Have you not heard of any Mavericks National Anthem Protests? There is a valid explanation why: “The Star-Spangled Banner” is not and will not play anymore.
It was his decision to delete the hymn before the games, Mark Cuban told The Athletic. The switch has not been observed during the first 13 pre-saison and regular-season games at the US Airlines Hub, because Mavericks hasn’t revealed it in the company or in the media. The first game Monday marked the Mavericks, where a small number of fans joined their arena.
Cuban vocally supported the play of the national anthem that Colin Kaepernick started in 2016 and was turned into a flashpoint for partisan politics in former 49ers. Cuban has been a partisan for his support.
The owner of outsider Mavericks told ESPN last July that his team’s players could kneel during a hypocrisy: “If they were taking a knee, and they were being respectful, I’d be proud of them” and he hoped he would join them. He then tweeted to criticise the US Non-violent systemic racism in response to what he called the “The National Anthem Police.”
Although the NBA rules require players to stand while the anthem is being played, Commissioner Adam Silver has decided to violate the law in favour of his players’ decisions.
Silver, at a press conference in December, said “I recognise that this is a very emotional issue for both sides of the equation in America right now and I believe it calls for real commitment rather than rule execution.”
