The Josh Innes Show - Mark Cuban's Fix For The NBA

Episode Date: February 17, 2026

First off, how about the head of the MLBPA banging his sister in law? I need more details on this. Second, Mark Cuban doesn't think tanking is a major issue in the NBA. He thinks affordability and game presentation are the issues. Well, two things can be true. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All right. I was just reading this story about Tony Clark, who's the guy that is the head of the MLBPA. He's resigned in the headline reads, Tony Clark to resign after revelation of inappropriate relationship. I don't really know what banging somebody inappropriately has to do with whether or not you're good at your job as a guy who's like the head of a union, I guess. But let's play a couple commercials and let's read some of the details of this story. All right, so the story reads, facing growing concerns from players in the wake of a federal investigation and the revelation of a personal impropriety. Tony Clark is expected to resign from his position as executive director of the MLBPA, leaving the union scrambling to find a leader, heading into a lengthy labor dispute this winter, according to people briefed of the decision. an internal inquiry revealed that Clark engaged in an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, who was hired by MLBPA in 2023, as ESPN first reported.

The relationship came to light at a time when members of the MLBPA's eight-player executive subcommittee have been in contact with both federal officials and players own outside counsel regarding the Department of Justice probe, and to Clark and the Union, the Eastern District of New York, has been looking at, into Clark's handling of union finance. So really, it's a bigger issue than, you know, this dude just banging his sister-in-law. Boy, that's salacious, though. That's solid work there. Like, that's the kind of shit you read on the hub.

Way to go, Tony Clark. I need more details on this horned-out story. Give me the horny details, brother. Come on. I need, like, a full-on, horny detail breakdown of this. Because, again, the internal inquiry revealed that Clark engaged in an inappropriate relationship, with his sister-in-law who was hired. So basically, what was happening here is this guy was fucking his sister-in-law,

and to keep her quiet, he gave her a job. Or he gave her a job, and they started hanging out more, and they started banging. I find that one more hard to believe. So really what we're dealing with here is this dude, Tony Clark, who runs the MLBPA, was banging his wife's sister, right? That's what we're dealing with. I would assume that's what we're dealing with here, right?

If it's his sister-in-law, then that would be his wife's sister, right? Or it could be, I guess, another member of the, like, I guess in theory, like it could be his brother's wife or something, right? I guess that could make sense. I'm hoping it was his wife's sister because that's all sorts of fucked up and hub level, and that's just fun. Let's see, the union plans to announce an interim replacement said Los Angeles, Angels pitcher Brent Sutter, a member of the executive,

subcommittee, set her side of the upcoming bargaining sessions, which are expected to begin this summer as the union's priority to keep everything stable as we can this year. I need more horny details. Come on, athletic. People pay for the New York Times and the athletic, and you can't even give me more horny details on what was going on with old buddies's sister-in-law? Can I get more sister-in-law stories? That's what I'm here for. Come on, I need more sister-in-law. You know what? You've, you've, you've, giving me nothing athletic you've given me absolutely nothing now let's see uh now this story this is not about the horny details which i was really you know hoping for um says MLB heading for a bloodb what stunning news means for looming uh lockout you know i'm rooting for a baseball

lockout because i've told you guys this as much as i love horny details about a guy fucking a sister-in-law, I really love a good old-fashioned lockout for a sport that boars the shit out of me and baseball bores the shit out of me. It's just, it's like, I know we talked about this a little bit earlier, but like we sit here and we talk about like sports that are boring and how they're non-competitive and all this shit. Like baseball is a non-competitive sport. When there's a team that can spend a billion dollars on their roster and then another team that's the fucking pirates or the royals or the reds, like teams that don't even give a shit to try it, they still collect and suckle off the teeth. That's not fun. And look, I've acknowledged

this. I think it's because my baseball team is terrible now and maybe it's never going to get better again that my baseball team's run of 20-something years of being kind of, you know, damn near a gold standard among baseball organizations. You can question that if you want. You can rip me for that statement. But the Cardinals were the gold standard, especially for a medium market team to run the way they ran and to go to four world series over the course of, what would that be? Really, they went to four world series in nine years. 04, 6, 11, 13.

