Mark Cuban Revolution

Never before in the history of major sports has a team's owner been the biggest star and most recognizable face of the franchise. But never before has professional sports seen a personality quite like Mark Cuban. He's the only owner I can remember getting ejected from a basketball game, attacking opposing players personally, and getting fined over 1.6 million dollars in total by the NBA for multiple infractions. But still he sits behind the Dallas Mavericks bench during every game. Although, his eccentric behavior and risk-taking sometimes get him in trouble, these same characteristics are what put Cuban in the position he is today, with a net worth of 2.3 billion dollars, among the top 300 richest people on earth. But Cuban didn't always have it so good. Born into a working class family in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, a grandson of Russian immigrants, Mark was a business man from the start. Cuban first entered the business world at the age of 12 to earn money for a pair of basketball shoes, and continued to work odd jobs during his education, including a stint as a disco dancing teacher. To pay for his college education at Indiana University, Cuban began a self made business selling stamps. After college, Cuban left his job as a software salesman to start his own software business, eventually selling this company years later for 6 million dollars. Cuban's real breakthrough occurred when he began an online broadcasting network with a former classmate, eventually selling it to Yahoo for 5.9 billion dollars. This rags to riches story truly captures what I believe to be the real American Dream: passion for his work, persistence, and setting himself apart from the rest, all coupled with hard work and innovative thinking. When asked by Forbes Magazine 'what is the American Dream?', Cuban stated, "The American Dream is knowing that you can create the life you want on your own terms." There's no doubt that Mark Cuban lives on his own terms, but despite the controversy, I would say he's better for it.

References: Forbes.com, Wikipedia