Just to make clear why I’ve so idolized Mark Cuban one of the other CS staffers sent him this post which he then read and responded to. Here is his response:
That’s the attitude I like to see! Mark Cuban is officially back on top of the big board of awesomeness.
– TheDoctor
Mr. Cuban,
Can I call you Mark? You seem more like a Mark than a Mr. Cuban. In fact that’s one of the things I’ve always liked about you, despite being a billionaire you still seem like a Mark.
For the past ten years or so I’ve idolized you. I looked at you and saw a guy who grew up in a normal family, hustled like mad to make some cash in the early years, got his hand slapped a few times along the way, but eventually turned work ethic and passion for sports into F-U money. Taking the basic idea of “I’d like to listen to Indiana basketball games from anywhere on my computer,” turning it into a booming tech startup, and then having the good sense to get out before the bubble burst was brilliant. But then it gets good.
When you got your billions you didn’t stop being you. You did what me or any of my buddies would do if we found ourselves with a billion dollars: you bought a sports team. And you didn’t just buy that team, you loved that team. You threw your own money into the pot to make them a winner and won’t stop saying exactly what every fan is thinking when a referee, opposing team or the NBA does something ridiculous to your team. Along the way you also bought a G5, appeared on entourage, jump started HD TV (because sports look WAY better in HD), and dabbled in so many awesome new technologies I can’t even list them here.
Bottom line: you lived my dream. You’re in that bucket with Phil Knight, Matt Damon and Jay-Z where no matter what anyone says about a particular thing you’ve done they always follow it up with “but I’d love to be him for a day.”
But now, at the height of your powers, you go and do this interview with the Associated Press:
Seriously? SERIOUSLY?!?!?
You buy generic aspirin and don’t like to spend $100 at the gas pump? You like 7-11 hot dogs? That would be fine if you added “which is why I have them flown to me fresh daily when I’m on vacation in Italy.” Did they cut the part where you talk about how great Costco is, that you wait for a Groupon before you try a new restaurant, and that the Sunday paper coupon clipping session is your favorite part of the week?
STOP TRYING TO LIVE MY LIFE!
What could have possibly possessed you to shatter your cocoon of coolness? If this was an attempt to get people to like you more it will backfire.
As a friend I’m going to be 100% honest with you: people like you because you are a billionaire. The reason the camera is on you at Mavericks games and not on the other guy in the Mavs sweatshirt 50 rows up is not because you are a bigger sports fan than him, it’s because you are a billionaire and you own the team. I’m not saying you aren’t a cool guy who anyone might want to be friends with but that’s irrelevant.
You once said in an interview that the best part of being a billionaire is having houses all over and get enough of any clothing item you buy to have it in every house meaning when you want to travel you just step on the jet with nothing.
Bring that Mark Cuban back. Hire Coldplay to do the music for your next house party. Go pay cash for an oil tanker then turn it into an eco-hotel with a 500 foot HD screen that broadcasts Mavericks games 24/7. Do something to show us you’re still the guy who got the money we don’t have and is doing with it exactly what we would because that’s what the world needs you to do so we can all keep dreaming.
I’m not going to give up on you because of this one slip up, just don’t let it happen again.
Sincerely,
TheDoctor
