New poem: STERLING BEHAVIOR.

Note: I have corrected a line about Bill Plaschke from an earlier version.
Apologies for faulty memory and insufficient fact checking.

What is it about people involved in sports
 and people who report about sports
 that cause them to occasionally
 blast the verbal flatulence
 of racist comments
 from their privileged mouths?
 >
 LA TIMES' Bill Plaschke muttering about
 seeing the Mexican flag waved
 and fans cheering against the U.S.
 at U.S./Mexico soccer games in Los Angeles.
 Jimmy The Greek spluttering on
 people's "breeding" habits.
 Al Campanis assuming African-Americans
 can't manage baseball teams.
 And, of course, Marge Schott.

 Now, Donald Sterling runs through
 a veritable Greatest Hits of Bigotry
 while lecturing his much younger female companion:
 "this race hates that race"
 "I don't want you to invite
 [famous non-Caucasian NBA star] to my team's games"
 "you can associate with [famous non-Caucasian NBA star]
 in private but not in public"
 and the now rising-on-the-charts
 "if I catch you taking an Instagram with....
 [non-Caucasian person, perhaps a famous NBA
 star, of the opposite sex]"
 >
 Unfortunately, this behavior
 will happen again.
 All one can hope for
 is the chorus of disapproval
 growing in decibel size
 after every profoundly offensive statement
 uttered by the prejudiced sportsperson
 living under the delusion
 that his-or-her hatred
 reflects "the real world."