The NBA released a statement on Wednesday declaring that all teams will be required to play the National Anthem before games as fans are welcomed back.
“With NBA teams now in process of welcoming fans back into their arenas, all teams will play the national anthem in keeping with longstanding league policy,” NBA Chief Communications Officer Mike Bass said in the statement. This move comes on the heels of the news that the Dallas Mavericks ceased playing the anthem before games this season. Dallas has hosted 12 regular-season games so far during the 2020-21 season, along with a single preseason game, and the team didn’t play the anthem before any of the contests.
According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said it was his decision and he made it in November.
A source close to Cuban said the decision to not play the anthem before games wasn’t because the franchise lacks love for the United States, but rather because many in the organization feel that the anthem “doesn’t represent them,” according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Instead, the Mavericks reportedly wanted to explore other ways of representing people from all communities while also honoring the U.S. at games. Now though the Mavericks will be mandated to play the anthem before all of its games.
If it doesn’t represent them, China is calling. They love China and would probably stand for their anthem for money.
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