Mark Cuban makes depressingly accurate observation about Pirates owners

Whenever the Pittsburgh Pirates are underperforming (so, basically all the time), the blame game almost always begins and ends with team ownership.

Bob Nutting's refusal to spend on team payroll, and questionable hiring practices when it comes to baseball operations and team management, have consistently left fans clamoring for a change during his 17 years at the helm of the club. At the top of nearly every Pirates fan's wish list of potential new owners is billionaire Mark Cuban, a minority owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and western Pennsylvania native who once put in a bid to buy the Pirates in 2005 that was rejected by then-owner Kevin McClatchey. (Nutting would go on to purchase the team in 2007.)

The Pirates' unthinkable collapse against the Chicago Cubs this week in which they gave up 41 runs over three games to their division rivals once again revived the ownership conversation, prompting fans to implore Cuban directly on social media (as they do practically every year) to buy the team from Nutting and end their collective suffering.

Cuban clearly heard Pirates' fans pleas and took the time to respond with a post on X Thursday morning. Unfortunately, it probably wasn't the response the fans were hoping for.

"If someone offered you a job, that paid 25m or more per year, to stand in Market Square and let the entire city of Pittsburgh yell at you, would you take that job?," Cuban wrote. "That job is owning the Pirates. Why would they sell?"

Mark Cuban makes depressingly accurate observation about Pirates ownership

Cuban's response is a harsh truth about Nutting's incentive (or lack thereof) to sell the Pirates, even when they are playing some of their worst baseball in franchise history and angering fans to the point of public outcry. As he sees it, he never has to spend money on this team; so he never will.

Nutting's stinginess is a tired narrative but an important one, as it illustrates the basis of his business model when it comes to owning a professional sports team. Win or lose, he still makes his profit every year through TV rights deals, ticket and merchandise sales and more. In other words, he couldn't care less what the fans think.

Unfortunately, Nutting picked the right market for his business model (if you can even call it that). Pittsburgh is not considered a large MLB market, and its fans are loyal to a fault. There is little to no incentive for Nutting to ramp up spending, as he is going to profit either way.

Sorry, Pirates fans. You can continue to yell at Nutting from Market Square, but he won't hear you. The only sound he will hear is the $25 million hitting his bank account every year as he continues to run this team into the ground.

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