Help The Mavs Design Our Next Uniform !

The Mavs are going to re-do our uniforms for the 2015-16 season… if we get a unique and original design. What’s the best way to come up with creative ideas ? You ask for them. So we are going to crowd source the design and colors of our uniforms.

You know what an NBA uniform looks like. You know what the Mavs colors are for today and the past.  We want some new ideas that stay true to our logo and at least close to our current color schemes. Show us what you got !

How do you participate ? You post your ideas/pictures/graphics/videos/photos directly on this blog.  Yes we want every one to see them.  Steve Jobs said “everything is a remix” . Uniforms probably more so than even technology. So we want every post to inspire other ideas and posts.

Who will own your design ? The minute you post it, the Mavs will.  If you think its horrible that the Mavs own your design. Do not post. If you think its cool that the Mavs could possibly use your design and you will have eternal bragging rights , then post away. If we really like your design and you , I may even throw in some tickets.  If we don’t use your design, it will still be here on this site for now and ever more for you to glance longingly at.  If your design is close , if not identical to other designs and we pick one of the other designs, for whatever reason, then thats just the way it goes.

If we don’t choose any of the designs,including yours.then we don’t choose any of the designs. That is life in the big city. Move on.

This is your chance to get bragging rights and put your signature design on the Dallas Mavs and the NBA.

This opportunity will last till the last day in May.

Let’s see what you got

 

The Dumbest Words In New Media

How many times have we heard someone talk about the future of media and they immediately use their child as an example of what we all will experience in the future.

“My daughter will only use a touch screen.” ” My son doesn’t know the difference between the tv and his itouch. He just wants video where and when he wants it.” “My child is addicted to netflix” “My child is…. fill in the blank with a reason why we all should believe the future is what an infant/pre-teen/tween is experiencing and enjoys.

I can’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.

Think about your own childhood . Do you still use ANY of the same devices ? Still have that casette player ? Still burning those CDs ? That walkman that wowed your parents, still wowing anyone? You still carrying your boom box on your shoulder like Radio Raheem ?

Of course not.

If you think that the tech your young kids are using today are any reflection on what will be used in the future, even in the near future, you are mistaken.  It’s also short changing the intellect of every kid 18 and under. You don’t think they can come up with something better ?

That’s not to say that watching our kids use technology that didn’t exist when we were  kids isn’t adorable. It is.  And of course each of our kids is smarter and more aware of the future than any other kid in the world.   Obviously.

THe reality is that we do not live in the world we were born into. Things change.

Want Your Newborn to be an Athletic Superstar ?

Well I have no idea how to make sure he or she gets there. But what I do know that is if you have any such aspiration for your soon to be bundle of joy, then there is one thing you must do:

You must save the cord blood from your child’s birth.

At the Dallas Mavericks we have been diving into any and all advances in medical science that can give us a competitive edge. (The new advanced metrics that will impact the game). I’m not talking performance enhancing drugs, I’m talking proactive analysis and advanced recovery methodologies.  One that is obvious is the use of Stem Cells.

I’m not going to go into the science or offer any insights into what we are doing,  but what I will tell soon to be and future parents is that your doctors and your children will thank you in 20 years when they are relieved to find out that they can utilize the latest in medical technologies because mom and/or dad had the foresight to save their cord blood

Let me clear here. This is not a cure all. The use of cord blood cells in regenerative applications is still in its infancy (See the joke I made there :) . But what I do know that is medical science is advancing rapidly. What will be available to your newborn child in 20 years will be vastly different than what is available today. By banking the cord blood in a private cord bank, while relatively expensive (Do your homework PLEASE before making a decision which bank to use), you will have given your child a unique option that could lead to the latest recovery techniques being available to him or her.

