White House Supports Mavericks Scrapping The National Anthem Because America Fails ‘Often’
White House press secretary Jen Psaki expressed support for Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban’s decision to remove the national anthem from the team’s home games because they “feel [the anthem] doesn’t represent them.”
During the Wednesday press briefing, Fox News’s Peter Doocy asked Psaki about the Biden administration’s stance on Cuban’s decision. While the press secretary acknowledged that President Joe Biden is “proud to be an American and has great respect for the anthem,” she also said he would support the Mavericks for calling out the frequent times when “we as a country haven’t lived up to our highest ideals.”
“He’d also say that, of course, that part of pride in our country means recognizing moments where we as a country haven’t lived up to our highest ideals, which is often, and at times what people are speaking to when they take action at sporting events,” Psaki said. “And it means respecting the right of people, granted to them in the Constitution to peacefully protest. That’s why he ran for president in the first place, and that’s what he’s focused on doing every day.”
Cuban’s decision to rescind the anthem was publicized earlier this week after some noticed the Mavericks, which are currently 11-14, refused to play the “Star-Spangled Banner” at any of their 13 pre-season or 12 regular-season games at the American Airlines Center. Mavericks employees who noticed the stealthy removal said they received no notice or explanation for Cuban’s decision to nix the patriotic song.
Later reports suggest the decision follows a trend by the NBA and other teams in the league to send a social justice message by ignoring or purposefully refusing to “stand and line up in a dignified posture along the foul lines during the playing of the American and/or Canadian national anthems,” as required in NBA policy. This rule was not enforced during the league’s Black Lives Matter campaigning last summer when players knelt during the anthem or even boycotted games after the shooting of Jacob Blake.
“Source close to Mark Cuban says decision to not play Anthem before Mavs games isn’t because they don’t love U.S., but because many feel anthem doesn’t represent them, and they want to continue discussion of how to represent people from all communities when honoring U.S. at game,” one sports writer reported.
http://thefederalist.com/2021/02/10/white-house-supports-mavericks-scrapping-the-national-anthem-because-america-fails-often/
| 
