At this rate, Mark Cuban fans had better hope he can make it through the London Olympics without having a heart attack. To say that Cuban despises the Olympics would be an understatement. The Mavericks owner simply cannot say enough bad things about the Olympic format and the fact that paid NBA players represent their countries and risk injury for free.
With Andrew Bynum not interested in playing for Team USA, Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, and Derrick Rose all battling injuries, and other players talking about how they believe Olympic athletes should be paid, the attitude surrounding the Summer Games is not all that positive at the moment. This makes Cuban very, very happy.
“I hope (the team is in trouble),” Cuban told FoxSports.com. “Maybe that’ll be my next business. F*** up the Olympics.”
From there, the Mavericks owner returned to the same old rant we have heard from him about Olympic competition multiple times in the past.
“It’s the biggest mistake the NBA makes,’’ he said. “If you look up stupid in the dictionary, you see a picture of the USA Dream Team playing for free for corporate America so the U.S. Olympic Committee can make millions of dollars. If you come up with something that you own, that you give it to me for free so I can make billions of dollars, I want it.
“And it has nothing to do with patriotism. It’s all about money. You don’t see the Olympic Committee saying, ‘Oh we made so much money. Let’s give it to people.”’
When asked if the Dream Team turned basketball into a global sport, Cuban responded by saying 7-footers like Dirk Nowitzki weren’t going to play tennis if not for the Dream Team. He also said he believes the team should be 22-year-olds and under, and that perhaps even high schoolers should play to gain experience. Team USA would get destroyed, but in Cuban’s mind at least the business assets of NBA teams would be protected. As much as I love the Olympics, you’d be lying if you said you don’t see Cuban’s point as an owner.
