The Dallas Mavericks became the first NBA team to stop singing the national anthem before the games this season, and the first team in the North American professional games. Athlete Tim Gado. Mavericks have not commented on the decision, but have confirmed to Cato that they have not played the national anthem before any home games this season. Mavericks have hosted 12 regular season games so far this season.
According to Gado, there is no internal notice of this decision. The team found out only when the staff realized themselves. The other 29 teams in the NBA have found ways to play the anthem without a singer in the building, often using records, but the league itself has not allowed them to pick it up. “Under the unique circumstances of this season, teams are allowed to run their premage operations as appropriate,” a league spokesman told The Athletic.
League rules require players to stand for the national anthem, but those rules have not been strictly enforced in recent years. When the season started again last summer the players on every team in the Orlando bubble knelt for the anthem. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban supported the decision, and the league as a whole encouraged such protests to use the Disney bubble to promote the message of social justice.
Although MLS did not use it for its Orlando match last summer, the Mavericks were the first major North American professional sports group known to stop playing the anthem. When it returned to home theaters, it started the practice again. No Mavericks. They have not commented on their long-term plans, but for now, the anthem will not be played at the Mavericks Games in Dallas.