They went to the LCS a handful of other times. They made the playoffs a billion times over the course of basically 2000 to 2015. There were like two or three instances that the Cardinals didn't make the playoffs in 15 years. The Cardinals were the gold standard. But even then it felt like more teams were competitive. Like it felt like the Royals were, I mean, they made a little push at one point. Historically, they're not really competitive. But they had a little bit.

But you start looking at a lot of the teams in baseball. The Reds would have some moments. The Pirates played against the Cardinals in the playoffs one of those years. It's just like, I don't know. I don't enjoy baseball and I'm rooting for baseball to have a work stoppage. I don't know. I guess it's partially because I just view sports differently than I used to view sports and we talk about that all the time, I think, is you start to kind of see these guys

for what they are and you start to get a little bit older and you start to kind of analyze your own life and your priorities change and sports don't matter as much to you as they used to. And you're just kind of like, eh, fuck it. Like I hope there's a work stoppage because like I'm a dude that real talk ain't making anything close to the money that I used to make. I used to make bank, relatively speaking, not, you know, Terrick Scoobble, $32 million for one year work. But as I've told you before. I made well into six figures and I was doing very well for myself for a long time. To the point that when I got fired at 790, I had thousands of dollars in the bank that I didn't even know I had. I had well into six figures in like stocks and shit. Like I didn't even know

I had it because none of it mattered. It was like how Jay Leno didn't even need to use his tonight show money. He just lived off of, you know, his standup and all the money that he made from tonight show. He just banked it. I was cooking, man. I was a fucking stud. Now I'm barely above the poverty line in terms of my salary. I have to do all this, you know, as we talked about earlier, all the voice tracking and shit just to make extra money. I mean, that's kind of what my situation is now.

I used to cook. I don't cook as much anymore. But like when you start to live like that, you start to think like, shit, I'm watching these people haggle over all this fucking money and I'm watching them, you know, not be able to agree on shit. And then they're getting paid a shitload of money. And many of them just roll out of bed and don't give a fuck. not necessarily in baseball, but you see like tanking and basketball and you see other people and you're like, fuck you.

Like, why the fuck do I care how much money you're making, how many millions of dollars you're making? When I'm sitting around here pulling my pud trying to make a couple of fucking dollars to rub a couple of nickels together and makes up that happens. So my view on this shit is a little bit different than it used to be. You know, I don't look at things through the lens of like 17, 18, 19 year old like, oh my God, if baseball ends, what will I do with myself? I say if baseball's going to have a work stoppage, fuck it. I'll go on. My heart will go on. I'll continue finding ways to live.

I'll watch other things on TV. And my baseball team sucks to the point that I don't even get any joy in watching baseball. The Cardinals' mediocrity in the last three or four years has completely sucked my fandom out of me. I just don't really give a shit about it anymore. That's it. I am excited about the Tigers because I'm excited to watch Verlander pitch. in person again that is, as we mentioned this last week, it has given me some level of, of like a rejuvenated passion, I wouldn't even say passion, just a rejuvenated interest in baseball.

Let me tell you, if the Tigers hadn't made the move for Verlander and Fromber, I don't give a shit. And even so, I still don't give a shit that there's going to be a work stoppage. Because at the end of the day, like who enjoys watching baseball whenever it's basically the Dodgers and a handful of teams that have a couple of bucks, and that's it. It's not fun. It's not fun to watch. You know, I was reading some of these tweets from Mark Cuban earlier today where he's like, the issue for the NBA is not tanking.

Whenever we were tanking and, you know, the couple of times we tanked in Dallas, the fans appreciated it because we were kind of up front about it. The issue the NBA has is an affordability issue and a game presentation issue. I'm like, eh, that sounds cute. and all, but I don't think that's true. Like, by that logic, then, people don't care about how shitty your product is, as long as you go out there and throw them some shitty t-shirts in the stands and play the fucking YMCA a couple times a game and they'll have a good time.

