‘Blackballed’ EP Will Packer Reflects On A “Watershed Moment” In American Sports History & The Complicity In Silence
Matt Grobar Assistant Editor, AwardslineWith his Quibi short-form series Blackballed, executive producer Will Packer set out to explore the intersection of race and sports, in the context of an explosive and pivotal moment in American sports history.Directed by Mike Jacobs, the show dissects five days during the 2014 NBA playoffs, when Los Angeles Clippers players and head coach Doc Rivers were hit with a bombshell revelation.In April of that year, longtime Clippers owner Donald Sterling provoked disgust and extreme outrage, in and outside of the NBA, when a private recording revealing his racist comments was released.Soon, Sterling would be fined $2.5 million by the NBA, and banned from the league for life.