Jones, Cuban promote access

[mavsfanforever]

Jones, Cuban promote access
Owners discuss changes they'd like to see in media


06/28/2003

By STEVE DAVIS / The Dallas Morning News

Empty their checkbooks and strip away their holdings, and Dallas' two most visible sports owners wouldn't share much in common.

Sure enough, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban sat together Friday afternoon, epitomes of their disparate images: Jones, a blue-suited hybrid of spit-polished CEO and twangy football man; Cuban, a churning ball of new-day ideas in jeans and Nike high tops.

But a substantial gathering of the nation's sports editors discovered that the heavyweight owners shared plenty of common ground when it comes to vital media conduits.

Jones and Cuban were keynote panelists for the Associated Press Sports Editors Convention at the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas.

Both have embraced the importance of media accessibility and have worked hard to create channels that work for them. Both are passionate about their products and pay rapt attention to the pertinent, written words. Neither seems irreversibly harmed by media portrayals.
Cuban isn't the least bit bothered by his mop-haired, mad-scientist image. "You created it; I fed it," he told the country's sports page decision-makers.

Cuban takes issue with some reporting and commentary, which he characterized as too often lazy. He says reporters often fail to capitalize on the accessibility he has created, and often quit asking questions before they develop a full understanding of the relevant issues.

"Then he [a writer] does this cursory attempt to fill 2,000 words, and then they move on to another topic," he said.

He cited the NBA's complicated salary cap, noting that too many writers turn out stories where it is, at the least, peripherally involved, but don't understand it.

Jones was more often complimentary than critical during the 90-minute discussion, moderated by The Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan. Jones' chief complaint about newspapers, he said, is too much focus on negative issues or athletes' personal troubles.

Jones promised that sources at his club would remain accessible, despite new coach Bill Parcells' history of closing more media doors than opening them.

"There will be some change as it relates to the new coach," he said. "But not as much as you might think, because we have a history of accessibility at the Cowboys."

Jones said watching former Cowboys president Tex Schramm helped him appreciate the importance of media access and relationships. For his part, Cuban said he learned plenty of tricks by watching Jones.

The Mavericks owner admits he has stoked some stories, intentionally feeding information to reporters about players or issues to garner more attention for the Mavericks. But he said those instances weren't necessarily the ones people might suspect.

For instance, Cuban noted the criticism he absorbed for signing Dennis Rodman, a transaction often perceived as a publicity stunt. Cuban said he was trying to win games.

Cuban called Jones a role model in helping him reconstruct the Mavericks. He watched Jones learn pro football from root to treetop and wanted to do the same in pro basketball.

"And he [Jones] was a role model for me because he wasn't afraid to make a change just because he was going to take some heat on it," Cuban said.

Both said their days begin early with newspaper accounts. Jones exercises while he reads the two local newspapers and USA Today.

Cuban buzzes the Internet, scouring his bookmarked national outlets and using search engines to ferret out other relevant or topical articles. Then he looks more closely at local newspapers.

The two may not hang around the same circles, but they certainly know one another. Near the end of the session, they were asked what they might change about their leagues. Cuban, outspoken about an NBA that he sees as too slow to evolve, grinned but mostly checked his ire.

Jones grinned, too. He knew who had more to say.

"I'll give my time to Mark," he said.

E-mail stevedavis@dallasnews.com

[Mandyahl]

i like the end. funny stuff.