WHEN: TODAY, MONDAY, September 25, 2017
WHERE: CNBC'S "SQUAWK ON THE STREET"
Following is the unofficial transcript of a CNBC interview with Dallas Mavericks Owner and billionaire investor Mark Cuban today on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street." Following is a link to video of the interview on CNBC.com: https://www.cnbc.com/video/2017/09/25/mark-cuban-trump-should-have-said-nothing-about-national-anthem-protests-in-nfl.html.
All references must be sourced to CNBC.
CARL QUINTANILLA: THE PRESIDENT AS YOU KNOW BY NOW SOUNDED OFF OVER THE WEEKEND AND AGAIN THIS MORNING ABOUT NFL PLAYERS DECLINING TO STAND DURING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM AFTER CALLING ON THE LEAGUE OVER THE WEEKEND TO FIRE PLAYERS WHO REFUSED TO DO SO. THE PRESIDENT TWEETED MANY PEOPLE BOOED THE PLAYERS WHO KNEELED YESTERDAY WHICH IS A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE TOTAL. THESE ARE FANS WHO DEMAND RESPECT FOR OUR FLAG. BEFORE YESTERDAYS GAMES, MANY NFL PLAYERS KNELT DURING THE ANTHEM AND LOCKED ARMS AND THAT SHOWS SOLIDARITY. THE NFL AND A NUMBER OF TEAM OWNERS INCLUDING THE PATRIOTS BOB KRAFT ISSUING STATEMENTS CRITICIZING THE PRESIDENTS REMARKS AND DEFENDED THE PLAYERS. LAST YEAR OF COURSE COLIN KAEPERNICK BEGAN TAKING A KNEE DURING THE ANTHEM TO PROTEST POLICE VIOLENCE AGAINST MINORITIES. JOINING US THIS MORNING ON THE PHONE, DALLAS MAVERICKS OWNER AND BILLIONAIRE INVESTOR MARK CUBAN. ITS ALWAYS GOOD TO GET YOUR TAKE ON THINGS, GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
MARK CUBAN: GOOD MORNING GUYS. DO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES AND WHAT WERE DOING IN DALLAS, RIGHT
QUINTAINILLA: LETS PUT THAT ON THE BACK END OF THIS. WHAT DOES THE LEAGUES RESPONSE FROM ALL COLORS TELL US ABOUT WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAID?
CUBAN: I MEAN, IT JUST BEGS THE QUESTION OF WHY DID THE PRESIDENT SAY ANYTHING AT ALL. LITERALLY, WHY WHATS THE POINT I MEAN, ITS LIKE JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A TWITTER ACCOUNT DOESNT MEAN YOU HAVE TO USE IT. JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN SAY SOMETHING DOESNT MEAN YOU SHOULD. HES THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, SO WERE ALL WONDERING WHY HE SAID ANYTHING. THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT WE HAVE TO ADDRESS WITH OUR PLAYERS AND OUR FANS AND OUR COMMUNITIES, AND I THINK HE DOESNT RECOGNIZE THAT AT LEAST IN THE NFL AND THE NBA I CAN'T SPEAK FOR OTHER SPORTS, WE HAVE HUGE COMMUNITY RELATIONS DEPARTMENTS, WE MAKE HUGE EFFORTS TO PARTICIPATE WITH THE COMMUNITY AND SO WERE ALWAYS INVOLVED WITH POLITICS AT SOME LEVEL. IF I WANT TO -- I JUST BUILT A PRACTICE FACILITY SO WERE WORKING TO ADD COMMUNITY ELEMENTS TO THAT. I HAVE A CENTER THAT I BUILT IN SOUTH DALLAS TO ENABLE KIDS TO GET EDUCATED AND TO GET TRAINED IN DIFFERENT SPORTS AND TO GET GOOD STUDY HABITS. I HAVE THE LARGEST INNER CITY BASEBALL AND ONE OF THE LARGEST INNER CITY BASKETBALL PROGRAMS CALLED LITTLE HEROS THAT WE WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY. WE HIRED THE FORMER CHIEF OF POLICE DAVID BROWN TO COME WORK WITH US TO BUILD OUR COMMUNITY PROGRAMS ALL THROUGH THE DALLAS MAVERICKS. SO WERE WORKING ACTIVELY TO CONNECT WITH THE COMMUNITY AND HE DOESNT SEEM TO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO WHAT TEAMS DO IN THE COMMUNITY AND WE ARE INVOLVED IN POLITICS AT SOME LEVEL JUST TO GET THOSE THINGS DONE. SO WHY EVEN COMMENT WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT YOURE TALKING ABOUT?