Like, last time I checked, you can go to any NBA arena, whether it's a good team, like, historically, like Golden State, or a good team like, you know, the Pistons or whomever. You can go into any arena, whether the team is good or it's the fucking Pelicans, and the game presentation is going to be pretty good. Every stadium's got a mascot. Every stadium's got a mascot that comes down from the ceiling shooting t-shirts out of a cannon. Every team's got hot-ass dancers that shake their ass and titties. Everybody's got the same shit. So like the idea that you've got to present the game better. How exactly do you present the game better or different than you already are? Enlighten me, Mark Cuban. Like what game presentation? Like his argument was,

you know, people, they remember the experiences. You know, the kids that go to the games don't really care if they win or lose. It's about having the experience. And yeah, that's partially true. Because when I was a kid, anytime I got to go to a professional sporting event, I didn't even fucking know who won or lost. Anytime I got the chance to go to Bush Stadium in St. Louis, it was the thrill of a lifetime. And it only happened once or twice a year. So whether they won or lost, I was just happy to be there. There is an element of truth to that. I'm not telling you that it's 100% wrong on Mark Cuban's part. But he's basically passing the buck saying, that the on-court shit isn't that big of a deal. He's saying that people don't give a shit if you

tank because people tank all the time. They just want to have a good experience. Well, they go hand in hand because eventually you get sick of going to games when your team is fucking terrible. And oh, by the way, to your affordability issue point when you say, but you know, we're pricing people out or it needs to be more affordable. Guess what, Mark? When you tank, your tickets are cheap. Hell, the Detroit Pistons are a good basketball team. And you look at their ticket prices and you can get in in the upper bowl for, you know, $20. I went to a game two weeks ago.

A buddy of mine bought some tickets. He bought a whole row of tickets for like $15 a piece. So we all went. Like, things go hand in hand. And I don't question Mark Cuban as a business person. He is clearly a smart business person. And before we got to this world of knowing everything about everybody and, you know, knowing what people,

are politically and knowing that they probably hate you because of what you believe politically or that you just don't believe what they believe politically. You know, back in the day, I used to really admire Mark Cuban because I thought Mark Cuban was kind of fucking badass. I thought his whole act was pretty cool. I like the fact that he yelled at the refs. I like the fact that he was an owner that wore t-shirts and sat on the sideline. I enjoy Shark Tank still.

But like, when I think of Mark Cuban, like, I don't disagree that game presentation matters. But what exactly can you do to change the game presentation from what it is now? You know what I'm saying? Like, what can you do now that would make you go, oh, wow, we've, we're going to shoot people out of fucking cannons? Are you going to do like mini halftime shows between, during every time out is the red panda? You're going to get 30 red pandas and the red panda plays at every game between every stoppage?

Like, enlighten me, Mark Cuban. What can you do to improve? the game environment and the game presentation. What are you going to go full on Savannah bananas? You're going to get some fuckers on stilts? What is your plan? So I think he's wrong there. I think there's a, well, again, not wrong.

I just think it's easy to pass off this idea that the issue is not with tanking. People don't like tanking. You can sit there and charge people whatever you want if the product's good. The idea that people are being priced out of sporting events, that's also not a new development. Tickets were expensive 15 years ago when the Mavericks were good and he was still the owner. So the idea that this is like some new development

that fans are being priced out, people will pay for a good product. And yeah, there are going to be times that they're going to be people who are priced out of games. That's reality, right? Like there are people that are going to be priced out of everything, not just sporting events. Movies price people out now.

there are certain people that don't have the cash to do any of this shit. Right? But, like, I just think it's a, I think it's wrong to just throw a blanket over the problem with basketball and just say, ah, it's a game presentation issue. Like, what about a guy on his first date and blah? Well, the games are all the same everywhere you go. I've been to multiple arenas. They all play the fucking YMCA.

