Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has confirmed that the team has discontinued playing the national anthem during games this season. This was first publicly noticed on February 9th, but it turns out the Mavs have been doing this for all 13 home games since the season began in December. “It was my decision, and I made it in November,” Cuban said, he and the Mavericks organization have declined to make any further statements. 

The National Anthem in major league sports has been a major topic in recent years, with many players choosing to kneel in protest to racism and police violence present in the country. This has drawn many negative opinions who believe that the anthem should be stood for. The NBA has no exact rules requiring participation in the national anthem, saying players can do, “what’s in their heart.” “I recognize that this is a very emotional issue on both sides of the equation in America right now, and I think it calls for real engagement rather than rule enforcement,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver stated in December. 

On the other hand, this is the first instance we’ve seen a professional sports team stop playing the national anthem altogether. The Mavericks under different ownership opted to play “God Bless America” instead of the anthem in 1996, but this is a completely different scenario. 

What do you think of this situation? Should the Mavs have to play the anthem? Or do you support their stance for social justice?