You want to know what the next big thing is ? It’s personalized medicine. This is one baby step towards the future for your family

And let me be crystal clear again, DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Not everyone agrees with me. It’s not cheap. It’s not a cure all. It’s an option. One that I have used with my children. But you have to make your own decisions

 

The Real Problem with the Twitter HackCrash

In case you missed it, the @AP twitter account was hacked , which resulted in a tweet that sent markets spiraling down only to recover a few minutes later once it was revealed that the tweet was a fake. Here is more info.

Why did the market head lower so quickly ?  This is from Paste Magazine

“The events last Tuesday were likely caused by the news-reacting algorithms that are designed to electronically read and interpret machine-readable news,” said in an emailed response by Irene Aldridge, a hedge fund consultant on algorithms and author of High-Frequency Trading: A Practical Guide to Algorithmic Strategies and Trading Systems. “Most of the web content is machine-readable, so lots of algos are built on reading and reacting to news such as the Twitter hack… Clearly in the Twitter case, trading machines did not ascertain credibility of the tweet,”

So how does the future of HFT look in light of Tuesday’s AP hack tweet incident?

Aldridge said in terms of the technology, “going forward, many algorithm designers will take into account the Tuesday situation, and will build ever more sophisticated approaches.”

There is no question that there is an ongoing arms race between algorithm designers, as well as a technology race to improve Language Processing and Translation abilities (disclosure, im an investor in Linguasys ).  Billions of dollars are being invested to make trading without humans faster, cheaper, smarter. The problem is that no matter how smart you make machines, they will never be smart enough in our lifetime to detect all levels of deceit and fraud. Particularly online.

No one has any idea, other than the traders using the algorithms, which twitter accounts the algorithms follow and read. The same with websites. Which do they track and read ?  If its worth it for someone to hack the @AP twitter feed in order to attempt to destabilize the markets why wouldn’t the same people or others with similar goals set up thousands of twitter accounts that for some extended period are a solid source of news and information, attempting to build  a following that include algorithms reading their feed , knowing that at somepoint they will tweet market moving fake information ? (Note, you dont have to actually follow an account to get access to their feeds, there are services that provide the twitter hose to financial companies)

It costs absolutely nothing to try to make this happen.  If you follow the writings of Nanex, you know that mini flash crashes happen in individual stocks all the time. That there are algorithms fighting algorithms all the time.  Its to the point where it sounds like the plot of a science fiction movie and it is.

Our markets are at risk.  I can’t quantify how big a risk there is, but I can tell you this, as long as there are algorithmically driven trades that happen in thousandths of a second, we can not eliminate that risk.  As long as that risk exists, there is a significant opportunity for hackers , terrorists (yes terrorists) and crooks to negatively impact our market to the tune of billions of dollars and possibly . This is the rise of the software controlled market. 

There is no such thing as bug free software.  If you are an investor, learn how to hedge.

 

 

 

Sometimes I truly do get GREAT advice from NBA fans

I pity Your IGNORANCE all that Money and U still don’t have a CLUE – Brittney Griner born 10/18/1990

Inbox
x
Gary
to Mark.Cuban

HOPE YOU READ THIS CUBES , BECAUSE I AM MAKING A POINT ->  Brittney Griner born 10/18/1990(1+0+1+8+1+9+9+0=29 2+9=11


KEEP READING

Your Buddy DAN GILBERT was to Ignorant to listen in 2007 , and it cost him LEBRON and a TITLE .
http://www.thepostgame.com/features/201202/gary-grinberg-numerology-jeremy-lin-tim-tebow-nba-cleveland-cavaliers

Sports Numerology

When it comes to Sports , the scouts and G.M. are Paying attention to every Number But the Most Important one of all . THE PLAYERS BIRTHDAY – when Using Numerology its get alot simpler to identify what the Top players have in Common. As a Numerologist/Astrologer Gary  has appeared on YAHOO SPORTS  4 times . Gary Predicted  The MIAMI HEAT would win the NBA title in 2012 . The Prediction Was a Featured Story on YAHOO sports

Read http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/eye-performance/201206/gary-numbers-guy-nba-thunder-heat-numerology-durant-lebron

