It’s the players, the coaches and occasionally the GM who make headlines. The owner just operates behind the scenes, overseeing things and opening his checkbook when necessary. There’s no need for fanfare. No one needs to hear the owner spout his opinions. He’s a money man, not an ideas guy.
We now have an NBA champion owner who defies that convention. And it’s a wonderful thing.
Most owners aren’t much like Mark Cuban, the guy whose Dallas Mavericks shocked the world and won the NBA Finals this week. Most owners are jaded old rich men, born into money and spoiled all their lives. But Cuban’s different. He got to where he is by doing things his own way — he made his billions in the dot-com boom, he bought into the Mavs, and he quickly became the outspoken, fiery leader he is today.
We’re not used to seeing guys like Cuban in charge. Cuban dresses like a fan, and complains about officiating like one, too. He blogs; he tweets. He’s a more active member of the Mavs’ fan base than pretty much everyone walking into the American Airlines Center on a regular basis.
Cuban surprised everyone by taking the podium and holding his own news conference after Game 6 of the Finals, right after Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd had had their turns. He was shocking — Cuban dropped obscenities, bashed opposing players and coaches, and just generally showed a fearlessness to speak his mind.
Then later this week, he was seen carrying the NBA Finals trophy to a bathroom urinal. This guy really does do things his own way.
Cuban is good for sports. He’s refreshingly different, he’s honest, and he keeps his fans involved. He’s identifiable.
It will take a long time before guys like him are seen as the norm, in the NBA or anywhere else. But they should be.
The owners are the ones calling all the shots in this league. They’re in charge. They should be seen, heard and adopted as part of basketball culture, just like players, coaches or anyone else.
It’s a copycat league, and now that Cuban’s a champion, perhaps there will be future renditions of the Mavs’ leader. We need more owners in sports who speak their minds freely and without hesitation. We need more guys who lead teams actively, not passively by simply sitting there raking in paychecks. Cuban wants to compete, and he wants to win. Every owner should have that same enthusiasm.
