So you don’t like Mark Cuban.  You hate the way he dresses, hate the way he complains, and hate the way he’s always there. You think he’s a whiny, immature, spoiled little man.  Well, all I have to say to you is “Takes one to know one.”

With his Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals, it’s about time Mark Cuban’s critics mimicked a Ginobili flop in the lane and took a seat.  Cuban’s enthusiasm and passion are a welcome change from owners such as the Clippers Donald Sterling, who first and foremost see their teams through business eyes as a moneymaking venture.  Moreover, unlike owners such as George Steinbrenner or Jerry Buss, Cuban’s commitment to winning doesn’t begin and end with his checkbook. 

Cuban sends game tapes to the league to point out illegal tactics that hinder his players.  Some complain this is unfair or even shameful, but it’s merely Cuban working as hard as he can to help his team.  Teams don’t complain about Gilbert Arenas beating them because he spends hours and hours in the gym, so why should people complain about Cuban putting in extra hours to help the Mavericks.  At the end of the day, when he’s done everything else he can to help the Mavs win, Cuban does the simplest thing he can—he cheers his team on---not from the press box, but courtside.

Cuban’s place behind the Mavericks bench seems to tick off a lot people. He’s always there, always yelling, always involved.  But why shouldn’t Cuban care so much about his team?  Many of his critics probably care about their Madden teams on X-Box so much they could medically be proven insane, yet they hate the fact that Cuban is so involved with his real life team.  The Mavs are his business and his life. Wouldn’t you expect a record store owner to care about the quality and quantity of records he sells? Shouldn’t he be thrilled to talk to or cheer on famous musicians who stop by the store to perform?  The same goes for Cuban.

The NBA and sports in general would be better off if there were more owners like Cuban.  His availability to the press is unprecedented, and to my knowledge he’s the only owner who is likely to read or even respond to your emails.  Sure, there are selfish reasons for Cuban’s constant bickering about the officiating, but he also does truly care about having the NBA put a better product on the basketball court.

Dan Shanoff of ESPN.com wrote last week that the ultimate mark of Cuban’s ability as an owner is that he is the man you would want to buy your team if it was up for sale.  I think there are few sports fans out there that would disagree with that.  I would say Cuban’s flair goes even farther than that.  Who wouldn’t want Cuban to own whatever company they work for?  Who wouldn’t want him as a boss or co-worker? 

Mark Cuban is no different than you or me or any other devoted sports fan.  If bitterness, jealousy, or general annoyance forces you to hate a rich professional sports team owner, there are more worthy candidates.  There’s Dan Snyder (too greedy), Al Davis (too crazy), and Jerry Jones (too much plastic surgery).  All I ask is that you leave Mark Cuban alone; he’s got a championship to win.