I really have to hand it to Mark Cuban. The guy knows how to get people — and the media — to jump through hoops. When the outspoken owner of the Dallas Mavericks announced he was crowd sourcing the next iteration of the team's uniforms, the Internet exploded with equal parts outrage and interest.
A day after posting the offer, which came with no money and only a passing mention of theoretical tickets, Cuban had received more than 250 responses. Some of them even included uniform designs. Quite the coup.
Far be it from me to question the methods of a self-made billionaire. Cuban clearly has a method to his madness. But that doesn't mean I have to like it.
Cuban clearly has a method to his madness. But that doesn't mean I have to like it.
As an avid sports fan, it rubs me the wrong way that the wealthy owner of a successful team would care as little about the Dallas Mavericks image as Cuban apparently does.
He's not just asking for free ideas. He's also going to own all of them the second you post the image on his blog. All the dutiful artists get in return are bragging rights. On his blog, Cuban fired back at critics of his so-called "contest."
"We all take our own risks in our own way, and we live with the consequences," Cuban wrote. "If I don’t get a design I like, you can laugh at me."
Although we'd all certainly enjoy that experience, it's not ideal. I don't want to see Cuban fail. I just want to see him invest in the image of the Dallas Mavericks like he invests in plenty of ideas he's less passionate about.
Cuban knows better than anyone that money talks. Why else would he star on ABC's Shark Tank and write checks for hundreds of thousands of dollars each week?
Cuban clearly believes that smart, talented people don't give away their talents for free. It's the entire basis of Shark Tank, a show for which he's taken heat for prioritizing over the Mavs. And yet he's not willing, or just not interested, in having that same level of "skin in the game" with his beloved Mavericks.
After all, Cuban has broken out his checkbook to finance surf boards, cat drawings, sippy cups, peanut butter and teddy bear pillow cases. The fact that he won't do the same for the Dallas Mavericks is bizarre.
Mark Cuban hoists the 2011 NBA championship trophy during the Dallas Mavericks victory parade.
