Clipper Darrell: Lob City Needlessly Destroys Positive Mojo by Disrespecting Fan

Clippers owner Donald Sterling can't seem to get out of his own way.

For years, he has done his best to turn a profit while owning a miserable team and has never seemed to even care if he fielded a watchable product for his fans. 

Now, with his team finally tasting some success, he was primed to start erasing these stains of futility. And what does he do? He looks at the bottom line and comes to a short-sighted conclusion that reminds everyone exactly who he is: a greedy man that cares nothing for the fans that support his franchise. 

At the behest of the team, Superfan extraordinaire Clipper Darrell was told he could no longer exist. He has to go back to being Darrell Bailey. 

What a terribly short-sighted and miserable thing to do to a fan that has suffered through some of the worst products a professional franchise has ever dared put on a playing surface. 

Bailey recently discussed how this went down with FishbowlLA and was quoted by Marcus Vanderberg. 

"

We got to talking and I said the way I feel, you don’t want Clipper Darrell no more. You want Darrell Bailey back. They said, "You would do that?”

That’s when everything went haywire and they said I was trying to make money off sponsorships,” Bailey added. “If people are going to pay me to do some things, why not do it? I don’t see any harm in it as long as I’m not hurting the brand itself.

I’m going to high schools, charity events, I do it all. They told me at the end of the conversation that, "We would like you not to be Clipper Darrell anymore and would like you to go back to Darrell Bailey."

"

He added that they offered him an additional free season ticket if he dropped the name. At least they made a gesture, but it was not nearly enough to appease Darrell. 

Vanderberg also added this tidbit, which is starting to get closer to the heart of the matter. 

"

Carl Lahr, senior vice president of marketing and sales, eventually returned Bailey’s call last week and informed him that the organization didn’t need him doing stories or speaking to the media on behalf of the team.

"

Translation: Stop using your connection to our team to promote yourself. 

Update: Wednesday, Feb 29 at 7:45 p.m. ET

The Clippers have released an official statement on this incident. You can read the full statement on the OCRegister.com. Here is an excerpt: 

"

We have had multiple conversations with him concerning his inappropriate use of the Clippers’ team name and trademark for his own unmonitored commercial gain. We have spoken to him repeatedly about his desire to make public appearances in ways which improperly suggest that he is officially affiliated with our organization. In all cases and over a long period of time, he has consistently rejected our efforts to operate in consultation.

"

Let's look at the big picture here. 

The Clippers are upset that someone is making money due to his self-earned connection to the team. They realize their the Clippers, right? It is not been easy to be a die hard Clippers fan for the last 15 years. 

This is a lame attempt to excuse their callousness. The Clippers have had plenty of time to handle this situation. The fact that they decided this had to stop now is evidence of their pettiness. They should have taken better care of their greatest fan. 

A Clipper Thing to Do

What do the Clippers stand to gain by this? Clipper Darrell has been a dedicated fan for over 15 years. His nickname was never a problem before. But now that people are suddenly interested, they are concerned about who is representing them in the public. 

He has the right to the image he created.If this move was really about guarding their image, He earned that image through years of unending, boisterous support of a comically sorry franchise.  

This move is not going to be greeted warmly by other fans, but Sterling and the Clippers have never been concerned about alienating their fan base. 

As it turns out, the fans aren't the only ones being alienated. 

Players quickly took to Twitter to voice their support for their biggest fan. 

Blake Griffin tweeted out that he doesn't like the prospect of there no longer being a Clipper Darrell. 

"

Bring back #ClipperDarrell

— Blake Griffin (@blakegriffin) February 29, 2012"

DeAndre Jordan added that he is a fan of his fan.

"

I love Clipper Darrell....#ClipperDarrell

— DeAndre Jordan (@deandrejordan) February 29, 2012"

And Chris Paul let Darrell know the players had his back.

"

@clipperdarrell WE GOT YOU!!!

— Chris Paul (@CP3) February 29, 2012"

Great job, Clippers. You just got into a spat with your biggest fan, got petty, and had the heart of your team sticking up for the guy you had beef with. 

I will say this: The Clippers brass is nothing if they aren't efficient. In one petty and short-sighted decision, they have destroyed any goodwill and lost your players.   

At least they can take solace in the fact that they stayed true to the Clipper way.