Correctly Predicted Injuries for NBA star DWIGHT Howard in 2012 which was Featured on Yahoo on APRIL 20th 2012

Read sports http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/men-action/201204/dwight-howard-injury-gary-numbers-guy-numerology-nba

 

Picked Your Mavs to beat HEAT in 2011 , and the Heat to win it all in 2012
http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/eye-performance/201206/gary-numbers-guy-nba-thunder-heat-numerology-durant-lebron
1 and 11 are the Number of the Athletes –

Examples

This is a list of the BEST of the BEST IN THE NBA(from today and Yesterday
The 11 Life paths Basketball
M.Jordan 2-17-1963(2+1+7+1+9+6+3=29 2+9=11)
D.Wade 1-17-1982 ( 1+1+7+1+9+8+2=29 2+9=11
K.Bryant 8-23-1978 ( 8+2+3+1+9+7+8=38 3+8=11
Dominique Wilkins  1-12-1960(1+12+1+9+6+0=29 2+9=11
K,Garnett 5-19-1976 ( 5+1+9+1+9+7+6=38 3+8=11
P.Pierce 10-13-1977(1+0+1+3+1+9+7+7=29 2+9=11)
A.Stoudemire 11-16-1982 ( 1+1+1+6+1+9+8+2= 29 2+9=11
Chris Mullin 7-30-1963(7+3+0+1+9+6+3=29 2+9=11)
1st over all Pick Kyrie Irving 3-23-1992(3+2+3+1+9+9+2=29 2+9=11)

The 1 life paths
Keven Durant 9-29-1988(9+2+9+1+9+8+8=46 4+6=10 1+0=1)
Blake Griffin 3-16-1989(3+1+6+1+9+8+9=37 3+7=10 1+0=1)
Lebron James 12-30-1984(1+2+3+0+1+9+8+4=28 2+8=10 1+0=1)
Majic Johnson 8-14-1959(8+1+4+1+9+5+9=37 3+7=10 1+0=1)
S O’Neal 3-6-1972 (3+6+1+9+7+2=28 2+8=10 1+0=1
J.Kidd 3-23-1973( 3+2+3+1+9+7+3=28 2+8=10 1+0=1
Tracy McGrady 5-24-1979(5+2+4+1+9+7+9=37 3+7=10 1+0=1
Bernard King 12-4-1956(1+2+4+1+9+5+6=28 2+8=10 1+0=1
John Stockton 3-26-1962(3+2+6+1+9+6+2=29 2+9=11
Clyde Drexler 6-22-1962(6+22+1+9+6+2=46 4=6=10 1+0=1
Scottie Pippen 9-25-1965(9+2+5+1+9+6+5=37 3+7=10 1+0=1
James Worthy 2-27-1961 (2+2+7+1+9+6+1=28 2+8=10 1+0=1

NFL
Joe Montana 6-11-1956(6+11+1+9+5+6=38 3+8=11)
Jim Brown 2-17-1936(2+1+7+1+9+3+6=29 2+9=11)
Steve Young 10-11-1961(1+0+11+1+9+6+1=29 2+9=11)
Barry Sanders 7-16-1968(7+1+6+1+9+6+8=38 3+8=1)

the top two athletes this decade are TIGER WOODS AND LEBRON JAMES and they just happen share the same birthday and Numerology numbers
LebronJames 12-30-1984 ( 1+2+3+0+1+9+8+4=28 2+8=10 1+0=1
Tiger Woods 12-30-1975( 1+2+3+0+1+9+7+5=28 2+8=10 1+0=1

 Gender isn’t a issue with Numerology either – #FACT 4 of top 10 scores in WNBA history are born on the 11th
AND AGAIN THE WOMEN U SAID U WOULD DRAFT
IN THE 2ND ROUND Brittney Griner born 10/18/1990(1+0+1+8+1+9+9+0=29 2+9=11

The Patents I Never Filed…Multicast Networks, Personalized Streaming and Advertising and Self Service Hosting

Anyone who follows me on twitter or reads this blog knows I’m not a big fan of technology patents or patent law. I think they inhibit innovation and have become a weapon of small business destruction rather than a foundation of progress.  But that is not the point of this post.

