The NBA might be the most political league in all of sports.
No league has also done more to alienate fans than the NBA.
And now one NBA owner canceled the national anthem. This is how it’s going to cost him.
Last year, Dallas Mavericks owners Mark Cuban stopped playing the national anthem before games.
Cuban defended the decision citing how Black Lives Matter activists complained the Star-Spangled Banner did not represent him.
“We respect and always have respected the passion people have for the anthem and our country,” Cuban stated. “But we also loudly hear the voices of those who feel that the anthem does not represent them.”
That was not good enough for the Texas State Legislature, which passed a bill mandating all pro sports teams in Texas play the anthem before games or pay back any funds received from the state.
Outkick reports:
A swarm of recently passed laws in Texas went into effect on Wednesday. As of September 1, the state now requires all-pro teams in Texas to play the Star-Spangled Banner before home games.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick prioritized this law after Mark Cuban removed the national anthem from the Dallas Mavericks’ pre-game rituals last season.
Should Cuban nix the anthem again, the Texas House will force Cuban and his team to repay government funds received from the state, which could amount to millions of dollars.
Fans don’t want an NBA – or any pro sports league – that acts like a Republican Party Super PAC any more than they like the current structure where leagues, players, owners, and coaches line up with every cause on the Left.
They just want sports to go back to being sports and serving as a distraction from the daily grind of life – including politics.
Playing the national anthem never used to be a political act.
And that’s the world sports fans want to go back to.
Sports with Balls will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
