Tag Archives: Dallas Mavericks

Is Dallas Maverick Dominique Jones a raging homophobe?

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There isn’t a lot of weight to this recent post by Good as You as they acknowledge themselves, but this video of screen shots makes it look like NBA player Dominique Jones went on an anti-gay tirade on his Facebook. I scoured Facebook only to find pages for Jones, but no personal profiles. Interestingly, Back2Stonewall mentioned in their post that “a search of Jones Facebook page now finds these comments missing.”

“We are aware of it and trying to determine exactly what happened,” Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said in an email response.

Watch the video after the jump.

Continue reading “Is Dallas Maverick Dominique Jones a raging homophobe?” »

—  Rich Lopez

Mark Cuban wonders if he’s a homophobe

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Cuban emphatically states his case.

Dan Devine over at the Ball Don’t Lie sports blog reported earlier today on Mark Cuban’s comment yesterday to “The Sports Guy” Bill Simmons for a recording of the podcast The B.S. Report. Winding down the weekend’s MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, Simmons and Cuban engaged in conversation of The KissCam which apparently took an awkward turn. From Ball Don’t Lie:

And then, as Carly Carioli of the Boston Phoenix wrote in a blog post accompanying an excellent feature story on the conference, “the atmosphere turned even weirder.”

… Cuban began telling the story of how he’d almost fired a Mavs employee for encouraging Dallas fans to do the wave. Cuban hates the wave. “I’d rather have 60 minutes of Kiss Cam,” he said, to laughs. Simmons has long been on record as being a fan of the Kiss Cam [...] and piped up in favor of it. “I like the Kiss Cam,” Simmons said.

“That’s because you and your boyfriend are always on it,” Cuban spat.

Chances are, if you’ve read or listened to content created by Bill Simmons over the past seven years, you’ve caught wind of the fact that he’s married to a woman, and that the two of them have children. Not that those things would, or do, preclude a man from also liking men and/or having boyfriends, but, y’know, for the record, there’s been no public indication that Bill Simmons is gay.

Devine later goes on to criticize Cuban’s remark as adolescent. By all accounts, it appears The Boston Phoenix’s Carly Carioli was first on the scene with this post, labeling the remark homophobic. Gay sports site OutSports labeled it distasteful.

Cuban posted this today in Blog Maverick explaining his side. From Cuban:

I made a mistake in making the comment. I wasn’t trying to be hurtful. It wasn’t a comment on anyone’s sexuality. It was just me trying to be funny. It wasn’t. I quickly realized it and tried to fix it. I hoped at the time I didn’t offend anyone.

This blog post is not about trying to defend what I said. I’m not trying to defend my sense of humor. I’m not trying to convince you I’m not a homophobe. I’m not trying to justify anything at all.

I guess what I am doing is admitting that at some level I am prejudiced and that I recognize that I am.  There are a lot of things in my life that I need to improve at. This is one of them. Sometimes I make stupid throw away comments that I quickly realize are wrong. It doesn’t happen often, but it happens. It was a mistake and I realized it. I learned from it.

I appreciate the straighties rushing to the side of the LGBT community when the homophobia bell alarms. That’s a nice feeling. We appreciate it. Really. But is this particular instance, that big of a deal? I mean, we do have a sense of humor.

—  Rich Lopez

WATCH: Mavs owner Mark Cuban says NBA will see openly gay player in 3-5 years

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Mark Cuban

Mark Cuban, the gay-friendly owner of the Dallas Mavericks, told TMZ recently that he believes the NBA will see an openly gay player before the league sees a female head coach.

Cuban noted that Nancy Lieberman coached the Mavericks’ D-League team, the Texas Legends, last year. But he said coaching in the NBA isn’t one of Lieberman’s goals. And although he thinks it will definitely happen eventually, Cuban said it will take some time for a female coach to work her way up through the NBA ranks. Then the topic shifted to the question of a gay player. Here’s a transcript of the exchange between Cuban and TMZ host Harvey Levin:

LEVIN: What’s going to happen first, an openly gay player in the NBA or a female coach?

CUBAN: An openly gay player.

LEVIN: You think it’s going to happen soon?

CUBAN: I think within the next three to five years absolutely.

LEVIN: Is there talk about that, where people are saying, “Hey, we’ve got to stop this kind of image that we have that we’re intolerant.” Are people talking about that within teams?

CUBAN: Not so much because I don’t think there’s really the perception that we are intolerant. I think the only issues we’ve had is with some fallback and some old-school type language that’s derogatory to gays. So there are certain words that I think were accepted five or 10 years ago that guys are starting to recognize you can’t use any longer, and that hasn’t been a problem. So I think it will be more of a media sensation when somebody comes out than it will be a player issue.

The exchange begins at about the 9-minute mark in the video below.

video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

—  John Wright

NBA announces new nondiscrimination policy including sexual orientation

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You can now add the National Basketball Association to the ranks of professional sports organizations that specifically include protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Around 5:30 tonight, the Human Rights Campaign issued a statement applauding the NBA for making the move, but I haven’t found anything else online about the announcement, except this piece in the Windy City Times, an LGBT paper in Chicago, which is taken from the HRC release, and which notes that the NBA’s announcement came on the same day that HRC released its 2012 Corporate Equality Index.

HRC President Joe Solmonese said: “The NBA now joins the ranks of some of the most influential organizations and corporations in the country, who all believe that equality and inclusion are integral to a successful workplace, We are grateful to Commissioner Stern, the NBA and the Players’ Association for sending such a powerful message to society that what matters is a person’s talent, not their sexual orientation.”