Way back in the 1990s Audionet/Broadcast.com was always having to invent new ways of streaming audio/video , presenting them to consumers and generating new revenue opportunities.  You know those pop up windows that Netflix has used for years ? We created those. Called them “Guaranteed Click Throughs” because we guaranteed that when a user clicked on them they would take you right to your website.  We sold them for 25cents EACH. That is how valuable traffic was back then.  Sure wish I patented them so I could prevent anyone else from ever using them !

There were some other things we were working on that I put together notes on. My lawyers wanted me to go through the entire process of patenting them. I just wanted to compete. So the patent applications never got past my note taking.  But in the interest of helping anyone who may ever face a patent troll on these topics, these are my notes.  (And FWIW, I’m not saying these would definitely have gotten patents, and the in depth tech information is not in here. These were just notes to start a process that was never completed)

#1 A Network of Multicast Networks

Invention Disclosure Form

Abstract (2-4 sentences): MultiNetworkMulticast Network – A commercial network of multicast enabled networks. The composite of multiple Multcast enabled networks that terminates at a single point that enables digital content to be distributed in a one to many fashion across multiple networks from a single initiation point.                                                 This enables providers of digital content to enable broadcast of those bits to an unlimited number of networks and hence, endpoints on that network of the content while only needing to enable a single source                                             

Conception date (describe any available written evidence of conception):                           

                        Oct 1996                                                                                                                    

List all contributors to the project from which the invention arose:                                     

                                    Mark Cuban, Kevin Smith                                                                                                     

Has the invention been disclosed, or is it likely to be disclosed in the near future, to people or parties outside of the company?  For example, has the invention been described, demonstrated or made available (i) to a vendor or customer; (ii) at a beta site; (iii) at a technical conference or trade show; (iv) or in a printed publication?  If so, provide the date and a description of each such disclosure and state whether the disclosure was subject to a non-disclosure agreement (NDA):                                                

            Yes, the network is in use, and has been disclosed since Dec 1996                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Identify each company project or product that utilizes or may utilize the invention.  Also list the current status of each such project or product, including any known or anticipated release, sales, shipping, beta testing, demonstration or public disclosure dates:                                          All streaming media and media distribution products used by the company benefits from this invention. The company has been working with commercial networks since 1996 to aggregate them into a single network. We have been building the network internally to link those networks, and have been testing the integration of application software to distribute those bits across multiple multicast enabled networks since January 1997.

We are currently actively working with Internet Service Providers and Network Backbone providers to integrate them into the process. Once integrated, the invention will allow us to distribute digital content in real time to a potentially unlimited size audience                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Identify and describe any prior references that are relevant to the invention (e.g., known products, patents, publications, etc.):      There exists a non profit network known as the Mbone. The mbone is a loosley coupled network of networks which can be joined or left at anypoint, without initiation or notice of departure. However, because it is not controlled or owned by any organization, there is no consistency for distribution on the network. There is no single point from which a content provider can go, link to  or integrate in order to assure the delivery of their digital content to all endpoints. We looked at this configuration and enhanced it by  creating defined links and destinations, creating the network of networks so that a content provider knows exactly what destination network endpoints are available, and the capabilities of those links                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

State the problem that motivated or required the solution provided by your invention and briefly describe how your invention solves this problem:                                    In distributing digital content on the internet today, there is a huge problem of scale. Digital content is transmitted by sending a continuous stream of bits from an origination point, directly to a destination point in a 1 to 1 fashion. The problem is that number of destination points is limited by the amount of bandwidth available to the provider. So , to deliver 1gb of digital content to 100,000 users would require 100000000000000 bits of bandwidth !

