President Trump Tabs Dallas Owners Mark Cuban & Jerry Jones for ‘Re-Open America Advisory Board’
FRISCO - President Donald Trump recently met with all of the major-league sports commissioners to discuss the issue of COVID-19. And on Tuesday he announced another sports-related next step: The formation of a “Re-Open America” advisory committee that will include Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
“We need to get our sports back,” Trump said in his Tuesday briefing from the White House.
Other names on the committee include NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, NBA commissioner Adam Silver, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, the UFC's Dana White, NASCAR's Lesa Kennedy, the WWE's Vince McMahon, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, LPGA commissioner Michael Whan, USTA chairman Patrick Galbraith and MLS commissioner Don Garber.
The NBA, NHL and MLB have seen their regular seasons impacted by the coronavirus outbreak, which each league going on "hiatus.'' The NBA has been an active leader in many areas here.
"I'm ready to help my country in any way I can,'' Cuban told us.
The NFL has had to cancel the annual owner meetings, has prohibited teams from using their facilities in the usual extensive way, and has turned its NFL Draft (April 23-25) into a TV event rather than one attended by half-a-million people, as was the original plan in Las Vegas.
Jerry Jones' son, Cowboys COO Stephen, appearing on 105.3 The Fan before the White House announcement, said, “I think Jerry has always said is that sport is ... a respite. A respite from your day-to-day challenges, whether it be your professional life or your personal life.''
Indeed, sports leaders have been vocal and optimistic about how sports and entertainment can be key to America's mental health; in what hopefully is an apolitical way, the White House seems to share that view.
