Early this year the NBA came to me and asked if I would be interested in doing my own talk show on Sirius Radio. The NBA was in negotiations with Sirius at the time, and according to this NBA employee, Sirius would only do a deal with the NBA if I would do a show.
Doing a radio show is something I had been asked to do in the past, but it really wasnt something I had an interest in doing. I had zero interest in having a show of any kind. However, in the interest of helping the NBA close a multi million dollar deal, I told this person I would be happy to meet with Sirius. Thats what good partners do
I flew up to NY and met with Scott Greenstein of Sirius, who couldnt have been nicer, more encouraging , more complimentary and more excited about my doing a radio show. He actually got me excited about it. They would set up an ISDN link and board in my office so I could work from home. They would give me a producer so that in addition to the show time, my preperation time would only be a few more hours per week. We decided that I would do a show that would be every Sunday at noon for 3 hours. Not just during basketball season, but 46 weeks per year. My pay... nada. I could potentially earn a percentage of advertising revenue that I generated, but I wasnt planning on going out to sell ads.
I told them it sounded like fun, but I would ONLY do it if they closed a deal with the NBA. Scott made it clear that they wanted me to do the show whether or not the NBA deal closed. I made it clear that the only reason I would make this committment in time is to help the NBA and only with an NBA - Sirius deal could the show happen.
I had committed to give up my Sundays. Reschedule the Sunday half of my Daddy - Daughter lunchs at the infamous Blue Cow Restaurant eating chicking nuggets and hot fudge sundaes. Do the preperation time to make the show good. For Free. To be a good NBA partner.
Whenever Ive been able to help my NBA partners, I've always tried to. I have gone on sales calls with the NBA to try to close business. In one case where things didnt go so well with the Commissioner, I was brought in as an alternative. I have given talks , speechs and Q&A sessions with more than half the teams in the NBA. Whenever there is a Speakers Series held by a team , it seems like I am asked to speak. Teams refer me to other teams as being one of , if not the biggest draw they have had. In addition, if i get asked to speak by any group in an NBA city, I wont do it unless its before or after a game, and all the participants are required to buy a ticket to the game. Thats what good partners do.
Unfortunately my partners in the NBA didnt see the value I thought I brought to the league. Hey it happens. Im not the first business person who's self evaluation of contribution to a business was wrong and I wont be the last. I have nothing but respect for my fellow NBA owners .. That said, I don't feel the obligation to do what I thought was of value if others dont.
So, having made a short story long. To those of you who emailed, asking when RadioMaverick will start on Sirius, it won't. For those of you who emailed asking if I will be speaking at your team's functions again this year. I doubt it.
Will I still be cheering on the Mavs. Absolutely. Will I be in the same seats, cheering the same way. Absolutely. Not having to do the show is great news. Not doing the show and events is easy. Explaining to my daughter why we arent going to Purple Cow as she is trying to pull me out of my office every Sunday, now that would be hard.
My RadioMaverick Show on Sirius and the NBA.
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Reader Comments
(Page 1)2. Good, I'm glad you're not doing it. As much as I would love for you to have a weekly radio show (and would listen religiously), your family is more important. Plus, I enjoy your appearances on Opie & Anthony and from what I hear Sirius does not take kindly to their personalities supporting XM Radio in any way, shape, or form.
Posted at 12:02PM on Oct 29th 2006 by Brock Batsell
3. Hey, Mark, long time reader, first time writer. (I'm trying to radio-up my post.) As a Sirius customer, and a former XM customer as well, I must say that I am disappointed to know that your own show was so close, but no deal was made. You seem to be a perfect match for the medium, though no doubt the league would eventually have some problems with something, anything, you said. The reason I read your blog is not merely because it hits so many topics that interest me, like basketball, tech news, and the DMCA, amongst others. You come across as real and unedited, enthusiastic, driven, insightful, and even occasionally wrong-headed. Sat. radio seems like the perfect match for you, and I hope that at some point, we might be able to hear your show come flying down from the sky into our receivers. Until that day comes, hope you enjoy the Purple Cow, and hope your daughter enjoys the time she has with you. As much as we want to hear you and your show, we all respect the decision you made and the reasons for it. (And don't forget the peanut butter milkshake!)