The multicast protocol enables those same 1gb of content to be broadcast in a one to many fashion. However in order to receive those bits, users must be on a network that has been multicast enabled, and all the multicast networks that the desired audience exist on, must be linked to a common network. If the multicast enabled networks are not linked, then the content provider must originate content on each multicast enabled network seperately.                                                                                                                                        By creating our network of networks, we enabled content providers to broadcast content one time to multiple multicast enabled networks,. As a result, in the above example, only 1gb of bandwidth would be needed to reach those 100k users.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Describe how others have tried to solve the same or similar types of problems, and describe how your invention differs from those solutions:               Others have tried to create organizations that encouraged people to work together to try to solve this problem, but it has not happened until we did it.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Strategic Importance: Briefly state why this invention is strategically valuable to the company.  In other words, explain (i) how it would benefit the company to be able to prevent one of our competitors from using this technology; or (ii) why the company would care if one of our competitors could prevent us from using this technology:                                                                             The company has spent considerable dollars and resources to enable this invention and offer the benefit to our customers.  We have contractually tried to protect ourselves. However, if a company were to copy our efforts, they could offer the same level of savings to digital content providers thereby injuring our profit potential and market position.

#2 Personalization System – 1998 – This was a system we had designed and had implemented a simple version of, with the below enhancements in progress

The goal of this system is to find out as much as we possibly can about our users by asking them questions, track  exactly what they listen or watch and for how long, to allow them to create a My.Yahoo.Com  that lists their favorite content, with reminders for scheduled programs/events and recommendations for comparable content along with community items such as related newsgroups, chats, and the like

It starts with a user going to to a  webpage where they provide us demographics information, and then choose the categories of content they like. They also pick their favorite teams, artists, companies they follow  and schedules.

From there a custom Player SMIL file is created so that the user can have their personalization features presented to them inside the player. It will look like My.Yahoo, only in the player. A comparable HTML page will be created as well. So they can interact in either way

In addition to listings , there will be a calendar feature that can be local on the harddrive, or on a webpage , but it is personalized with games , shows, events based on the items chosen and reminders requested.  The user should also be able to go to a master calendar and drag and drop to the personal calendar

There also needs to be a personalized ticker with hot text ads, prices of selected stocks, and alarms or reminders of events chosen.

There shouldbe a search feature in the player, that allows the user to search Broadcast.com  for other items , whether live or on demand

There must then of course be personalized advertising. Based upon the demographics information provided and upon the content, audio and video that the user accesses. This of course means that we will need to keep multiple master databases of users,  their unique id, the unique ID assigned by the mediaplayer,. This will allow us to say that sample user, who has these characteristics, is now about to watch  this music video, so deliver this specified gateway ad , and during the content, deliver these following types of ads. The ads will be defined based upon category like zones. There needs to be an unlimited number of these categories for us to sell.

There must be a means of commerce. Commerce entails two levels, one is to buy  impulse merchandise associated with the content. So it could be a trip to Dallas when listening to the zone if the user is from out of town, or a free coupon to a restaurant if the user is in town, and of course if the user is listening to a CD from the jukebox, they must be able to buy the CD.  There must also be the option, in certain instances to save the audio or video to disk for a fee. This requires us to define the content as an object with characteristics that enabled depending on the geography (some content may only be available to local residents), or on whether we have the download rights,  or whether we have it available for sale as a product.

 The goal is to offer personalization, track, suggest and sell.

We will sell products, ads, gateway ads, in content ads, and who knows what other types of digital opportunities that arise.

#3 Self Service Hosting 1998 – Broadcast.com Personal Broadcast Network

The goal is to allow a person to come to simplenet (Broadcast.com’s hosting subsidiary) and select a hosting option that allows them to offer ondemand or live streaming content. To make a choice as to the size audience they would like to reach, and to have options as to how they would like to be promoted.

