VOA标准英语2014--Racial Comments Spark Outrage in Sports Community

 

Racial Comments Spark Outrage¹ in Sports Community

LOS ANGELES — Basketball fans are criticizing racial remarks allegedly made by the owner of the National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Clippers, Donald Sterling². 

Owner Donald Sterling was absent from his usual courtside seat when the Clippers faced the Golden State Warriors³ in a playoff game Sunday in Oakland, California.  Team members staged a silent protest, however, wearing their warm-up suits inside out to hide the team's logo.

Sterling is a Los Angeles real estate magnate, and an audio tape released Friday on the website TMZ features a man, allegedly Sterling, making derogatory comments about African Americans.  The man was speaking with a woman said to be Sterling's former girlfriend.  He asks the woman to not bring black people to his basketball games.

And he criticized her for posting a photo online taken with former NBA star Magic Johnson.  Johnson, who spoke⁴ Sunday on the sports network ESPN, said Sterling should sell the team. “If he doesn't like African Americans and you're in a league that's over 70 percent African American ….,” Johnson commented.

Fans were outraged⁵, and even President Barack Obama weighed in, speaking with reporters in Malaysia on his Asian trip. “When ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance, you don't really have to do anything, you just let them talk, and that's what happened here," he said.

At the Staples⁶ Center, the L.A. Clippers home arena⁷, tourists pose at statues of the NBA's great players.  Gail Parasram from Florida feels anger. “It really saddens me to know that there are still people like him with that mindset after all this country has been through,” she stated.

Fans like John Robinson from Northern California worry that attention surrounding Sterling is bad for the sport. “A championship caliber⁸ team, it's sad.  It's really sad and disappointing," he said. "And you'd think that he would be more professional, especially as an owner of a franchise⁹ for the National Basketball Association.”

One family from Atlanta feels dismay, but not surprise, to encounter racist¹⁰ language, said daughter Kelly Aarons. “We are at a time where there's still some of that going on, and it's a little bit more subtle, but you know, it still happens,” she noted¹¹.

The players' association wants action, said former NBA player, association spokesman and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson. "There is absolutely no place in the NBA family for ignorance, intolerance, reprehensible¹² comments," he added.

Sterling has not denied the voice on the recording¹³ is his. NBA officials are investigating and are expected to announce possible sanctions against Sterlling at a Tuesday news conference.

1 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

2 sterling   

adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑)

参考例句：

• Could you tell me the current rate for sterling, please?能否请您告诉我现行英国货币的兑换率？
• Sterling has recently been strong,which will help to abate inflationary pressures.英国货币最近非常坚挺，这有助于减轻通胀压力。

3 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

6 staples   

n.（某国的）主要产品( staple的名词复数 )；钉书钉；U 形钉；主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The anvil onto which the staples are pressed was not assemble correctly. 订书机上的铁砧安装错位。 来自辞典例句
• I'm trying to make an analysis of the staples of his talk. 我在试行分析他的谈话的要旨。 来自辞典例句

7 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

8 caliber   

n.能力；水准

参考例句：

• They ought to win with players of such high caliber.他们选手的能力这样高,应该获胜。
• We are always trying to improve the caliber of our schools.我们一直在想方设法提高我们学校的水平。

9 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。

10 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

11 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

12 reprehensible   

adj.该受责备的

参考例句：

• Lying is not seen as being morally reprehensible in any strong way.人们并不把撒谎当作一件应该大加谴责的事儿。
• It was reprehensible of him to be so disloyal.他如此不忠，应受谴责。

13 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。