Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said on Tuesday that he decided ahead of the season not to play the national anthem before the team’s home games.
The Mavericks played their first 10 home games in the regular season at the American Airlines Center without fans. The club had fans for the first time in Monday’s 127-122 victory over Minnesota. Dallas is allowing 1,500 essential vaccinated workers to watch the games for free.
Cuban gave no further details about his decision not to play the hymn, saying that no one noticed. Atlético was the first to report that Dallas had abandoned the anthem.
NBA spokesman Tim Frank said: “In the unique circumstances of this season, teams are allowed to carry out their operations before the game as they wish.”
Cuban was openly against critics of NBA players and coaches kneeling during “The Star-Spangled Banner” when the 2019-20 season resumed in the Florida bubble last summer.
According to The Athletic, “Cuban said in July that he would kneel with the musicians during the anthem. He also tweeted: ‘The National Anthem Police in this country is out of control. If you want to complain, complain to your boss and ask why they don’t play the National Anthem every day before you start working. ‘”
The national anthem before the game is a basic element of American sports, both at the professional and high school level, but it is much less common at professional sporting events in other countries.