The Dallas Mavericks stopped playing the national anthem before their home games by order of their owner, Mark Cuban, he confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.
The Mavericks do not plan to resume the tradition of playing the national anthem before games in the future.
Cuban, who declined to comment, made the decision after consulting with the NBA commissioner, Adam Silver. The Mavericks did not announce the policy change, but the national anthem has not been played before any of their 13 preseason and regular season games in the American Airlines Center this season.
Photo: AP
No player, coach or staff from other teams have mentioned the change, according to a team source.
The NBA’s rule book requires players to stand up during the national anthem, but Silver has refused to enforce that rule, particularly as kneeling during the anthem became a popular way to protest against social injustice in the last years. The vast majority of NBA players and many coaches knelt during the national anthem at the NBA reboot last summer in Orlando, Florida, when the League incorporated messages of support for the movement. Black Lives Matter and other causes of social justice in the design of the field and other forms.
“I recognize that this is a very emotional issue on both sides of the equation in America right now, and I think it requires real commitment rather than enforcing the rules,” Silver said during a news conference in December.
In a June interview on Outside the Lines de ESPN, Cuban expressed his support for the players who kneel during the national anthem as a form of protest.
“If they would kneel down and be respectful, I would be proud of them. I wish I would join them,” Cuban said.
Cuban then added that he hoped the league “allows players to do what is in their heart.”
“Whether they raise their arms, whether they kneel, whatever, I don’t think it’s a matter of respect or disrespect for the flag, the anthem or our country,” Cuban said. “I think this is more a reflection of our players’ commitment to this country and the fact that it is so important to them that they are willing to say what is in their heart and do what they think is right.”
“I will give in to [el comisionado] Adam [Silver] on any final ruling and [la directora ejecutiva del sindicato de jugadores] Michele Roberts. But the reality is that I hope we let the players do exactly what they think is right. “Things to do.”
In 2017, Cuban expressed a different opinion after President Donald Trump criticized NFL players who knelt during the anthem to protest against social injustice and police brutality.
Serie A, Copa del Rey, UFC, thousands of live events, exclusive original series and much more, all in HD. Subscribe here
If you want to receive the best information in the sports world, download the App now.
espn.com/app »
“This is the United States and I am proud of the people who speak civilly. That is who we are as a country,” Cuban said at the time. “I’ll be standing there with my hand over my heart. I think the players will be [de pie]. I hope they are. “
Three years later, as the Black Lives Matter movement continued to grow, Cuban explained what changed his mindset.
“Because I think we have learned a lot since 2017,” he told OTL in June. “I think we have evolved as a country. And this is really a unique moment in time where we can grow as a society, we can grow as a country and be much more inclusive and be much more aware of the challenges that minority communities face. .
“So I will be in unison with our players, whatever they choose to do. But again, when our players in the NBA do what they have at heart, when they do what they feel represents who they are and seek to move this country forward. “. When it comes to race relations, I think it’s a beautiful thing and I’ll be proud of it. “
