Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, weighed in on the Donald Sterling controversy in an interview with Inc.
These were among Cuban’s comments:
That’s an internal battle as well, he acknowledges: “If I see a black kid in a hoodie and it’s late at night, I’m walking to the other side of the street. And if on that side of the street, there’s a guy that has tattoos all over his face–white guy, bald head, tattoos everywhere–I’m walking back to the other side of the street,” he says.
“I know that I’m not perfect,” he adds. “While we all have our prejudices and bigotries, we have to learn that it’s an issue that we have to control, that it’s part of my responsibility as an entrepreneur to try to solve it, not just to kick the problem down the road.”
ESPN host Bomani Jones offered some thoughts about the Mark Cuban interview:
and on mark cuban: slow down on the finger pointing and really think about what he’s saying.
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2014
i don’t applaud cuban because he copped to some bigotry. i do, however, appreciate that he’s not just pointing at some “them.”
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2014
i felt like cuban was saying what i’ve said: if you wanna take someone’s team for being a bigot, who’s gonna get to keep their team?
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2014
cuban did punk out with that “i’m scared of white guys with tattoos” point, too. not the same as a hooded sweatshirt, slugger.
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2014
being tatted up and down has undeniable ties to prison culture. a black kid in a hoodie is staying warm. false equivalence, no?
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2014
still, i appreciate cuban knowing damn well sterling wasn’t just some rogue racist and saying as such. it’s an important step.
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2014
Cuban joined in to ask Jones some questions and make some comments:
https://twitter.com/mcuban/status/469463876551979010
@mcuban read the quotes from it. if i misinterpreted anything, feel free to let me know. if you have time to talk, dm me your info, please.
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2014
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@mcuban especially since i’m sure someone’s gonna ask me to come on tv to talk about this.
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2014
https://twitter.com/mcuban/status/469465058896904192
@mcuban i just finished listening to it. changed nothing in how i received it. i agree with your larger point (and said so).
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2014
@mcuban i also disagree with how you made the point in parts. i have nothing to back down from.
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2014
https://twitter.com/mcuban/status/469468022021689344
@mcuban i think you missed a tweet. i have watched the whole interview, and i still stand by what i said. sorry for the confusion.
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2014
@mcuban i’ll ask again, now that it’s clear i stand by what i said: what have i said that you disagree with?
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2014
https://twitter.com/mcuban/status/469468492253523968
@mcuban i watched the interview, and i have no idea why you’d disagree so vehemently. if you don’t care to explain that to me, that’s fine.
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2014
https://twitter.com/mcuban/status/469471263451136001
@mcuban not a person, no. as i said, if it’s like that, the person’s coming with you. i’m not that fast or in running shame. it’d be futile.
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2014
@mcuban even still, i think you demonstrated a false equivalence with the black/hoodie-white/tattoo point. not a huge deal, but i disagree.
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2014
https://twitter.com/mcuban/status/469471891166887937
@mcuban and i say that as someone who’s been robbed at gunpoint by someone in a hoodie.
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2014
@mcuban i’m not fearless. but i’m not crossing the street. past that, though: damn sure not cuz someone’s got a hoodie on.
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2014
https://twitter.com/mcuban/status/469472790983102464
https://twitter.com/mcuban/status/469473668616032256
@mcuban no, i’m not. that was a fair point i had to make about what you said. and it points to something larger that we say a kid
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2014
@mcuban in a sweatshirt is the same as someone with jailhouse tats. again, not a HUGE deal, but worth pointing out.
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2014
@mcuban you may think i’m “stuck” on it, but i’m not wrong. we can move on from it, though.
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2014
https://twitter.com/mcuban/status/469475181732179970
@mcuban so then just a white guy with a benign tattoo on his arm scares you? or is it someone tatted up and down?
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2014
@mcuban i think of those full-on tats as “jailhouse” tats. yes, my word. so just any tattoo?
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2014
https://twitter.com/mcuban/status/469477888849641472
@mcuban okay. i have no idea what to tell you. dawn has my number if you’d like to talk. thanks.
— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 22, 2014
All’s well that ends well, right?
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