The Dallas Mavericks played the national anthem before the home game against the Atlanta Hawks, just hours after billionaire team owner Mark Cuban gave in to the NBA’s demand that the song be played at every game.
A recorded version of the Star-Spangled Banner was played before Wednesday night’s game at the American Airlines Center, while Mavericks and Hawks players and their team were lined up on the court.
When the hymn ended, the handful of fans in attendance burst into applause and shouting. The Mavericks are currently allowing 1,500 home game fans, with tickets available for vaccinated health professionals and essential workers.
This happened hours after the NBA issued a stern statement saying ‘all teams are going to play the national anthem’, forcing Cuban to reverse the course after he announced the practice would be stopped, saying the Star-Spangled Banner does not represent ‘all communities’.
A recorded version of the Star-Spangled Banner was played before Wednesday night’s game at the American Airlines Center, while Mavericks and Hawks players and their team were lined up
This happened hours after the NBA issued a stern statement saying “all teams are going to play the national anthem”, forcing Cuban to reverse the course after banning the country’s music
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban (pictured) said he told the team to stop playing the national anthem before home games this season. “It was my decision, and I made it in November,” Cuban told The Athletic on Tuesday, without giving details. [File photo]
Cuban released his own statement on Wednesday afternoon: ‘We respect and always respect the passion that people have for the anthem and for our country. But we also hear loudly the voices of those who feel that the hymn does not represent them.
‘We feel that their voices need to be respected and heard, because they were not. From now on, our hope is that people will have the same passion they have for this issue and apply the same amount of energy to listen to those who feel differently from them. Only then can we move on and have courageous conversations that move this country forward and find what unites us. ‘
The league’s initial reaction to the ban on the Cuban anthem was to say that teams were free to carry out pre-match activities as they wished, with the unusual circumstances created by the coronavirus pandemic. Most teams have no fans at home.
But the NBA abruptly changed course with Cuban’s decision reverberating across the country, including a question asked to White House press secretary Jen Psaki during her daily briefing.
Protests by athletes of social and racial injustice during The Star-Spangled Banner became a flashpoint between then President Donald Trump and several leagues during his administration.
“With NBA teams now in the process of welcoming fans back to their arenas, all teams will play the national anthem according to the league’s longstanding policy,” said the league.
The Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks, along with a limited audience of fans, stand during the performance of the national anthem before the first half of an NBA basketball game in Dallas
Images of the US flag were displayed on the jumbotron as the anthem was played on Wednesday
When the hymn ended, the handful of fans in attendance burst into applause and shouting. The Mavericks are allowing 1,500 fans at home games
The Mavericks said they would play the anthem starting Wednesday night against Atlanta, with the release of a statement.
“We respect and always respect the passion that people have for the anthem and for our country,” said Cuban. “But we also hear very loudly the voices of those who feel that the hymn does not represent them. We feel that their voices need to be respected and heard, because they were not.
“Our hope is that, going forward, people will have the same passion they have for this issue and apply the same amount of energy to listen to those who feel different from them,” he said. ‘Then we can move on and have courageous conversations that move this country and discover what unites us.’
The Mavericks played their first 10 regular season games without fans before allowing 1,500 essential vaccinated workers to attend Monday’s game against Minnesota free of charge.
At this point, Cuban refused to give details about his decision not to play the anthem, except to say that no one noticed until after 11 home games in the regular season.
The change was supported by NBA coaches.
“It should happen everywhere,” New Orleans coach Stan Van Gundy tweeted on Wednesday. “If you think the hymn needs to be played before sporting events, play it before each film, show, religious service and at the beginning of each working day at each company. What is the good reason to play the anthem before the game? ‘
The question raised by Van Gundy has been debated for some time.
The NBA issued a statement saying that all teams will play the national anthem according to the league’s longstanding policy.
Mark Cuban said he hopes people will take the opportunity to hear from other people with different views on the matter
The NBA rules book does not specifically say that the anthem – or anthems, in games involving the Toronto Raptors, the only Canadian team in the league – should be played before the games.
The only rule with respect to the songs states the following: ‘Players, coaches and coaches must stand and line up in a dignified posture along the foul lines when playing the American and / or Canadian national anthems.’
That rule was relaxed last year in the NBA restart bubble at Walt Disney World, when the league did not object to players who kneeled to listen to the anthem to show their desire to end racial injustice and police brutality.
The players were criticized for kneeling; some of those who stayed, like Meyers Leonard, from Miami, and Jonathan Isaac, from Orlando, also faced adverse reactions on social media for choosing to stand.
San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, an Air Force Academy graduate and US men’s coach, also ran for bubble hymns.
In an interview with ESPN, Cuban said he never intended to stop playing the anthem forever. The frank billionaire said the problem is part of an ongoing conversation with people in the community and the league, especially when fans start returning to the arenas.
Dallas Mavericks players and coaches kneel in protest against racism before an August 30 playoff game in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, where the NBA season ended amid the pandemic. The owner, Mark Cuban, initially said he hoped his players would play the anthem, but after George Floyd’s death by the police on May 25, he expressly supported the protesters
“We have no problem playing the national anthem,” said Cuban. “I defend the national anthem. My hand is always over my heart. The real question is how you represent the voices of those who feel that the hymn does not represent them or cause them dismay. ‘
Psaki said he had not spoken to President Joe Biden about the matter.
“I know he is incredibly proud to be an American and has great respect for the anthem and everything it stands for,” said Psaki. “He would also say, of course, that part of the pride in our country means recognizing where we, as a country, do not live up to our highest ideals.”
The reaction against not playing the anthem was swift at the Texas Capitol, where Republican Governor Dan Patrick asked Cuban to ‘sell the franchise and some Texas Patriots will buy it’.
Other Republican Party lawmakers have suggested that the tax incentives that the American Airlines Center receives should undergo further analysis.
Patrick said he plans to present a bill in the Texas Senate that will ensure that the national anthem is played at all events that receive public funding. He said the project has broad support.
“It’s hard to believe that this could happen in Texas, but yesterday’s Mark Cuban actions made it clear that we must specify that in Texas we will play the national anthem before all the big events,” said Patrick.
“In this time when so many things divide us, sports are something that unites us – right, left, black, white and brown.”