Mark Cuban’s vision: Vaccinated fans in AAC, starting with healthcare workers and first responders

During an appearance 10 days ago on Sportsradio 96.7 FM/1310 The Ticket [KTCK-AM], Mavericks owner Mark Cuban floated an intriguingly wonderful idea:

When the Mavericks eventually decide to allow fans into American Airlines Center, why not have fans for that first game solely consist of healthcare workers, police, firemen and other frontline workers who have been fully vaccinated from COVID-19?

And let them in for free?

“Let’s just fill up the stands and do the right thing,” he said. “I have no problem with that whatsoever.”

I circled back to Cuban to ask: 1) Has his idea gained any traction? 2) Are the Mavericks any closer to deciding when fans will be allowed? After all, a few NBA teams are allowing fans, including Houston. And Indiana, which allowed its first fans (about 1,000) to attend Wednesday’s Pacers-Mavericks game.

Last but not least, the Dallas Stars’ COVID-19-delayed home opener Friday is scheduled to have fans in AAC, at 25% capacity.

Cuban declined to give a date for when the Mavericks may also allow fans, but he did provide an update about about his idea to host healthcare workers and first responders.

“The interest is there,” he emailed. “The key is getting all the workers we would need at the AAC vaccinated. I had a talk with our people there [at AAC] and we are doing our best to make sure everyone gets on every list they are eligible for in order to get vaccinated.

“Once we have any clarity there, getting together HC workers and those at providers who have been vaccinated will be easy.”

During his appearance on The Ticket, Cuban said he is not concerned about the home game the Mavericks already had postponed (against New Orleans) because when the game gets rescheduled, “hopefully we’ll have a positive post-vaccine world where we’ll be able to have a lot of fans at the arena – and maybe that game we had postponed, we’ll be able to play in front of fans in March or April.

“Not 3,000, but maybe 15,000.”

In his email to The News, Cuban said: “The interesting thing is that I’m already getting people emailing me saying they have gotten their second shot, [asking] ‘Is it possible to come to a game?’

“They will be happy to show us the card they got.”

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