The system must also have a calendar component so that content can be included in a schedule if live, or as part of a search engine of on demand.  The content must also have the option of being private and having a password assigned that the user can hand out to whoever they want, and that will secure the stream.

The system must accommodate what happens on the backend server as well and of course the whole thing must happen WITHOUT any hands on intervation. Each service/offering must be handsfree, completely selfservice so that it can scale. The only exception is for encoded of sent items, which will be charged on a per hour basis for handling.

  1. User Gets a Welcome to the Broadcast.com Personal Broadcast Network
  2. Please download Your Personal Broadcast Station. This is our custom  version of the real and netshow encoders combined in a single package. When you run it, it asks the following questions.

 Do you want to broadcast in Audio or Video ?

  1. Live -

Ask them for a description of the show. Different questions for audio and video. Video, is it from a camera, VCR, is it music, talk only, news, lots of motion, little motion, sports, whatever we can think of . This helps us determine what kind of quality and encoder settings to suggest, and what speed PC is necessary to encode  The assumption is that all feeds will be delivered via a dialup internet connection

  1. The user is asked if this is the PC that will deliver the live feed
    1. If yes, a tracert is done and the network they are using is determined. It is compared to a list of good and bad networks and an interpretation is made of the likelihood of good connections. ie, if its AOL, or if tracert is over 250ms, then a warning is issued.
    2. The software then  reads the hardware config, the cpu config, who the ISP is from the Wininet, and the speed of the connection and reads their modem configuration, and then sends it to us or allows them to upload the file it creates to us

A, If its video, what kind of video card they are using to capture (To determine compatibility of encoders)

1. If they don’t know, or don’t have a compatible card, they are offered a list of cards that we will sell them, with an option to have a local reseller install for an additional $99.95. In addition, they are offered a complete PC setup with all the required pieces ready to go for $2495 for video.

2. They are asked what the video source is , camera, vcr,

3. They are asked what kind of computer and configurationit is to make sure it has enough horse power to encode live video

B. If its audio, same kind of questions as above. Ask them if they will be using the mic that came with their computer. Ask them if they will be mixing multiple sources. Ask them if this is talk, news, sports,  music, what level of quality they want.

C. Give them the option of buying multiple radio station setups. From software to program a music station, software only, or computer included, to devices to do remotes, devices to take phone calls, etc.

D.Promotional  Options

  1. Be listed in the Broadcast.com Personal Broadcast Network Schedule – $5 per month
  2. Have a featured time that appears in the whats on now homepage of the Personal Broadcast Network . Only one per scheduled time. Each time has a specific price, and once its taken, its gone. So Monday, 5pm is , lets say $60, Tuesday 2am is $5

Be listed in the Main Broadcast.com Live Events Listing  $ 100 per month

4       Buy Banners on Broadcast.com

General Rotation $ 30 CPM, minimum of $100

Specific Location $50 CPM, minimum of $100

  1. Select the pricing option

On demand – Per Month $ 29.95 for 14.4, 59.95 for 28.8. , for up to 4 hours of content. Up to 50 simultaneous users. 25% discount if they run our gateway ads prior and use our SMIL template

Live – 24×7

28.8 audio or video 19.95 up to 10 simul users, if they run gw

ads, 29.95 if not.

288 audio or video, 99.95 up to 25 simul users, 149 up to 50

if they run our gateway ads. Without gateway ads, $149 and                                                               $199.

Option to save and make available as archive is priced same as o                                                          on demand.

Final option (Till we think of more things), is the reporting option Its another $10 for monthly reports, $30 for weeklyreports.

On the backend, once a user completes the information and their credit card is approved, the backend software checks our server farm to find the next available server.This server has its config file modified to create a user block (this is already setup to work in real, not sure about netshow), and assign a password for the user, and an IP range based upon the tracert done from the software. This range (since its dialup its not a specific ip) limits the box the feed can come from . From there the user is emailed a server config file, along with an instruction manual on how to start the encoder and what directory to put the server config file. Then away they go !