They all play fucking monie, mooney. They all do wacky starting. lineups. One time a year they'll bring in Red Panda. They'll do quick change. They'll throw out some fucking t-shirts. Some chicks will shake their ass and titties. And then you go home. The difference is what is the draw? The draw is still the guys on the court. The draw is still the stars. The draw is still the players. The game is still the draw. Like you're not going to spend money so you can go to a basketball game to watch some titty shake. And you can watch that shit on the hub or you can go to Tony Clark's house.

Watch a sister-in-law shake her titties. Like there's all this shit you can do. So like the idea that, well, the game on the court doesn't matter. Bullshit. It clearly still matters. So when you're tanking or you've got guys who are load managing, that matters. Think about it this way. I'm in Detroit.

And in Detroit, you cannot get into a Lions game for less than like 500 bucks. Every week there'd be a home game. I'd go to a stub hub or wherever. And I just wanted to see because I'd like to go to a game. I like to go to football games. They're fun. You look at tickets for the Lions. Can't get in for less than 500 bucks.

So you buy two tickets to a Lions game. How much that cost you? A grand. How much cost to park? 50 bucks. If you want to get some popcorn, sody pop and beers in the game, you're looking at another 100, 150 bucks.

You're spending $1,200 to go to a fucking football game. But... The games are sold out. And if the games are sold out, there's got to be a reason why they're sold out. And it's not just because the mascot comes down from the ceiling and there's a kiss cam. It's because people actually care about and are dedicated to the product. And yes, I got this argument when I posted this on Twitter. And this argument is fair.

Well, there's only eight football games versus 41 if you're at home. Yes, that's true. Obviously, the cost is going to be greater for eight games versus 41. Well, there's lesson number one. Get rid of some fucking games and create urgency. That's number one, but you'll never get rid of games and create urgency. Two, there is no way that there's anything you can do inside the in-game experience with the exception of letting somebody coach the team in the second half like it's fucking Eddie.

Like let a fan go in and coach the team. Go ahead. Do that. And then maybe you're offering something that people can't normally get. Other than that, what are they getting? YMCA, Macarena, chicken dance. Hey, row 17, just one free chick-fil-A. Oh, if you miss two free throws, it's free chicken.

Everyone does the same shit, and I do not believe there are innovations that are going to change that. Ultimately, it's still the same shit. What's the difference between going to a game in New York City right now or Detroit right now versus going to a game in U.S. Utah right now or Charlotte or wherever. It's what happens on the court. It is completely misguided and wrong to just dismiss the idea that tanking turns people

off, that the on court performance isn't part of what brings people to the arena. Because if that's the case, just put a shitty team out there all the fucking time. Why do you even spend money? Just put a bunch of dopes in a jazz uniform, call them the jazz and let people go. Because really the only reason they're going to the game is to go. overpriced sody pop and catch a shitty t-shirt. Right? Like that's the logic, right?

So I think Mark Cuban is wrong there. Again, not totally wrong. Partially wrong. Somewhat wrong. But again, NFL, very expensive. Games are still sold out. Again, it varies by the city you're in and how bad the team is. By the way, you want to know the cities where the tickets are cheaper?

Shitty teams. You put a good team on the field, it costs more money. So what's going to end up? So I guess is Mark Cuban's point that we should keep putting shitty product out there because as long as people can catch a T-shirt, everything's fine. A shitty product will be cheaper for the people and it'll be fine. I think it's misguided. That's all.

I disagree with him on that. Again, somewhat disagree. Part of it's right. It's partially right. It's partially wrong. And then you go back to baseball where this whole thing started with about, you know, work stoppages and shit. That's kind of my point. You know, like the fact that we were blowing basketball players for trying in an all-star game,

like think about it. Like go back and watch the broadcast. And you hear guys like Reggie Miller, whoa, you better not think these guys aren't trying. Boy, look, they're actually out there playing defense. The fact that these guys are paid to play a game and we're blowing them for trying hard, maybe that's part of the issue. Maybe. possibly

could be so all of that is a factor and why basketball struggles not just well the tickets need to be cheaper people don't have a hard time buying those tickets or care to buy them when their teams are good people don't care about the game experience when the team's good

Thank you.