You know how I know the Dallas Mavericks deciding not to play the national anthem before games isn’t actually a big deal? Because no one noticed until just now.
The team hasn’t played it before any games thus far this season and Mark Cuban confirmed they do not plan to resume doing so, which I think is a good decision. At this point, when I hope we can be entering less divisive times, I don’t believe anything productive comes from arguing about what others choose to do during the anthem.
If you want to stand with pride and your hand on your heart…cool. If you want to kneel in protest…cool. If you want to do neither…cool. Let’s be real, a bunch of people just got done placing bets on the over/under on the song’s duration at the Super Bowl.
Now I get the lack of fans may have made this a little easier to pull off under the radar, but not playing the national anthem before events isn’t exactly unprecedented. I don’t recall it being played before going to dinner, or the movies, or a concert, or when reporting to work.
Why should sports be any different? And is it really patriotism if you’re forced to do it? I understand there will be some reactions today, like this one, given it is in the news and has been a highly debated topic since Colin Kaepernick first took a knee.
But personally, I respect the move from Cuban. I hope it shows, as it has thus far with the Mavs, that it won’t be missed before games. And will eventually lead to fans being more united when they stand.
