How Dana White saved the NBA

Why is Donald Sterling banned for life from the NBA?

Dana White, that's why.

Yes, that Dana White.

Yes, the Dana White that runs the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Through all of the news and the hoopla and the opinions and the comments yesterday, one thing stood out to me most. Adam Silver was there to make a point. No apologies, no care in the world, it was Adam Silver's moment. He has only been the commissioner of the NBA for two months, but the entire future of his reign as Commissioner hinged on what happened yesterday.

There are very few poignant moments in someone's career. Adam Silver had to make the best of his yesterday and he did.

David Stern would have never done what Silver did.

And for all the good that David Stern was for the NBA, we all know he would not have acted strongly.

While he was the NBA commissioner, David Stern was the best commissioner and all sports. But he was too laid-back, not assertive enough to make a decision like Adam Silver made.

Not only did Adam Silver make one of the most poignant and harsh statements in the history of professional sports, he did so with a face of disgust and a personal belief that Donald Sterling was so wrong that that was the only choice of recourse.

Cue Dana White.

Through David Stern, Gary Bettman, Roger Goodell and the swarm of others, we have gotten to see so many faces and so many ideals and so many ways how to go about running a professional sports league.

And then Dana White came around and changed the game.

Like Silver on Tuesday, White had his poignant early moment.

"Do you want to be a fucking fighter?," was all Dana White had to say. The Ultimate Fighter television show, the UFC a d the sport of MMA all went through the roof the second he uttered those words. Does every commissioner or person in authority in sports need to be as brash as Dana White? Of course not. But he set the tone that some of his lead needs to be followed.

Why? Because except for a handful of instances, Dana White commands respect. And he gets that respect. He gets respect from fighters, from media, from advertisers and other personalities from other sports.

From the moment he was able to open his mouth on national television, Dana White told the world here I am, this is what's happening and you better get in line do it. And of story. Not demanding, but very commanding.

Adam Silver, whether he knows it or not, followed that lead on Tuesday. His eyes were sharp, his words were hard and he delivered the same message Dana White delivers every time he talks.

The world has changed, respect is very rarely earned the way that it should be. But when you're in a position like Adam Silver or Dana White or any other major sports commissioner is in, you have to take that respect, command it.

Professional sports, whether we look at it or not, changed yesterday because the decision Adam Silver made. It was a huge moment in the history of the sporting industry, and kudos to Adam Silver for having the intestinal fortitude to make the decision and be strong with it.

But let us not forget the kudos to Dana White for stepping up and taking a commanding role first, so people like Adam Silver can do it after him.

Because of that command can fix so many of the wrongs that we see in professional sports today.