If its on demand, and they send encoded file, same thing happens. They encod the file and the destination is  our server. One difference is that we will set a disk quota basedupon the number of hours and bit rate purchased. So if the user bought up to 4 hours of encoded 28.8 video, they get 25kbsx60x4 or 6mbs of disk storage.

The user is then sent complete instructions on how to link to the file. Or we can just license the RealNetworks publisher which has this built in.

The Mavs are a Business Unlike Any Other

When you own a professional sports team it doesn’t take long to realize that owning a team is unlike owning any other business. On one hand the competitive side of ownership is a driving force. I want to win championships. I want to win every game. Not just for me, but for the entire organization and all of North Texas and for Mavs fans everywhere. Thirteen years into owning the Mavs and it still hurts every time we lose. I still have a hard time sleeping after any game we lose.

On the other side, the Mavs are a business. I want to make a profit. But unlike every other business, making the most money possible is not a driving motivation. I try to recognize that Mav’s fans aren’t only about wins and losses. I have to realize that many, if not most Mavs fans don’t call talk radio shows. They don’t tweet about what went right or wrong during each game. In fact, while they want the Mavs to win, they are Mavs fans, win or lose. In fact, I was one of those fans before I bought the Mavs. We had a horrible team the entire run of my owning season tickets. It didn’t matter. I was a fan first.

But to some Mavs fans the Mavs are more than just a game. They are a release. They are a connection to other family members. They are an escape from the realities of a very difficult life. There are fans who love the Mavs because it makes their lives better.

THere are not many businesses that can begin to have that kind of impact on their customers/fans.

It is this connection that also drives me to make sure that every Mavs game is about far more than basketball. I want to make sure that every time any fan walks into the American Airlines Center they know that they will feel special. They will have a special experience. They will have an emotional connection. They will feel an energy and excitement they can not get anywhere else. They will be able to see a look of joy in their family members. They will know that we respect the financial, emotional and time investment they have made in our Mavs. In a years time they won’t remember the score, or even a single play from the game, but they will remember who they were with and how they felt during the game.

It is a special trust that is incumbent on me and all Mavs employees to live up to. It is expensive to deliver on this goal. But it is worth every penny. No matter what it costs. I’m proud of the fact that the Mavs spend, by all accounts, more than any other team in any sport around the world on in game entertainment and experience. While other teams worry about wi-fi and apps, we worry about creating an experience that is unique to Mavs games.

I wanted to share a very small sampling of emails that have come in over the last few weeks. There were many more. A special thanks to all Mavs employees who know just how important what we do is to our community.

Dear Mark,
A friend of mine gave me your email. I have a friend who has a 15 year old boy with an inoperable brain tumor. He left MD Anderson today after the doctors telling him there was nothing else they could do for him. We are from OK and they are on their way home tonight. They are attending the game tonight. I called the head office and was able to get him in the “high five line”! He’s making his bucket list on the drive home and the first item on the list is meeting ****** Is there anyway you could make this kid have a great evening after this horrible day? He’s a great kid with a very positive attitude and has just been handed his death sentence. Thank you so much for your time in reading this!!

Mark,
I received an invitation to select someone to present a game ball at one of the Mavericks home games. I can’t tell you how thrilled and what a blessing it has been to extend this opportunity to patients. I wanted to share one of my experiences.

There is a patient that is a single mother of 2 young children that does not have a good prognosis. We thought this would be an exciting opportunity for her and her kids. When I sat down to talk with her about, the look of joy that came over her face, as she was sitting in our infusion room receiving her chemotherapy treatment, cannot be described. I want to thank you for giving us this opportunity. The generosity of the Mavericks organization is second to none. The generosity spills over and blesses others, like me, who got to see the joy as I talked to her about what she would be doing.

Thank you so much to the Mavericks organization for not just providing us with entertainment and team to route for, but for making a difference in our community.

