Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is donating $100,000 to the National Association of Black Journalists COVID-19 Relief Fund.
Cuban reportedly made the donation in part to honor former sportswriters Roger B. Brown and Martin McNeal (per Jabari Young of CNBC):
The fund was established by NABJ to assist both sports and non-sports journalists whose jobs have been impacted by layoffs due to the pandemic. Cuban told CNBC the donation was to honor former sportswriters, Roger B. Brown and Martin McNeal, “two legends in the business that I had the pleasure of working with via the Mavs.”
“I asked [lMavericks.com writer] Dwain Price what he thought of the idea, which he was very, very supportive of, so I went ahead with it,” Cuban told CNBC via email.
Brown was a landmark writer at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, while McNeal spent a number of years as a Mavericks beat writer prior to moving to Sacramento. Both Brown and McNeal died from COVID-19 within a span of three days.
Cuban has been especially active during the NBA's hiatus. Both in suggesting ways to navigate the financial turmoil beset on Americans due to the pandemic, as well as in his response to social unrest throughout the country.
Black unemployment has skyrocketed during the pandemic, with COVID-19 especially impacting Black communities across America. Newspapers and media companies have been hit especially hard, giving Cuban added incentive to make such a donation.
The Mavs owner is also preparing for the resumption of play, though those details are still being ironed out amid a number of players voicing concerns in the last couple days.
In the meantime, Cuban is using his capital and influence to lift up communities in need.
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