Mimicking the exact sort of thinned-skin behavior he criticizes in GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban just banned two sports reporters from covering his team.
On Sunday it was reported by multiple sources that Cuban, one of Donald Trump’s most virulent critics, revoked the media credentials of ESPN reporters Marc Stein and Tim MacMahon.
Both reporters have long careers as mainstream sports reporters. In Stein’s case he has been covering the NBA for some 25 years. And MacMahon has been covering the Mavericks for ESPN for at least seven seasons.
One source later claimed that MacMahon was dumped because his job at ESPN changed from local to national sports news.
This is far from the first time Cuban exploded on people in the media. Back in 2008 Cuban went into a snit and banned all local new media writers from being allowed to cover the team.
After his latest attack on the media, the Professional Basketball Writers Association immediately issued a statement slamming Cuban for the ban: “We are deeply troubled by the Dallas Mavericks’ move to revoke the credentials of two respected, longtime NBA journalists. The Mavericks’ move is without merit. We call on the Mavericks to reverse their decision or for NBA officials to intervene to allow Tim MacMahon and Marc Stein to continue their work.”
That wasn’t the only criticism Cuban suffered. As soon as the news broke of Cuban’s latest move against the media, critics began slamming him for acting in exactly the same thin-skinned way he criticizes Donald Trump for acting.
In one case, Forbes magazine writer Alex Reimer snarked that Cuban’s reporter ban “undermines his credibility as a Trump troll.”
“This is a move right out of his archenemy’s playbook,” Reimer added.
The writer went on to say it was “vengeful and petty for Cuban to obstruct the media. Pulling credentials is the ultimate public power play, which is why it’s not surprising to see the boisterous billionaire engaging in this kind of feud.”
Twitter users and sports fans also slammed Cuban for his Trump-like actions. Many tweets on the topic were filled with replies such as these:
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.
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