Mr. Cuban,
I would like to commend your staff at the Mavs. My coworker Robin was hesitant to even contact your staff. She wanted to something special for her brother. Besides her brother being special needs he has been diagnosed with cancer. He is not a child physically but he just does not understand what is happening to him but he loves Basketball. So as a Mavs fan myself I would like to bring to your attention the special thing your staff is doing to make a light at the end of the tunnel for this special man. It is a great thing to witness that the Mavs go above and beyond as small as it may seem to the Mavs it is huge to this gentleman.

Hello Mark,
Just wanted to THANK YOU for an awesome overall experience we had at the MAVS game Friday night. I was lucky enough to receive two tickets from a friend who had to go out of town at the last minutes, and was able to take my 12 year old daughter to her first MAVS game. I watch every MAVS game on TV, and she’ll watch about half of them, but 12 year olds have a lot more distractions to deal with. The entire vibe of the building was just electric, and you don’t get that feel on TV. When I asked her what the favorite part of the night was, she listed the MAVS dancers, the Maniac dancers cracked her up, the drum line, and of course the game itself! You are a guy who puts is information out there, and I’m sure you get more complaints and questions, but I just wanted to make sure to let you know what a great time we had! Her one time being there has her looking at the schedule for all the next games on TV!! She is now an MFFL!!!

Hi Mr. Cuban. I am *****s mom. She is one of the Maverick’s ballkids. This is her second year in the program. I just wanted to say thank you for creating this wonderful environment for my child to learn and grow. The program has given her SO much confidence. She has loved the Mavericks for as long as I can remember. You may be the only one more passionate about the team than her, seriously. We make her watch the games in her own area of the house if she isn’t at the game. You have made the NBA exciting and you have created the Mavs to be a beloved team. The excitement and love you show for this team teaches everyone what true passion can create. Those are the things that my daughter learns from you.

Mark
The picture I’ve sent you is of my 13 year old brother ******! He is on the Wheelchair Junior Mavs team in Dallas. He is wheel chair bound due to a spinal defect. However hes one of the most lively kids I know his age. He lives and dies for basketball and more importantly he lives and dies for the Mavs This past week you guys had a meet the Mavs night and he spent sooooo much time talking about how excited he was. He loves all of you guys, and he watches EVERY SINGLE GAME! Hes been to american airlines once for a game and wouldnt stop talking about it for weeks on end afterwards

Mark,
I am a dear friend of **. He actually taught me how to make my
first free throw playing in the alley when I was 6.

You all may know him from MAVS games, as he was a huge fan and became
famous during one half time performance as seen in the YOUTUBE video here

Sadly, he died tragically on Thursday morning while flying as a passenger
in a fighter jet outside of dallas.

I am working on a video montage for his funeral, which will be held at
**** Church at 10 am on Tuesday.
I would love to have the original video sent over if anyone in the
organization has it, to include in his slideshow.

Dear Mark
My mother is the biggest Mavericks fan you will ever meet. She literally never misses a game screaming and cheering in the middle of the living room the entire time. Recently, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Through it all, she has still managed to watch almost every game. Last week, she had a double mastectomy. We are thrilled to say that all of the cancer was removed and no chemo or radiation are needed. My mom and dad have been through so much over the last 2 months. This has been the hardest thing they have handled in 37 years of marriage. They fought it and beat it together every step of the way. I am so proud of their love for each other, and they deserve a night out together when she is back on her feet. I would love to be able ************** to a Mavs game. I figured it was worth a shot to email you. I appreciate you taking the time to read my email. I know you are having a rough season, but we all love you as an owner. Hang in there. The MAVS will be back in no time.

MFFL,


These experiences are not unique to the Mavs. I’m sure all college and pro teams have similar commitments to community. But sometimes it helps to remind everyone of the role sports play in our lives and that its not just about wins and losses or TV contracts. No city has ever thrown a parade for a local company that has had a great quarter or year. Sports are a special part of our lives and that will not ever change

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