Robert Sarver selling the Phoenix Suns is a privilege, not a punishment, and it's important we know the difference
To no one’s surprise, disgraced Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner Robert Sarver has decided to sell his teams after becoming the face of the league’s biggest scandal over the last few weeks.
For those of you out of the know, the NBA has been investigating Sarver over the last year regarding allegations of racism, sexism and workplace misconduct. After more than 320 interviews and evaluating more than 300,000 documents, the NBA suspended Sarver for one year and fined him the maximum amount of $10 million for his deplorable behavior in the toxic workplace he created.
Now, we’re here. Sarver is putting the teams up for sale and he’ll be out of the NBA’s hair for good.
To be clear, this was always the way this saga was going to end. Public pressure only continued to mount after the league’s announcement. Not only did fans think his punishment failed to match the breadth of his sins, but so did his minority owners and a major corporate sponsor. There is no world in which he could’ve walked back into the organization next year pretending things are peachy keen.
So he had to sell. This was the corner he was essentially backed into. This brings us to the feckless “woe, is me” statement Sarver released following the news of his decision to sell.
With this, as my colleague Andrew Joseph brilliantly pointed out, he managed to show a complete lack of remorse for what he did.
He blames an “unforgiving climate” as the reason he must sell the franchise he owns currently valued at $1.8 billion, according to Forbes. Clearly, there’s no such thing as accountability in the world of Robert Sarver. There’s no mention of the derogatory, offensive and straight-up hateful behavior and language he’s used to harm people. Instead, he finds time to cite the “good” he’s done “or could still do” — as if it weren’t a decades-long track record that got him here in the first place.He makes it seem as if he’s just a boy who the world has chosen to punish for past misdeeds. Woe is him. He’s just another victim of the heinous cancel culture that eventually comes for us all.
But don’t get it twisted. Sarver is no victim here. What sort of victim leaves a situation where they’ve spent decades doing damage only to become $2 billion richer than they were in the first place?
Make no mistake — Sarver having to sell his team isn’t a punishment. If anything, it’s a privilege. One that only the richest of the rich could ever afford to have in our society.
Think about it. He repeatedly used the n-word and harassed his employees in all sorts of different ways for years. What were the consequences? He had to leave work for a year and pay a fine that probably feels more like $1,000 than $10 million to a man of his current worth.
Adam Silver openly admitted there wasn’t much the NBA could do. They couldn’t force his removal without majority approval from at least 23 owners — and well, good luck with that. He didn’t get a lifetime ban as his former colleague Donald Sterling did. He didn’t have to stop owning the team. He just couldn’t come to work.
Now, on his own volition, he’ll become a whole lot richer than he already is. Sure, he’ll never be able to show his face in the NBA again. But who cares? He’s about to make billions off of what is one of the best teams in the league.
Don’t let Robert Sarver — or anyone else on the internet, for that matter — fool you. He’s totally fine. He’s probably a lot happier today than he was yesterday. A couple billion will do that for you.
Good for you, Robert Sarver. And good riddance. Take your money and go.
Watch our sneaker unboxing series, Special Delivery