Posted at 12:20PM on Oct 29th 2006 by Boston Brendan
4. Sorry to hear that Mark!
I think your voice would carry far and help connect with the fans and the people.
You are correct in your assessment that fans see you as one of them that "makes you interesting".
The fact that you own a big team "makes you powerful".
The fact you do so many things for others even though you have no need to do it "makes you matter".
Never stop giving and doing what you know is the right thing to do Mark. It is not the fan's fault that the NBA is so hardheaded, shortsighted, and selfish.
It does not matter if the NBA fails to appreciate you. Do not let the NBA change you Mark, do not give them the power. Without the fans there is no NBA and the game we know and love will be gone.
In time, the truth will become known. And, history will judge the guilty.
As you smile to your grandchildren, you will have peace of mind knowing you did what was right, you did what was best, you did what you had to do, and have no regrets, no not one.
Posted at 1:31PM on Oct 29th 2006 by Antonio Howell
5. It sounds like we're only getting half of the story. If you're going to make this post, why not tell us what really happened? You have the big buildup, and then just say there's not going to be a show. What happened? What does the radio show have to do with you cheering for the Mavs or sitting in the same seats?
Posted at 1:34PM on Oct 29th 2006 by Tim
6. Mark, from what you described it sounds like the NBA decided that they either did not want to do a show on Sirius or that they would not cut a deal with them in conjunction with you having a show as well. Is that what happened? I guess I am a little confused as to why the NBA would not want to have a show on Sirius and what the heck would they be objecting about you doing a show? Are they mad because of your blog? Do they just not want to suppport you having an even larger audience then you already have with your blog? Are they that petty, holding onto a grudge and how could they be holding a grudge when you stated that you would not do your show without an NBA deal? WTF? Why would the NBA act like this when you were clearly looking out for them? What am I missing here? And I don't blame you for not speaking at events that teams ask you to. Why should you go out of your way when you are not feeling valued? Sometimes when you give and give and give and you recieve nothing back you wind up empty and that ain't a fun place to be in any situation. Hell we all want to be valued to some extent. Just because you are EXTREMELY successful does not mean you have no feelings. You were human before you bought the Mavs and sold Broadcast.com and you are still human after.
It is too bad for all of us that you won't be doing the show. Your radio show would have been another venue for all of us to learn more about your ideas and philosophies and that is a good thing. Please hook up with XM, for us! Oh and do it on a day besides Sundays because that day is for you and your baby girl. We value you whether we agree with what you say or not. Just a thought.
Posted at 2:21PM on Oct 29th 2006 by Erica
7. Hi Mark, I sat next to you at a Utah Jazz / Dallas Mavericks game here in Salt Lake City about 6 years ago. It was a great experience for me as a young entrepreneur. Anyhow, I just wanted you to know that as much as I might miss your radio show, I am glad you will not be rescheduling your daughter. The NBA, or any other partner, is not worth missing Daddy/Daughter time. I speak from experience as a father of one daughter and an entrepreneur.
Check out my blog sometime and let me know what you think if anything scrubs or rubs you the wrong/right way.
http://whatdoesanentrepreneurdo.blogspot.com
Go Jazz!
-Alex
Posted at 2:51PM on Oct 29th 2006 by Alex Lawrence
9. Mark- I think this decisions is yours to make and i dont think it is anyone's bizz to tell you whether you are right or wrong. But i dont think i undrstood why you are not doing it. i understood your partners dont appreciate you, but i also think it is their decision not to like you. in the end, you are controversial and some folks dont appreciate. but i dont think i understood the REASON behind it. thanks for being so upfront.
