Dallas Basketball

Mark Cuban Exclusive on Trump Appointment: 'Ready To Help America Any Way I Can'

Mark Cuban Exclusive on President Trump Appointment To 'Re-Open America Committee: 'I'm Ready To Help My Country In Any Way I Can'

Mike Fisher

FRISCO - President Donald Trump recently met with all of the major-league sports commissioners to discuss the issue of COVID-19. And on Tuesday he announced another sports-related next step: The formation of a “Re-Open America” advisory committee that will include Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

Cuban's response to the honor and the responsibility?

"I'm ready to help my country in any way I can,'' Cuban tells DallasBasketball.com.

Other names on the committee include NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, NBA commissioner Adam Silver, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, the UFC's Dana White, NASCAR's Lesa Kennedy, the WWE's Vince McMahon, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, LPGA commissioner Michael Whan, USTA chairman Patrick Galbraith and MLS commissioner Don Garber.

“We need to get our sports back,” Trump said in his Tuesday briefing from the White House.

The NBA, NHL and MLB have seen their regular seasons impacted by the coronavirus outbreak, which each league going on "hiatus,'' all led by the NBA, with Silver and Cuban in front-and-center positions.

Cuban tells DBcom that he only learned of the appointment today, shortly before the White House announcement.

Cuban has of course jousted with Trump over the years, sometimes in more friendly ways than others. He's also flirted with the idea of running for president himself, coyly telling DallasBasketball.com, "Great question!'' when we asked about the possibility.

Cuban and Silver and others have talked about the importance of sports in terms of its ability to guide us back to normalcy here.

Jerry Jones' son, Cowboys COO Stephen, appearing on 105.3 The Fan before the White House announcement, said, “I think Jerry has always said is that sport is ... a respite. A respite from your day-to-day challenges, whether it be your professional life or your personal life.''

There is something encouraging here, indeed, in the sense that the White House committee might be charged with a responsibility that is about the good of the country - and about the benefits of working together in an apolitical manner.

Published
Mike Fisher
MIKE FISHER

Mike Fisher - as a newspaper beat writer and columnist and on radio and TV, where he is an Emmy winner - has covered the NBA and the Dallas Mavericks since 1990. He has for more than 20 years served as the overseer of DallasBasketball.com, the granddaddy of Mavs news websites.

Home/News