DAVID FABER: MARK, IT'S DAVID, ITS NOT JUST THE NFL OF COURSE, IT STARTED IN PART WITH THE DISINVITING OF STEPH CURRY AND THE GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS TOT THE WHITE HOUSE, LeBRON JAMES AND TWEETING THAT THE PRESIDENTS A BUM AND MADE IT MUCH CLEARER WHAT HE WAS REALLY TRYING TO GET AT IN AN INSTAGRAM VIDEO THAT I WATCHED WHERE HES QUITE ARTICULATE. WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM YOUR PLAYERS ON THE MAVERICKS AND WITHIN THE NBA ITSELF ABOUT WHAT WENT ON THIS WEEKEND?
CUBAN: ILL SPEAK TO HIM TODAY, TODAYS OUR MEDIA DAY. I TELL YOU WHAT THE MAVS ARE DOING WERE GOING -- I TOLD OUR FOLKS THAT I WANT TO GIVE EVERYBODY A CHANCE, ALL OF OUR PLAYERS AND MANAGEMENT TO GO ON CAMERA AND HAVE THE QUESTION ASKED OF THEM, WHAT DOES THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA MEAN TO YOU? AND IS THERE A TOPIC YOUD LIKE TO SPEAK ABOUT ON CAMERA IF WE WANT -- IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE AS A TEAM THEIR FEELINGS AIRED ON OUR JUMBOTRON BEFORE A GAME THEN RATHER THAN TRYING TO MAKE A POINT THROUGH A SECONDARY ACTION, WHETHER ITS TAKING KNEES, JOINING ARMS WHATEVER IT MAY BE, LETS JUST SAY WHATS ON OUR MIND AND LETS BE CLEAR TO FANS WHAT WE THINK. IF WE CAN TAKE IT FROM THERE AND START A DISCUSSION IN OUR COMMUNITY THATS A GOOD THING. IVE ALWAYS TRIED TO BE OPEN WITH OUR PLAYERS ABOUT WHAT THEIR FEELINGS ARE, HOW THEY WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE COMMUNITY AND WE HAVE A HISTORY OF IT. THE DALLAS MAVERICKS HAD THE FIRST NBA PLAYER FROM CHINA AND THE DAY HE PLAYED FOR US, IN 2001, THE NIGHT BEFORE THERE HAD BEEN AN INCIDENT WITH CHINA WHERE A PLANE HAD BEEN SHOT DOWN AND WHEN HE WENT OUT ON THE COURT HE GOT A STANDING OVATION. WEVE HAD PLAYERS SAY THEY WERE AGAINST THE IRAQI WAR AND GOT CRITICISM. I HAD ONE PLAYER BACK TEN PLUS YEARS AGO WHO WAS SEEN ON A VIDEO SAYING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM DOESNT REPRESENT HIM, IT DOESNT REPRESENT HIS PEOPLE AND THAT CREATED A FIRESTORM AND I WROTE A BLOG POST ABOUT IT. THIS ISNT ANYTHING NEW. THE ONLY THING THATS CHANGED NOW IS THAT THE PRESIDENT DECIDED TO GET INVOLVED. AS AN NBA OWNER WERE ALWAYS DOING THINGS THAT WHERE WE LISTEN TO OUR PLAYERS, WE TRY TO HELP THEM WITH THEIR COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT, THEY ALL HAVE FOUNDATIONS, THEY ALL HAVE COMMUNITY PROGRAMS AND SO AGAIN THIS IS NOTHING NEW. WE WANT TO LISTEN TO OUR PLAYERS, GET THEIR FEEDBACK AND SEE HOW WE CAN MAKE OUR COMMUNITIES, OUR TEAM, OUR FOUNDATIONS AND OUR COUNTRY STRONGER.
JIM CRAMER: MARK, JIM CRAMER, ALWAYS GREAT THAT YOU CALL IN. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
CUBAN: THANKS, JIM.
