Mark Cuban weighs in on transgender athletes in women's sports: 'People just aren't ready'

Dallas Mavericks minority owner and "Shark Tank" host Mark Cuban gave his take on transgender athletes in women's sports this week. 

During an interview on "The Stephen A. Smith Show" Friday, Cuban suggested trans inclusion should not be "pushed down people's throats." 

"To make it a national issue so that if you weren’t supporting the fewer than 10 trans athletes in the NCAA, then you weren’t a good person. People just aren’t ready for that yet. You've got to meet people where they are," Cuban said. "It takes time, you can’t just force it down people’s throats."

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Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks checks his phone during the second half of a game between the Mavericks and the Orlando Magic at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, Nov. 3, 2024. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)

Cuban also suggested people affected by transgender inclusion policies in sports should not be used in political campaigns. 

"Instead of trying to get where the people who are being disadvantaged and being discriminated against are helped, they wanted to make it a campaign issue," Cuban said. "Focus on helping the people, not using them to campaign."

A national exit poll conducted by the Concerned Women for America legislative action committee found that 70% of moderate voters saw the issue of "Donald Trump’s opposition to transgender boys and men playing girls' and women’s sports and of transgender boys and men using girls' and women’s bathrooms" as important to them. 

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Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks during the third quarter of a game against the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center on April 10, 2024, in Miami, Fla.  (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Additionally, 6% said it was the most important issue of all, while 44% said it was "very important."

Cuban also suggested he supports women athletes who choose not to compete against transgender competitors, saying the decision of whether to compete against trans athletes should be left up to the athletes themselves. 

"My attitude is if there’s a trans athlete, no matter what side, you let the opponent — whether it’s an individual sport or a team sport — you let them decide if they want to compete against them or not," Cuban said. 

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Cuban, a staunch supporter of former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris and an impassioned critic of President Donald Trump, is one of the many prominent left-wing figures who have spoken out against the Democratic Party's stance on trans athlete inclusion. 

Smith has repeatedly called out the Democratic Party for its stance on trans athletes, suggesting it played heavily into its defeat in the November election. 

HBO host Bill Maher has also criticized Democratic support for trans inclusion in women's sports. Even Democratic lawmakers like Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass, and former Montana Sen. Jon Tester have spoken out against the party's current stance. 

A  New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don't think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women's sports. Of the 2,128 people who participated, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women's sports. 

Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democrat, 67% said that transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete against women. 

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