Cynt Marshall is the Dallas Mavericks’ Chief Executive Officer. But that CEO title could just as easily stand for Captain of Energy and Optimism.
Those traits were on display again Wednesday as Marshall told “Straight Talk Texas” about some of the things the Mavericks have done and will do to help them and the community come out stronger on the other side of the COVID-19 crisis.
There will be changes. And the timeline for a return to whatever the new normal will be is unknown. Even so, Marshall said that while nobody can know when we come out of this, we can determine how we come out of it.
“We do know there will be a new normal in how we interact,” Marshall said. “We’re going to have Mavs’ masks, with the Mavs’ logo, we’re going to have gloves — even outside of games, just to help us live differently. We’re thinking of all of that just in terms of our people coming back to work.”
At the arena, she said, “we’re thinking about what kind of touchless mechanisms we will have. We’ll have thermometers that when you get within 10 feet, they’ll take your temperature automatically. There’s so much stuff out there. We have time to plan and come up with all kind of scenarios to make this a good experience for our fans. Rest assured we will have thought it out.
“We were forced to come inside. We didn’t ask to. We don’t have a choice. But we do have a choice with how we come out of the house. So now we’re doing a lot of planning and we’ll come out better as a result. We’re going to make sure the people who lost their lives, they didn’t lose them in vain. I’m trying to focus on the positive and take that into the future, as tragic as this is.”
The Mavericks have taken a strong leadership position in the community since the March 11 suspension of the NBA. While basketball is on hold, the impact of the organization, including the players, has been felt in many ways.
Earlier on Wednesday before Marshall’s appearance on “Straight Talk Texas,” Dallas county commissioner Clay Jenkins said that the impact that players like Dwight Powell, Jalen Brunson, J.J. Barea and others have had is immeasurable.
Messages that they send about social distancing or washing hands, Jenkins said, can carry more weight than when people hear it from a government official.
The players, by the way, have been getting daily workout suggestions from the Mavericks’ medical staff, led by director of player health and performance Casey Smith, Marshall told Straight Talk Texas.
“Casey Smith talked about how they talk to players every day,” Marshall said. “They’re working out, but they’re also talking to them about (staying sharp) mentally and talking to them about whatever they want to talk about.
“It’s touch points, virtual touch points, every day. And I love it.”
Marshall said that the Mavericks will continue to put work in the community at the forefront during the stoppage of NBA play. Primarily, the organization will do what they have been doing over the last six weeks to help children and families who are in need of essentials.
“A few things occurred to me when this first happened,” she said. “I immediately thought about the fact that now that people are forced to stay home, there are so many kids who will not be able to eat three meals a day, who won’t have shelter because the school is closed, who won’t be able to learn because they don’t have access to technology.
“It is criminal that, in 2020, we have kids who can’t eat because school is out. They don’t have access to technology. That’s crazy to me. Not everybody can go to a grocery store. These are the things that are top of mind for us. My boss (Mark Cuban) is out there advocating for small businesses and people who are losing their jobs. Even though we’re not playing basketball, we’re playing the game of life with people right now.
“We don’t just play here. We live here, too. We’re part of something bigger and now we get to make it better.”
Here is a link to the YouTube video of the Straight Talk Texas video:
And here is the link to the blog:
Straight Talk Texas #6: A Conversation with Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall
TWITTER: @ESefko
Definitely people miss it. Fans want to know if our players are all right.
Share and comment