Well known entrepreneur and owner of the NBA team Dallas Mavericks‘ Mark Cuban spoke out about a number of issues during an interview with Inc. magazine at the Omni Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday. He is known for making pointed statements especially at the NBA referees and officials. During the same interview, he also made certain remarks about the latest issue with regards to the racist comments made by Donald Sterling.
He blatantly talked about how he himself is bigoted and prejudiced by saying that he would cross over to the other side of the street if he sees a black kid in a hoodie or a guy with tattoo all over his body late at night. Although, Cuban had to apologize to the parents of Trayvon Martin for the hoodie reference he made, he stood by everything else he said and urged people to have more tolerance. Martin was a teenager who was murdered in 2012 in Florida while he was wearing a hoodie.
Many experts though supported his sentiments behind the comments, but also said that he failed to convey the message in the right manner. His comments carries a lot of weight as he is one among the 30 NBA owners who will make a judgment on whether the racial comments made by Sterling was terrible enough to end his ownership rights of the LA Clippers team. Cuban declared how he is going to vote, but didn’t say anything more.
Experts believe that Cuban will vote against Sterling (as he gave an apparent hint) when the Board meets to decide the fate of the franchise. However, he has regrets which was what came out during the interview about him being a bigot. He believes that instead of punishing the racists, it is important to make them realize why their views are wrong.