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Dallas Mavericks owner criticized for his comments on race
By Lisa Maria Garza

DALLAS (Reuters) - Mark Cuban, the outspoken owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, on Thursday defended comments he made about race and bigotry when asked at a business conference to address the controversy over banned Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling.

Cuban has come under fire on social media for his statements in a pre-recorded interview shown on Wednesday at the GrowCo convention hosted by Inc magazine. (Video: http://r.reuters.com/keq59v)

"If I see a black kid in a hoodie and it's late at night, I'm walking to the other side of the street. And if on that side of the street, there’s a guy that has tattoos all over his face - white guy, bald head, tattoos everywhere - I’m walking back to the other side of the street," he said in the interview that was posted on the Internet.

Critics said his "hoodie" reference recalled the 2012 shooting of unarmed, black Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, who was wearing a hooded sweatshirt when he was fatally wounded in a struggle with a man who said he feared for his life.

Cuban offered contrition for the comment but added he stood by his words and the substance of the interview.

"In hindsight I should have used different examples. I didn't consider the Trayvon Martin family, and I apologize to them for that," he wrote on Twitter.

Fellow NBA owner Sterling was banned for life from the sport and fined $2.5 million after a recording of him surfaced where he made comments about race that included telling his girlfriend not to bring black people to his team's games.

(Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Gunna Dickson and Lisa Shumaker)


http://news.yahoo.com/mavericks-owner-cuban-under-fire-comments-touching-race-155324522--nba.html

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Is there any difference between what Cuban said and what Sterling said?

If not, will Silver ban Cuban for life and fine him $2.5M

Will the owners vote to force a sale of the Mavericks?

Should Cuban's remarks not be treated the same way as Sterling's will Sterling make that inaction part of his strategy?

From the beginning Cuban has expressed concern about the NBA's "Big Brother" attitude and approach. He's a fellow Pittsburgher, growing up in a neighborhood not too far from where I grew up. And don't feel his views are any different than any other person that lives in or frequents metropolitan areas. The "hoodie" reference has been a long standing "gang" reference long before the Trayvon Martin incident so I don't think there's any reason to apologize to the Martin family. That's just the media putting it's propaganda spin on the story purely for ratings. My kids weren't even permitted to wear hoodies to school, but where required to walk through a metal-detector as part of the "dress-code inspection" long before the Martin incident. And Cuban's reference to the white supremacist stereotype along with the "hoodie" reference IMHO was more than a fair comparison in the context it was offered.

Sterling and his whole family are being lynched and hung in the public eye. Ironically in a similar fashion as those that have preached against such treatment. It's nothing more than racial hypocrisy at it's best. If Sterling's wife as part owner made the same statements, would the outcome have been the same? Since no one from the Sterling Family Trust is being permitted to own the team, would the outcome have been the same if one of the Sterling siblings said something offensive that was recorded illegally in the privacy of their home? Let's not forget who the gold-digger is here.

I would be surprised if Cuban votes FOR the Sterling sale. If he does it's only because he and every other owner are worried about themselves and their entire family be publicly lynched for something they may say that may offend someone in some way. You can't expect to please everyone all the time. But remember your Miranda rights - ANYTHING you say can and will be used against you, and just not in he court of law.

Fuq the NBA!!!

There is no comparison.

only if Okra can't buy the Clippers...

^ truth

Impossible!

Nobody would ever mistake you for being a racist pig with that mirrored face guard thingy on your head!

Ya know Jews own most of the NBA Teams,,,,


just saying,,,


wheel,

from the bits and pieces I have been unwillingly exposed to about Cuban's comment(s), he was expressing fear of Big Brother and that he admits he has some level of racism too. He was using himself and his private feelings as an example of that...even if the reasons for it are groundless, the feelings are undeniable. But he was concerned about traveling that "slippery slope" in regard to Sterling.

The hoodie quote just sits there out of context in the op. It was part of his overall response to being questioned about Sterling. FWIW, I found it pretty refreshing.

Have a link somewhere that enlightens post 15, it explains a little about the history of the love affair between Jews and hoops, no Oy Vey required. There is truth involved.

LIES!!!


Frank told me he could jump over a postage stamp.

I was mocking your vertical leap not shipping methods!