uses racial code words to appeal to an audience of older white men.
It has stood by several hosts after their own racial controversies, however, such as when Glenn Beck accused President Obama of having a "hatred" of white people and when Bill O'Reilly said he was surprised black people in Harlem used forks.
It has also been criticized for heavily promoting the cause of rancher Cliven Bundy, who turned out to have racist views against "the Negro."
Representatives for Sterling say that he has spoken to Ailes about the job offer in the last 24 hours but hasn't made a decision to join the network.
Although Sterling has given money to both Democratic and Republican candidates, he is a registered Republican.
