BREAKING NEWS – Dallas, Texas – Mavericks owner Mark Cuban confirmed to The Athletic that it was his decision to no longer play the national anthem prior to home games at American Airlines Center. The Mavericks haven’t played the national anthem prior to home games this season, and the team doesn’t plan on playing it for the foreseeable future.
Cuban and the Mavericks didn’t publicize the removal of the national anthem prior to games, but The Athletic reached out to the team after realizing that it wasn’t played before Monday’s matchup. A number of team employees only noticed the removal of the anthem on their own, according to The Athletic. They also said that it was not announced or explained internally.
The Athletic reported that Cuban declined a request for further comment or explanation. The only thing he said was in a tweet, when he said, “I now hate capitalism and I will start embracing socialism, as my name suggests. I now believe that the wealthy should be paying taxes on at least 70% of their income, with the exception of billionaires and owners of professional sports teams.”