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By Ben York / @bjyork

Mark Cuban can be a polarizing figure.

He’s brash. Nontraditional. Passionate. Honest. Spontaneous. Charismatic. Doesn’t much care what you think of him. Gets into a bit of trouble with his impulsive reactions at times.

And he’d be the perfect choice to own a WNBA team.

I don’t know Mark Cuban any better than you do. Perhaps more importantly, I have no idea if Mark Cuban has any interest in owning a WNBA franchise. None. For all I know, he couldn’t care less.

But I hope this helps plant a seed.

Cuban is everything I’d want an owner to be in any sport. First and foremost, he’s a fan of the game and will do whatever it takes to promote his team. He’s paid the money, marketed the team the right way, takes care of his players, fans and staff, and has a vested interest in winning.

What more could you want in an owner?

Cuban already has strong links to women’s basketball. He has a close relationship with basketball legend Nancy Lieberman and has played pickup games with her for years. In fact, he was a staunch supporter of Donnie Nelson hiring Lieberman to coach the Mavericks D-League affiliate, Texas Legends. Additionally, he has provided a quote and testimonial for Lieberman’s book, “Playbook for Success.”

The good news? At the very least, Cuban is supportive of women’s basketball at some level. So, the groundwork is there.

However, owning a WNBA franchise is a different thing altogether. It requires extensive work from an ownership standpoint to make things happen rather than delegating responsibilities to a group of executives or staff. It has to be hands-on. Ownership cannot be lackadaisical or passive. For it to be a success, Cuban would need to feel equally as passionate as he is with the Dallas Mavericks.

The positive impact Cuban could make on the league cannot be overstated. If he wanted to, Cuban could transform and generate publicity towards a team the likes of which hasn’t been seen in women’s basketball before. Cuban has such a creative mind and outstanding business acumen that his fresh approach to promoting the league would be welcomed by a myriad of fans. He has two daughters of his own that he clearly cares deeply for so the personal enthusiasm and affection might be there.

Conversely, just because someone could do something certainly doesn’t mean they’ll do it. Would the ends justify the means? Is the potential reward worth the risk? It would be catastrophic to the league if Cuban did invest in a WNBA team and it turned out to be unsuccessful or the project was cast aside.

Should that occur, it would be a horrible testimonial to other owners who have hidden in the shadows to assess the profitability and feasibility of owning a WNBA franchise.

Still, if anybody could do it, it’s Cuban.

Of course, all of this is hearsay and likely won’t happen. Although, from an investment standpoint, buying a WNBA team is probably pocket change to Cuban as he was previously linked to rumors of buying the Chicago Cubs before they were sold to the Ricketts family for about 900 million dollars. While it is difficult to determine the market value of any WNBA team, I can safely assure you it is a far cry from 900 million dollars.

Yeah, this is all wishful thinking. But maybe Cuban will need a new challenge now that he and the Dallas Mavericks have captured their first NBA championship.

And what better challenge than setting the gold standard for ownership of a WNBA team?

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