Have you never heard of protests against the national anthem at Mavericks games? There’s a good reason for that: Dallas is playing and won’t be playing “The Star-Spangled Banner” anymore.
Mark Cuban told The Athletic his decision was to eliminate the tradition of playing the national anthem before matches. The move went unnoticed during the first 13 combined preseason and regular season games at American Airlines Center, as the Mavericks made no publicity about it, either within the organization or through an announcement to the media. Monday was the first game in which the Mavericks let a limited number of fans into their arena.
Cuban has spoken out about his support of those who want to kneel down while playing the National Anthem, the practice that former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began in 2016 that became a lightning rod for partisan political debate.
The outspoken Mavericks owner told ESPN last July of the potential for his team’s players to kneel during the national anthem: “If they took a knee, and they were respectful, I would be proud of them” and that he hoped that “Join them.” He later tweeted, in response to what he called “ The National Anthem Police, ” that if critics of the non-violent protest of systemic racism in the United States objected, they could “ complain to your boss and ask why they’re not playing National Anthem every day before you go to work. “
While NBA rules require players to stand while playing the national anthem, Commissioner Adam Silver has chosen to overlook the rule to support his players’ decisions to express themselves.
“I recognize that this is a very emotional issue on both sides of the equation in America right now,” Silver said at a December press conference, “and I think it calls for real commitment rather than enforcement of the rules. “