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Why did Dallas Mavericks stop playing national anthem? Internet asks if Mark Cuban will 'play Chinese anthem'

Cuban's bold decision went unnoticed for the first 13 games and has now garnered mixed reviews

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has seemingly a found solution to the long-standing debate on whether athletes should be forced to stand during the pre-game tradition or allowed to exercise their right to protest. Ever since Colin Kaepernick began the #TakeaKnee movement back in 2016, the national anthem has become a hot topic in professional sports in the last several years. 

The franchise has stopped playing 'The Star-Spangled Banner', according to The Athletic’s Tim Cato, with the outlet pointing out that the Mavericks have not featured the song before any of their home games this season. The move went by unnoticed through the first 13 combined pre-season and regular-season games at American Airlines Center, but some people noticed during the Mavericks’ win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, February 8, which marked the first time a limited number of fans were allowed into the arena. Cuban's decision met with mixed reactions.

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Netizens called Mark Cuban 'the legend', some adding that the 'Shark Tank' investor is different — "I love that move."

A Twitter user said, "This needs to be adopted worldwide. The only time a silly anthem should ever be played at a sporting event if it is at the Olympics or a competition where nations are the competitors. Bravo Mavs and Mark Cuban," while another quipped, "I wonder why Mark Cuban doesn't get the hero worship Elon Musk does."

"Great #leadership by Mark Cuban. Hopefully, more teams will follow suit," said a Twitter user, while another wondered why the national anthem is sung during sporting events. "Commend @mcuban and @dallasmavs not playing the national anthem before games. Hope more teams join. Not for any anti-USA reasons, just always thought it was weird. We didn't always do it every game in sports. Most countries think it's weird outside int'l competition," they said.

Another added, "the news about mark cuban and the national anthem got me thinkin about how weird the pledge of allegiance is. i'm all about loving your country but standing and reciting "the pledge" every morning in school felt like some north korea shit."

Not all were happy (or neutral), of course, and many ardent supporters of the national anthem tradition lashed out at the American entrepreneur's path-breaking decision.

"I have been a lifelong Dallas Mavericks fan! Diehard! But I’m not sure if we are going in the same direction! They, Mark Cuban, has decided to not play the National Anthem anymore before their games. I’m not going to get behind that! I’m done watching!", said a Twitter user, while another said, "I really enjoy Mark Cuban and his business acumen. But his decision to nix the National Anthem before Mavs games is unfortunate." Others said things like "Shame on Mark Cuban. That’s not going to play where his team is," and "I now have ZERO respect for Mark Cuban." "@mcuban Is your team playing Chinese National Anthem instead?" said a Twitter user.

But most people welcomed the move, sending Twitter into a frenzy with their comments and congratulations, hoping more teams follow in the trailblazer's path. "Huh, never really occurred to me that playing the national anthem isn't required. Hopefully this is the start of a trend that sees it being dropped elsewhere. Nice going, Mark Cuban," said a Twitter user, "Eat the rich. Except Mark Cuban," said another. Many wanted "Mark Cuban for president," while one said, "Hats off to Mark Cuban. This 100 year tradition doesn’t have the same context or meaning as it once did and there’s no reason for an increasingly international game to begin with a pledge of American allegiance through the singing of a divisive song." 

There was a lot of pondering over what would replace the national anthem, and Twitter had some ideas. A netizen said, "Just got off the phone with Mark Cuban, replacing the national anthem will be Gucci Bucket Hat by Pap Chanel and Future ft. Herion Young." Another Twitter user added, "The only bad thing about Mark Cuban ceasing the National Anthem before games is that now some local kids don't get a cool stage to sing on. To correct this, I think they should invite a 10 year old to sing whatever they want for 2 minutes every night. Spongebob theme song? Great."