Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has spent his Monday going at it with United States Senator Ted Cruz on Twitter. Following an exchange between Cuban and Dallas radio host Mark Davis over players kneeling during the national anthem, Texas senator Ted Cruz had an indirect response to the Mavs owner:
Really??!?
NBA is telling everyone who stands for the flag, who honors our cops and our veterans, to “piss off”? In Texas, no less?
Good luck with that. pic.twitter.com/AVWLMZIqu0
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 20, 2020
Cuban's response? Calling out the senator for not addressing him directly and tagging Cruz directly in his comment:
Have some balls for once @tedcruz. Speak to me. It's my tweet. https://t.co/QGza2qWoRR
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) July 20, 2020
The tweet that started the whole thing was Davis wanting to get on board with the Mavs' playoff run, but qualifying it with the issue of the anthem and calling out Cuban to bar players from kneeling:
I am so ready to be be in on this year's #Mavericks home stretch: so much promise, so much personality. But the minute one player kneels during the anthem, I am OUT. Surely @mcuban can lead the way for #Mavs, #NBA to do whatever gesture they wish without insulting the nation. https://t.co/PWMWrpgwAc
— Mark Davis (@MarkDavis) July 20, 2020
Cuban isn't a fan of the “National Anthem Police” and doesn't really care if somebody doesn't want to watch his Mavs if they're angry about players protesting. Cuban has stated on several occasions that he supports his players' right to kneel for the anthem. He, like many others, have changed their stance on this following the death of George Floyd and the surge of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Ted Cruz's response is indicative of a man who still thinks Texas is as it was 20 years ago. With both immigrants and transplants flocking to the Lone Star State, the politics of the state have changed noticeably over the last decade. While still squarely a red state on a national level, the split tightening was shown in 2018, when Cruz just barely beat Beto O'Rourke.
Cruz responded to Cuban's direct response, once again using a phrase that Cuban never said at all, though the senator did point out that he did directly respond to a different tweet:
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 20, 2020
Cruz then went after Cuban on China:
Speaking of balls, tell us what you think about China.
I’ll wait. https://t.co/s68JYk9MLR
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 20, 2020
Still no answer from @mcuban
Let’s try simpler. Mark, tough guy, can you say “Free Hong Kong”?
Can your players put that on their jerseys?
Can you condemn the CCP’s concentration camps w/ 1 million Uyghurs?
Can you say ANYTHING other than “Chairman Mao is beautiful & wise”? https://t.co/0XpLRaFSw2
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 20, 2020
The Mavs owner fired back with a series of tweets explaining his stance:
I can say Black Lives Matter. I can say there is systemic racism in this country. I can say there is a Pandemic that you have done little to end. I can say I care about this country first and last and.. https://t.co/URFs41XloY
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) July 20, 2020
Why is it, @tedcruz, that you take such pride in standing up to and speaking truth to the Chinese, but you have no ability to stand up to and speak the truth to @realdonaldtrump ?
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) July 20, 2020
Cuban is certainly going to stand his ground on these issues. The Mavs owner is never afraid to speak his mind, no matter who's challenging him. Don't be surprised to see this feud continue.
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