CRAMER: THE NBA IS REALLY TAKING IT I THINK AN INCREDIBLE VIEW. THEY ACTUALLY WANT THE PLAYERS TO SPEAK OUT SO I WAS SURPRISED THE PRESIDENT WOULD ATTACK BECAUSE THE NBA IS PROBABLY THE MOST FREE SPEECH ORIENTED LEAGUE IN THE WORLD, BUT TONIGHT THE COWBOYS PLAY. JERRY JONES IS ON RECORD SAYING THAT THIS IS NOT RIGHT. I KNOW YOU KNOW JERRY VERY WELL. DO YOU THINK HELL END UP TAKING A BOB KRAFT POSITION AND REVERSE AND SAY YOU KNOW WHAT THE PLAYERS ABSOLUTELY HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO DO WHATEVER THEY WANT
CUBAN: I DONT KNOW. I DONT WANT TO SPEAK FOR JERRY. WERE FRIENDS AND HE TAKES HIS OWN APPROACH TO THINGS AND ILL JUST RESPECT HIS SOVEREIGNTY TO SAY WHATS ON HIS MIND.
QUINTANILLA: MARK, WE CAN DEBATE BACK AND FORTH THE DELICACIES OF PROTESTING WHEN YOURE ON THE FIELD, WERE STILL LEFT WITH THE BUSINESS ANGLE, WHAT HAPPENS TO RATINGS, WHETHER THE PRESIDENTS RIGHT ABOUT THESE DECLINES, WHETHER THEYRE DRIVEN IN PART BY POLITICS. WHATS YOUR VIEW OF THAT AND HOW MUCH OF A THREAT IS IT TO AT LEAST THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE?
CUBAN: WELL, LET'S LOOK AT IT, FROM THE BIGGER PICTURE. FIRST OF ALL, YOU DONT KNOW THAT. THE RATINGS AREN'T DOWN BECAUSE SO MANY NFL OWNERS CONTRIBUTED TO THE PRESIDENTIAL – TO DONALD TRUMP? YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T CONNECT -- AND JUST PICK SIDES. BUT LOOK, YOU HAD BOB JOHNSON TALKING ABOUT THE BIGGER ISSUES WITH STREAMING AND ALTERNATIVE WAYS OF VIEWING CONTENT AND THE CHANGES IN CONTENT CONSUMPTION. I THINK THAT IMPACTED ALL SPORTS. I THINK WE HAVE TO WORK HARDER AND HAVE MORE CHOICES TO GAIN AN AUDIENCE, BUT LOOK, AS WE KNOW, TELEVISION ISN'T THE ONLY WAY TO CONSUME CONTENT ANY TIME AND IT HASN'T BEEN FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS, SO THAT IS DEFINITELY GOING TO IMPACT RATINGS. IVE SAT DOWN WITH ADAM SILVER, THE NBA COMMISSIONER, AND TRIED TO MAKE A POINT TO HIM THAT ITHINK THE NBA AND THE NFL, THE NHL AND MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL WE ALL NEED TO START ADVERTISING THE FACT THAT WATCHING A GAME ON TELEVISION IS THE BEST VIEWING EXPERIENCE. WATCHING IT FROM A CABLE OR SATELLITE PROVIDER, ON A REGULAR TELEVISION, IS A BETTER VIEWING EXPERIENCE THAN WATCHING IT STREAMING FROM ANY SOURCE ON A PHONE, ON AN iPAD OR EVEN ON A TELEVISION, BECAUSE IT BUFFERS, IT IMPACTS YOUR BROADBAND, YOUR BANDWIDTH TO YOUR HOME, THAT SPEED. THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT ELEMENTS THAT CAN IMPACT A BROADCAST AND YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH IT WHEN YOU STREAM. BUT WITH TRADITIONAL TELEVISION, YOUVE GOT 99% RELIABILITY AND IT'S A BETTER EXPERIENCE. IT'S ON US TO PROMOTE THE FACT THAT THAT'S A BETTER VIEWING EXPERIENCE AND WE'VE FAILED MISERABLY AT THAT. SO WHEN IT COMES TO RATING, THERE ARE THE BIGGER