Dallas Mavericks stop playing national anthem ahead of home games

The NBA’s Dallas Mavericks became the first American professional sports team to stop playing the national anthem before the game.

Owner Mark Cuban has confirmed to TheAthletic.com’s Tim Cato that none of the team’s 13 pre-season and regular-season home games this season has featured the anthem. Cuban declined to elaborate or explain.

The Mavericks have not made the decision to stop playing the national anthem public, and TheAthletic.com apparently became the first media organization to notice it Monday night. This raises the question of why sports teams feel compelled to play the national anthem before the game and opens up a debate on whether to do so.

An NBA spokesperson told Cato that “in the unique circumstances of this season, teams are allowed to conduct their pre-game operations as they see fit.”

NBA rules require players to stand during the anthem, but the league has not enforced it in recent years, allowing players to kneel down in protest against social injustice.

So it’s worth looking at whether other professional sports teams – or leagues – are now following the Mavericks’ lead in dropping the national anthem ahead of the game.