Posted at 5:15PM on Oct 29th 2006 by Marcos Santos
10. I thought I would echo part of of Alex's comments as an expecting father of a little girl. While the fan in me is disappointed - I find a lot of your comments refreshingly honest compared with what comes out of professional sports (or really any company) - my biggest fear is not having time for my daughter.
I read your posts through my RSS feed, so this is my first time reading the comments. I don't know if you take requests, but I would love to hear how you balance work and family. Bar results come out Friday, and my biggest fear is getting sucked in as a young professional and missing important moments in her life. I've promised myself I won't, but it is nerve-wracking...
Posted at 6:11PM on Oct 29th 2006 by Neil
11. With great honer to say something to you.I am from Beiing,China.
Everytime I read your blog,my imagination soars and passion spills.I love your words!I love your ideas!They really give me a lot!And I like the Maverick,Dirk is my favourite.Everytime I saw you from Tv,I was greatly impressed by your passion.
For nearly a year have I read your blog,and I got a idea that
I want to make a Chinese edition to your blog.
In order that more Chinese people could have a chance to know about great thoughts and creative ideas,I plan to organize a group of people to translate your blog into Chinese everyday,then make a specialized column in Sina.com.cn or some other famous website in China.Chinese people can also know more about the Maverick,and there will be more Dirk lovers...haha
I have once translated several of your blogs,such as the article you talked about the relationship between NBA and hip-hop,some suggestion to the playoff,your ideal dream team or your remark on Dirk...Some of the translations can be seen on Chinadaily.com.
Sincerely expecting your permission and advice.Thanks a lot.
ps. Forgive my poor English.As a Chinese,I am better in understanding your ideas and translating them into our language than expressing my ideas in English.
You Shangshang
06.10.31
Posted at 8:52PM on Oct 29th 2006 by youshangshang
12. Mark - doesn't the NBA already have a deal with Sirius? I don't understand why your current negotiations have any effect on a league deal...could you clarify this a bit more?
Posted at 9:58PM on Oct 29th 2006 by Scott
13. While I can appreciate the demands on your time, I always assumed that there was some
kind of compensation for your NBA afflilated appearances .. its a shame that they don't appreciate the effort. As a long time Sonics fan I want to thank you for making it up to our
speaker series a few years ago, I really got a lot out of it, it was one of only 2 speaker events I made that year (flying in at the time from CA for weekend games) .. at least we still get to
hear your opinions on the blog.
Posted at 10:58PM on Oct 29th 2006 by sdy
14. Thank you Mark for NOT being able to do a show on Sirius. As a Mark Cuban fan and an Opie and Anthony fan, I was struggling with the idea of buying Sirius just to listen to you.
Posted at 11:48PM on Oct 29th 2006 by Doug Hagewood
15. Maybe the following article is why Mark feels as if his fellow partners fail to appreciate his value...
http://www.nypost.com/seven/10292006/sports/dealing_with_cuban_whistle_crisis_sports_peter_vecsey.htm
Not knowing the reason behind the blog entry irked me too...one google news search later turned up the article above
Posted at 2:44AM on Oct 30th 2006 by Eric
16. Some things are priceless. Spending special time with your daughter is one of those things.
Posted at 6:32AM on Oct 30th 2006 by John
17. mark- you should use your corporate investigative reporter to poke around the nba league office... turn the tables on them. would anyone on the the inside like to share some inside nba stories?
Posted at 10:00AM on Oct 30th 2006 by league baller
19. Hello,
Remember Dafur? Another Crisis is developing in South East Asia. The government of Sri Lanka is delibrately starving children for their purposes. Christians, Muslims, Republicans, Democrats .. For 5 minutes suspend your politics and read this article please. Thank you. Then DO SOMETHING.
