It’s finally here. You gaze around the room taking in all of the energy. As far as the eye can see people are donning blue, silver, and white. The ManiAACs are right where they should be, Mavs Dancers lined up and ready to take the stage, and the drumline is holding down their end of the arena. From your seat you can see “notorious billionaire entrepreneur and outspoken owner of the Dallas Mavericks” Mark Cuban in his spot over in the corner. It’s electric. [note]Boogie-woogie-woogie[/note]
Sean Heath takes the mic and runs down the Rockets starting lineup, it’s the Home opener so every opposing player receives a little extra mustard with every normal boo. The lights dim, and the room darkens until several hundred phones are the only thing illuminating the AAC. The curtain from the video scoreboard drops and the Mavericks opening montage plays. Dunks, passes, and threes from last season fly by as the highlights roll. Some familiar faces fade in and out joined by the new additions. Heath rolls through the Mavericks starting lineup and finishes off, of course, with the “TALL BALLER FROM THE G…”
Both teams lineup shoulder to shoulder down either free throw line and someone’s daughter walks to the middle of the court in a dress they bought specifically for this evening. You see her lift the microphone to her mouth and being to bellow, “Oh say, can you see?”
This ritual is excruciatingly routine, but tonight she might as well have been singing the english translation to Gangnam Style…[note]Which is just one of the weirdest things one can do[/note] because no one was listening or paying attention at all. Not because everyone has heard the National Anthem more times than we can count (which is a different conversation altogether). But because there’s only two reasons the National Anthem gets any attention at all:
1. Someone messes it up fantastically [note]At an FC DALLAS match no less[/note]
2. Someone doesn’t honor it
The girl finishes with, “and the home of the brave” and walks off to the sound of a stunned courtesy applause. She and everyone else in attendance will remember this specific ritual on that night for the rest of their lives, but for entirely different reasons. While she was trying to make her voice heard, Dirk Nowtizki was making his voice heard, but for entirely different reasons.
What Collin Kaepernick has been doing during the National Anthem is not a new concept. The NBA has a rule made for such actions, as Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (formerly known as Chris Jackson) made a similar gesture back in 1996 when he refused to stand. Back in 2008, a former Maverick also had some choice words for what the National Anthem represents and the country for which it was founded. [note]That video seems like it happened in 1998 though[/note]
These athletes took religious and personal stands, which is their right under that same flag. But what if it this situation hit a little closer to home while simultaneously being father? What would you say if Dirk Nowitzki sat during the National Anthem? [note]Tweet us @themavsfanatic with your response[/note]
First of all, it’s hard to imagine Dirk ever doing this or anything of this nature, this situation has obviously not happened and is completely hypothetical. Second, the rule the NBA made after Abdul-Rauf took his seat is listed under “PLAYER/TEAM CONDUCT AND DRESS” in the NBA Constitution [note]Yeah that’s a real thing, and no, Alexander Hamilton did not defend it[/note] and states:
“Players, coaches and trainers are to stand and line up in a dignified posture along the sidelines or on the foul line during the playing of the National Anthem.”
So obviously there would be official NBA repercussions to such an action. Abdul-Raul was fined suspended for one game , Adam Silver has recently (vaguely) addressed this issue in an open letter to all NBA Players saying, “As we move forward with these programs, it is really important that we hear from you. We will be working with your teams during training camp to get your thoughts and ideas.” So imagine that Dirk has some sort of agreement with Commissioner Silver in this scenario, but this type of consequence is not the main question at hand.
Thirdly Dirk is, from everything we know, not an American citizen. The foundation of the Kaepernick controversy is that it’s his “right as an American citizen” to make a peaceful protest. So what would the response be for a Permanent Immigrant Worker or a someone of that status to sit during the National Anthem? Why would he have to show respect or honor to a country that he doesn’t claim citizenship to? There are blatant reasons why he should (and does, this is still hypothetical) stand and honor the country that has cultivated an environment in which he’s had so much success, but should it be required of him?
The right[note]A term we now use loosely to mean, we can and will do it[/note] to protest is a freedom given to not only natural or acquired-rights citizens but anyone who enters the borders of the USA.
On top of that, Dallas was recently the center of attention on racial tensions after the shooting that took place back in July. It’s well documented that Dirk means more to Dallas than just any other athlete that happens to play for just any other city. When something happens, like the recent police shootings, the city looks to Dirk to see what he has to say:
Still in shock. Saddened to hear about the tragic events in Dallas. My Thoughts are with everyone, who are affected. #StoptheViolence
— Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) July 8, 2016
For Dirk, a high caliber star in a high profile city that just experienced this tension first-hand in a position where he doesn’t belong to this country, to make a statement like this would be exponentially more meaningful than a backup quarterback [note]Also exponentially-long-run-on-sentence-worthy[/note].
During the Mavericks Media Day on Monday, Dirk addressed this very issue saying, “Everyone has their freedom of speech in this country and that’s why we all love this country, its definitely started a discussion, as the preseason goes along we’ll have meetings with the team about stuff, what we want to do, how can we contribute to make this world a better place.”
Since the story first came out about Kaepernick’s sitting[note]Now kneeling[/note] during the National Anthem, several other athletes have reciprocated his gesture, some along side of Kaepernick himself. Would the response be the same if it was one of our own in Dallas, but not necessarily one of America’s own? [note]Dirk is one of us on a Dallas level, but we’re talking about nationally[/note]
It’s hard for Dirk to do anything wrong in the eyes of this city, but if he took a stand such as this would that taint the image of Dirk in the same way it has for Kaepernick?[note]For some people[/note] Or, since Dirk was the one making the stand would it further legitimize whatever stance Kaepernick has taken?
The question isn’t whether Dirk Nowitzki is more trustworthy or respected than Colin Kaepernick[note] Because we all know the answer [/note], the question is: If the athlete/figurehead leading the charge was a foreign-born-non-american-citizen would he be met with a harsh “go back where you came from” plea or a “wow, if an outsider can see there’s something wrong, then it must be” revelation?
Considering all these factors, the question still remains, ‘what if Dirk Nowitzki sat during the National Anthem?” He continued and answered that very question, “We’ll come up with a solution, I think if we do something, the whole team has to be on the same page. “
As we watch this story continue to evolve and take zigs and zags through the incredible response imagine if it was our guy, Dirk Nowitzki, instead of just “some backup quarterback.” [note]Again, let us know what you think @themavsfanatic[/note]
And if Dirk does end up doing something, expect the entire roster to be sitting right there with him.
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