ISSUES, THE MACRO ISSUES OF PEOPLE WANTING DIFFERENT WAYS TO CONSUME CONTENT BUT IT SHOULD BE ON US TO REALLY PROMOTE WHAT THE BEST WAY IS AND RIGHT NOW THAT'S STILL TELEVISION. NOW, RATINGS ARE GOING TO BE DOWN, BUT THEY'RE STILL BETTER THAN WHAT OTHER SHOWS ARE EXPERIENCING. LIKE AT THE NBA, WE'RE STARTING TO DO AN INDEX, WHERE WERE SAYING, OKAY, OUR ABSOLUTE NUMBER OF VIEWERS FOR OUR FINALS WAS UP, SOME OF OUR GAMES DURING THE SEASON WERE FLAT, UP A LITTLE BIT, BUT WHEN YOU COMPARE THOSE TO WHAT OTHER SHOWS ARE DOING, WE'RE OUTPERFORMING ON AN INDEX BASIS SIGNIFICANTLY. I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT THE NFL AS WELL. THEY MAY BE DOWN FROM LAST YEAR BUT WHEN YOU COMPARE THEM TO OTHER HITS, IT SHOWS. YOU'LL SEE THAT THOSE OTHER HIT SHOWS ARE PROBABLY DOWN EVEN MORE. SO THE NFL, THE NBA AND SPORTS AS A DESTINATION FOR LIVE EVENTS IS OUTPERFORMING OTHER TYPES OF CONTENT. SO WHILE, YES, ON AN ABSOLUTE BASIS IN TERMS OF RATINGS, THE NFL IS DOWN, I STILL THINK THAT THEY'RE OUTPERFORMING IN THE NBA AND THE NBA IS DEFINITELY OUTPERFORMING OTHER CONTENT COMPETING FOR VIEWERS.
CRAMER: BUT, MARK, WE KNOW THAT YOUR STANCE ON THE F.A.N.G. STOCKS IS PRETTY BULLISH. YOU CAN NOT COMPETE. IF YOU'RE DISNEY, LOOK, EVEN IF YOU'RE CBS, IT'S REALLY HARD TO COMPETE. IF FACEBOOK, AMAZON AND GOOGLE NOW ALPHABET WANT THE RIGHTS, LET'S SAY YOU DO A CHINA GAME OR SAY NEXT TIME THE -- ANY OF THE CONTRACTS ARE UP FOR MAJOR SPORTS, NO ONE CAN OUTBID THOSE COMPANIES. AND THEY CAN BUILT WHOLE NETWORKS, YOUTUBE AROUND PRO SPORTS SO DON'T YOU THINK THAT IN THE END ALPHABET WINS, THAT FACEBOOK WINS, THAT APPLE WINS?
CUBAN: WELL THE DIFFERENCE IS THE CULTURES ARE DIFFERENT, RIGHT? SO IT'S A GOOD POINT, RIGHT. COULD COMPANIES WITH THE LARGEST CAP VALUES OF ANY COMPANY IN THE WORLD OUTBID YOU KNOW, TRADITIONAL BROADCASTS OR MBPD'S WHO ARE SEEING THEYRE MARKET CAPS DECLINE? ABSOLUTELY. BUT GOOGLE IS A DATA DRIVEN ORGANIZATION THAT TYPICALLY DOESN'T UP IT LIKE THAT. AMAZON AND FACEBOOK ARE DIPPING THEIR TOES IN THE WATER, NOT JUST HERE WITH NFL BUT WITH GLOBAL SPORTS – PROBABLY BECAUSE IT MAKES SENSE TO DO SO. AND I THINK THE COST OF OUR RIGHTS FOR THE NBA IN PARTICULAR IS GOING TO GO UP BECAUSE IN A STREAMING WORLD, IT IS SO MUCH HARDER TO DRAW AN AUDIENCE BECAUSE YOU HAVE UNLIMITED CHOICES. WHERE ON TELEVISION, ONCE YOU CHOOSE TO WATCH ON TELEVISION YOURE ONE OF 150 TO 200 CHOICES. SO I THINK OUR RIGHT FEES COULD GO UP SIGNIFICANTLY BECAUSE OF STREAMING BUT WERE NOT UP FOR ANOTHER TEN YEARS OR NINE YEARS, SO, SO MUCH CAN CHANGE. AND IN THE FIVE YEARS BEFORE THE NFL IS UP, SO MUCH CAN CHANGE UNTIL THEN. AND SO, I'M NOT READY TO MAKE A PREDICTION BUT I DONT THINK -- I KNOW SOME PEOPLE PREDICTED THAT THING RIGHTS FEES FOR SPORTS WILL GO DOWN. I DON'T SEE THAT HAPPENING AT ALL. I THINK THEY'LL GO UP SIGNIFICANTLY.