The HRC statement also points out that Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash — formerly with the Dallas Mavericks — is one of several pro athletes who have made videos recently to speak out in support of marriage equality. Nash’s video, which you can watch below, was part of the campaign to pass the marriage equality law in New York State.

Like I said, I haven’t found anything on this yet from the any source other than HRC, not even on the NBA website. But we’ll keep looking, and tell you more when we find it.

—  admin

Scenes from the Dallas Mavericks championship parade

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Photos by Chuck Dube/Dallas Voice (MarceloMedia)

—  John Wright

Dallas Mavericks win.

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105-95.

Great night for Dallas.

—  Arnold Wayne Jones

Game 6 of the NBA Finals (or the day the Mavs win it all)

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Shut it down, boys

Today could be historic. Before the night is over, the Dallas Mavericks, for the first time, could be the NBA Champions. With back-to-back wins, they head into Game 6 with momentum and confidence. Just not home court. And the Heat are likely pissed. If they win, it’s on to Game 7 and that’s just going to be war. No like.

OK, and who doesn’t have a crush on J.J. Barea? Just sayin’.

DEETS: Woody’s, 4011 Cedar Springs Road. 7 p.m. DallasWoodys.com; Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave. 6 p.m. GranadaTheater.com.

—  Rich Lopez

WATCH: Westboro Baptist at the AAC

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Last night we told you that picketers from Westboro Baptist Church were outside the American Airlines Center on Sunday, prior to Game 3 of the NBA Finals, protesting the league’s recent crackdown on anti-gay slurs — or, according to WBC, Commissioner David Stern’s decision to “cram the homosexual lifestyle down the throat of America.” Looks like KDAF-33 was the only station to report on the picket, and their video is below. If anything, Westboro’s picket should only strengthen the NBA’s resolve to become more LGBT-friendly. Perhaps it will even help spur one of the league’s teams to join baseball’s San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox and film an “It Gets Better” video. How ’bout it, Mavericks?

—  John Wright

Westboro Baptist pickets NBA Finals in Dallas

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Daryl Presgraves, a spokesman for GLSEN, sends along word that Westboro Baptist Church picketed outside the American Airlines Center in Dallas before Game 3 of the NBA finals tonight. The photos above and below were posted on Twitter by Westboro members. According to a schedule on WBC’s website, tonight’s picket was partly in response to the NBA’s recent decision to fine two players for using the word “faggot”:

WBC will picket the NBA game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat to warn this nation that they need to tear down their idols and worship only the true God, Jesus Christ. The people of Doomed america set up these spoiled, rebellious basketball players and other celebrities as little gods that they emulate then curse the real God, Jesus Christ because He does not supprt their vile sins.

1 Chronicles 16:26 “For all the gods of the people are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.”

Like the ancient Israelites, this nation has turned their collective back on the the Lord their God and refused to obey. The prefer to worship their powerless idols and pay false prophets to lie to them. They would rather live like these filthy celebrities by fornicating, divorcing & remarrying, and supporting fag-filth than  to hear about God’s standards – to the peril of their never-dying souls.  Nevertheless, WBC will kindly warn them to flee the wrath to come by repenting and obeying. Doomed americans cannot continue to live for the devil then expect to get to heaven. Hell and damnation awaits these idolatrous fools.

Additionally, the NBA has an official policy of kissing fag ass. Players in the league can be fined for disagreeing with the sodomite mantra ”It’s OK to be gay.” The ancient citizens of Sodom & Gomorrah also chose to side with the fags against God and look what it got them – Total Destruction at the hand of an angry God!

Presgraves notes that the NBA also recently filmed a “Think Before You Speak” PSA that’s been airing during the NBA playoffs. Watch the PSA and view more photos from the picket below.

Continue reading “Westboro Baptist pickets NBA Finals in Dallas” »

—  John Wright

Petitions call for Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers to film ‘It Gets Better’ videos

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Sam Maden, 12, is petitioning the Boston Red Sox to film an “It Gets Better” video.

The San Francisco Giants have become the first professional sports team to release an “It Gets Better” video. Watch it below. The Giants’ “It Gets Better” video was filmed partly in response to a petition from activist Sean Chapin that gathered more than 6,000 signatures.

Not surprisingly, Chapin’s petition is inspiring others, including 12-year-old Sam Maden, who’s petitioning the Boston Red Sox to make an “It Gets Better” video.

A quick search of Change.org today reveals that Maden’s “It Gets Better” petition is one of dozens launched in recent days and directed at pro sports teams, including both the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Cowboys.

“You guys are real heros to many people here in Texas and have a voice,” Sam Medal of Plano writes in a petition letter to the Rangers CEO, which would be Nolan Ryan. “Please use that voice to let lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth kids know that suicide is not an option, that over time ‘It Gets Better.’”

Thus far, only 124 people have signed Medal’s Rangers petition, but that’s much more than the 14 who’ve signed a petition directed to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and launched by Gabriel Gorre of Smithtown, N.Y.

We couldn’t find any petitions for the Stars or Mavericks, which is a little surprising given that the Mavs are currently in the NBA Finals and, based on owner Mark Cuban’s views, might be the local sports franchise that’s most likely to actually film an “It Gets Better” video.

If the Mavs go down 2-0 to the Heat on Thursday, they should probably film one as soon as they get back to Dallas just to remind themselves that “It Gets Better.”

Seriously, though, could someone please start a Mavs petition?

—  John Wright