Texas Senate Votes to Protect National Anthem at Pro Games
Back in February, a sportswriter revealed that Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban had stopped playing the National Anthem before home games.
The news caused a bit of a stir at the time to say the least, and the NBA quickly stepped in to say that the anthem would be required at all games.
Many of us moved on with our lives, but some Texas lawmakers weren't about to let it go.
The Texas Senate has passed SB4, aka the Star-Spangled Banner Protection Act. The legislation would prohibit government entities at the state, county, and city level from entering agreements using tax dollars with any professional sports team unless the contract includes a written agreement that the National Anthem will play before each game.
The bill had bipartisan support in the Texas Senate. The Texas Tribune reports that 10 of 13 Texas Senate Democrats voting in favor along with all 18 Republican state senators.
The bill was penned by Republican State Senator Dawn Buckingham and was championed by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick - a vocal critic of Mark Cuban's decision back in February.
In my opinion, there are so many other important things to worry about right now, including why players in professional sports aren't honoring the American Flag in the first place. Pay attention to the root of the problem instead of passing pointless acts like this.