Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is watching what’s happening around the NFL and likes what he sees. One of the most popular owners in the NBA world, Cuban’s interest is in seeing his game surpass the brand we’ve seen created by the powers to be within the NFL.
In the past, Cuban’s remarks against the NFL has been directed at multiple aspects of what is becoming a truly divisive sport. From taking on the Oakland Raiders’ decision to move to Las Vegas to predicting that the NFL itself will implode in 10 years, Cuban has remained one of the game’s staunchest critics.
Though, he’s not quite done yet. In a recent interview with the Boston Herald, Cuban takes on everything from the NFL’s demographics to a sport many believe is too violent.
“Our demographic keeps on getting younger,” Cuban said, via the Boston Herald. “The NFL and baseball, they keep on getting older. And I think what we’re doing with NBA 2K is brilliant,” Cuban said.
We’re not experts here. But the Madden franchise has been pretty darn awesome for the NFL, too. It’s quite funny how Cuban points out NBA2K and ignores a video game empire that helped his sport’s version of Madden becomes prevalent. But we digress.
The larger point here is one that does indeed make some sense.
“And in the bigger scheme of things in terms of building fans for the future, what do you want your kids to play? I mean,” Cuban said, “of all the sports out there, do you want to go to a baseball game, or do want to watch your kid play basketball? Do you want to worry about him a whole football game, or do you want to watch your kid play basketball? Do you want him to get healthy from running the court, or do you want to watch him play football and worry about collisions?”
We’ve seen multiple current and former NFL players indicate that they don’t want their children playing football, the latest of which is Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
It’s a valid concern. If parents are pushing their children away from football because of its violent tendencies, the sport itself will suffer from a lack of quality down the road. That’s common logic.
And if you’re a parent, the idea of your child playing baseball or basketball instead of football will lead to less concern over injuries.
Then again, we’re really not sure where Cuban is going with all this. We know his stance. Is it that the always boisterous owner just likes to hear himself talk? If so, and considering his issues with the NFL, Cuban might have more in common with his archenemy than he thinks. Just some food for thought.