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Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban really seems to prefer the NBA to the NFL.
Like, a lot.
In a wide-reaching interview with Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, Cuban explained why he feels the NBA is in better shape than the NFL in terms of ratings, implications for future generations, and possibly most important of all, its social impact.
He argued that basketball players have more of a voice than football players, citing that when Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James tweets, “more people see it than our politicians.”
Cuban didn't stop there.
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“I hate to just keep banging on the NFL, but the saturation was a symptom of a bigger problem,” he said. “That’s when I said that pigs get fat, because you see how they handle controversy. They don’t know what to do, and the players can’t really deal with it. Here our players have a big enough voice that if we screw up, our players correct us. Whether it’s (Brad (Stevens), whether it’s Danny (Ainge), whether it’s (Al) Horford, whether it’s Kyrie (Irving) — they all have voices. They can say what’s on their mind, and that has a bigger impact on how fans respond than what (commissioner) Adam Silver says or what I say or what Wyc (Grousbeck, the Celtics co-owner) says. That’s a huge thing.”
Cuban's post is best evidenced by the National Anthem protests started by Colin Kaepernick last year. He is now without a job, and many NFL owners have since spoken out against the practice.
But if you at the NBA side, the players didn't think they needed to kneel because they know that if they speak their mind in the media or elsewhere, they're not at risk of losing their jobs.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has said on several occasions that the league encourages its players to speak their mind on issues, and this is backed up by coaches as well.
From a social justice impact, credit has to be given to the NBA letting its players have a voice. The NFL has attempted to make strides, but more should be done on its end.
