Mark Cuban is doing something that appears on the surface to be downright un-American. The owner of the Dallas Mavericks, and star on the ABC show Shark Tank confirmed to The Athletic that he made the decision to not play the national anthem before Mavs home games at American Airlines Center.

Why? He hasn’t said, and refused to comment on it further when pressed by The Athletic.

The Mavericks have had 12 home games this season, and haven’t played the anthem before any of them.

When Cuban made the decision, he kept it on the down low without making a formal announcements. A number of employees noticed it and said it was that the decision was never announced formally, and Cuban has not explained to any Mavericks staff members why he did it.

What’s odd is that NBA rules require players to stand when the anthem is played.  But NBA commissioner Adam Silver has not made it a major issue to enforce that rule, or apparently require that teams actually play the anthem before each game.

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