DALLAS (AP) – Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said Tuesday he decided before the season not to play the national anthem before the team’s home games.
The Mavericks played their first ten home games in the regular season without fans. The club had fans for the first time in the 127-122 win over Minnesota. Dallas allows 1,500 vaccinated essential workers to attend free games.
Cuban did not elaborate on his decision not to play the national anthem, saying no one noticed it. The Athletic first reported that Dallas dropped the national anthem.
NBA spokesman Tim Frank said: “Under the unique circumstances of this season, teams are allowed to run their preseason games as they see fit.”
Cubans were outspoken against critics of NBA players and coaches who knelt during ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ when the 2019-20 season resumed in the bubble in Florida last summer.
The national anthem is an important aspect of American sports at the professional and collegiate level, but is much less common at pro-sport events in other countries.
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