When Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban confirmed that he instructed his organization not to play the National Anthem before games, Americans were outraged.
Cuban was ripped for his decision.
“Get woke, go broke! I won’t spend another cent on Dallas Mavericks,” tweeted the vice president of the Fort Worth Police Officers’ Association — Anthony White.
John Rich, part of the country music duo Big & Rich, asked if Cuban would usher all fans out of the arena if they rose in unison and sang the anthem “at the top of their lungs.”
Sen. Tom Cotton said the decision made sense due to the NBA’s need for space to play the Chinese anthem prior to games.
The decision had not garnered attention until recently when the Mavericks allowed a limited number of fans to attend games.
The NBA released a statement that it will require all teams to play the National Anthem before each game.
While the league requires players to stand for the anthem by rule, it has gone unenforced.