QUINTANILLA: BEFORE WE LET YOU GO, MARK, CRIS COLLINSWORTH OVER THE WEEKEND, REX RYAN, A BUNCH OF HIGH PROFILE FIGURES IN SPORTS, SAY THE PRESIDENT SHOULD APOLOGIZE. SHOULD HE?
CUBAN: THE PRESIDENT'S NOT GOING TO APOLOGIZE. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? THE PRESIDENT SHOULD READ A BOOK. INSTEAD OF GETTING ON HIS PHONE AND TWEETING, JUST READ A BOOK. YOU KNOW, JUST CHILL. I KNOW THAT'S CRAZY TO SAY ABOUT OUR PRESIDENT, BUT LOOK, THESE TOPICS, HE'S BEEN TALKING – I WENT BACK AND YOU CAN SEARCH ON TWITTER FROM REAL DONALD TRUMP, JUST PUT IN NFL. AND YOU'LL SEE OVER THE YEARS HES BEEN BRINGING UP THESE SAME TOPICS ABOUT TOO MANY FLAGS AND NOT ENOUGH HITS FOR YEARS. IT'S NOT NEW TO HIM BECAUSE HE'S PRESIDENT. HE'S PICKED ON ME, I CAN'T EVEN COUNT HOW MANY TIMES ON TWITTER. LOOK, IF HES GOING TO DISH IT OUT, HE'S GOT TO BE ABLE TO TAKE IT. I DON'T EXPECT HIM TO APOLOGIZE, BUT, YOU KNOW, IF THIS IS THE NEW PRESIDENCY WHERE OUR PRESIDENT WANTS TO MIX IT UP AND OBVIOUSLY HE DOES, WHETHER IT'S NORTH KOREA, GOD HELP US, OR SPORTS OR ME OR PUBLIC FIGURES OR ANYBODY, THEN THIS IS THE NEW WORLD, THIS IS THE NEW REALITY WE LIVE IN, AND THAT MAKES HIM FAIR GAME. AND I DON'T THINK ANYTHING'S GOING TO CHANGE ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. THIS IS WHO HE IS. AND IF YOU'RE ON TEAM TRUMP I DONT THINK YOU' RE GOING TO TURN YOUR BACK ON HIM. I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO SUPPORT HIM. LIKE YOUVE GOT SOME FOLKS THERE IN THE MORNING COME HELL OR HIGH WATER THEY'RE TEAM TRUMP. THAT'S JUST THE WORLD WE LIVE IN AND WE JUST HAVE TO ACCEPT IT. HE'S NOT GOING TO CHANGE. THAT'S JUST THE WAY IT IS.
QUINTANILLA: TRIBAL POLITICS, MARK, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
CUBAN: I CALL IT TRUMP POLITICS, NOT TRIBAL.
FABER: NEXT TIME, AUTONOMOUS CARS, MARK. PROMISE.
CUBAN: YOU GOT IT GUYS.
QUINTANILLA: ALL RIGHT. MARK CUBAN.
About CNBC:
With CNBC in the U.S., CNBC in Asia Pacific, CNBC in Europe, Middle East and Africa, and CNBC World, CNBC is the recognized world leader in business news and provides real-time financial market coverage and business information to more than 409 million homes worldwide, including more than 91 million households in the United States and Canada. CNBC also provides daily business updates to 400 million households across China. The network's 15 live hours a day of business programming in North America (weekdays from 4:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. ET) is produced at CNBC's global headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., and includes reports from CNBC News bureaus worldwide. CNBC at night features a mix of new reality programming, CNBC's highly successful series produced exclusively for CNBC and a number of distinctive in-house documentaries.
CNBC also has a vast portfolio of digital products which deliver real-time financial market news and information across a variety of platforms including: CNBC.com; CNBC PRO, the premium, integrated desktop/mobile service that provides live access to CNBC programming, exclusive video content and global market data and analysis; a suite of CNBC mobile products including the CNBC Apps for iOS, Android and Windows devices; and additional products such as the CNBC App for the Apple Watch and Apple TV.
Members of the media can receive more information about CNBC and its programming on the NBCUniversal Media Village Web site at http://www.nbcumv.com/programming/cnbc.
For more information about NBCUniversal, please visit http://www.NBCUniversal.com.