Feature
Jaffna faces humanitarian catastrophe
[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 October 2006, 12:24 GMT]
Closure of A9, the only trunk road to Jaffna from rest of Sri Lanka, more than 10 weeks ago, has halted the flow of essential food provisions, and medical supplies to Jaffna Peninsula, and if urgent steps are not taken, the residents will face severe humanitarian crisis, civil society leaders in Jaffna warned Monday. Jaffna residents face malnutrition and imminent starvation; and shortage of medical supplies and doctors, have wreaked havoc with the peninsula's fragile health care system, hospital and Non Governmental Organizations (NGO) sources said.
The child specialists attached to the Jaffna Teaching hospital warned that many of the children in the Peninsula are affected by malnutrition because the provision sent by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) is inadequate and only could fulfill 25% of the entire need of nutrition.
Inefficiency of the Government bureucracy and the rampant corruption in the supply chain also may be exacerbating the situation, local NGO officials said. "Island," a kind of milk powder that was declared in 2000 as not suitable for consumption, was again sent to Jaffna. Out of the 200 000 milk packets sent recently, 86 000 packets are "Island,".
The Directors of Education have expressed alarm at the fall of attendance figures of schoolchildren. Many attending children suffer from malnutrition and cases of many fainting in schools are reported. Enthusiasm for learning has waned dramatically, officials said.
Meanwhile, the Consortium of Jaffna district NGOs blames the GoSL and government officials for their indifference in allowing the transport of essential food items to the people of Jaffna. Some officials of the Consortium said they fear speaking in public about the real situation in Jaffna due to the overarching presence of security forces and collaborating paramilitary cadres.
The NGOs warn that understated, and quite often false, details of the needs of the people of Jaffna disseminated by the Colombo's propaganda machinery are masking a grave and tragic situation developing.
Though more than 40 000 people, belonging to 12 000 families mainly from the areas near the Forward Defense Lines (FDL) in Thenmarachchi region and the islet villages, have fled their homes and have become internally displaced, following the break out of war on August 11, the GoSL has not directed the officials concerned to take actions to provide them any relief so far.
Instead, verbal directions have been given from Colombo to the officials to refrain from setting up refugee camps and involving in any relief works. As a result, though all the IDPs stay in government schools, no actions have been taken so far to provide them either cooked meals or basic facilities.
In addition, GoSL has allegedly given orders not to disclose the information that the refugees are staying in camps, the Consortium sources further said.
The members of the Consortium also accuse the International NGOs like UNICEF, Save the Children Fund, UNHCR, and ICRC, for failing to expose the malnutrition among children, internal displacement, and starvation.
The Consortium blame INGOs' silence on the public attack on the office of Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), an NGO that is the main relief organization in the entire NorthEastern province. Local NGOs fear that their safety is also endangered due to the apparent self-censorship of the INGOs, consortium officials said.
The Consortim officials said that, overall, Colombo has remained detached to the developing humanitarian crisis and has failed to fufill its humanitarian obligations to people of Jaffna.
Follow-ups:
26.10.06 TNA urges LTTE to prioritize opening of A9, warns ..
27.10.06 TNA appeals to UN: "GoSL uses Humanitarian crisis ..
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spaceReproduction of this news item is allowed when used without
spaceany alterations to the contents and the source, TamilNet, is mentioned
20. I don't think this is a value-add equation, Mark. Without doing any research to counter your post, it simply sounds like some of the other owners are jealous of your high visibility and aren't concerned with increasing the overall value of the NBA. I'm trying to think of the proper game theory situation to apply to this (Prisoner's Dilemma, but that's not quite it), but sometimes people would rather see you NOT succeed than see themselves succeed with you.
Posted at 12:58PM on Oct 30th 2006 by anton
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1. The only reason I'm glad you're not doing it is that I have XM and would've been jealous!!! I appreciate your philosophy. I'm a recording engineer working with major labels in the music biz. There are a ton of things I do that I don't compensated for. The reason I do them is because it promotes me as a brand, and it promotes my clients. I help them acheive their goals, and in turn that will only help the cause...
Posted at 11:57AM on Oct 29th 2006 by Mark Goodchild