Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said Tuesday that before the season he decided not to play the national anthem before the team’s home games.
The Mavericks played their first ten regular season games at home at the American Airlines Center without fans. The club had fans for the first time in Monday’s 127-122 win over Minnesota. Dallas allows 1,500 vaccinated essential workers to attend games for free.
Cuban did not delve into his decision not to play the anthem, saying no one had noticed. Athletic was the first to report that Dallas had dropped the anthem.
NBA spokesman Tim Frank said, “Under the unique circumstances of this season, teams are allowed to perform their pre-game operations as they see fit.”
Cuban era frank against critics of NBA players and coaches kneeling during “The Star-Spangled Banner,” when the 2019-20 season resumed in the bubble in Florida last summer.
According to The Athletic, “Cuban said in July that he would kneel with the players during the anthem. He also tweeted:” The country’s national anthem police are out of control. If you want to complain, complain in your head and ask why. they don’t play the national anthem every day before they start working. “
The national anthem prior to the game is a staple of American sports at both the professional and collegiate levels, but is much less common at professional sporting events in other countries.