I can understand them being annoyed at having to change their style, but their whining and stupid allegations fall on deaf ears when most people have to deal with the same crap: dressing up for work. They can be casual and express themselves to the extreme on their own time. 90% of people who have jobs have to be obediant. A big chunk of them have to do things that make them uncomfortable as well. NBA players are no different in that respect, and if they can't handle it they certainly have the financial option of leaving the game to pursue whatever else they feel makes them cozy. Now scuse me while I go get some gas cuz the cross in my front yard is running out of fire juice.
This is just another instance of commissioner Stern acting as judge, jury and executioner. What exactly is the point of all this? Will this rule change the overall perception of the league? No. Will having Allen Iverson wear a collared shirt on his way to the game all of sudden make fans that weren't watching the NBA now watch it? How much air time does that even get? All of twenty seconds. Making the players show up in collared shirts doesn't hide all their tattoos, the way they talk, the way they walk, the way they play, etc. This rule is nothing more than the league implementing a rule that won't change anything and in fact is going against one of the big reasons for the league's success. Much the same way the biggest stars in music are from hip-hop, the biggest NBA players are also associated with the hip hop culture. Kids are not just buying A.I. jerseys because he's a great basketball player, they look up to his style and image. It's very contradictory for the league to make these players dress up as if they're in the corporate world when that's not going to bring the league money. Big business still wants in on the NBA because the kids associate with the styles. A.I. in a collared shirt and khakis would not sell.
I didn't think the dresscode was a wise move, but macfan's whining makes me like it better and better. Exactly, no one looks twice at me when I wear my big-ass gold medallion to the office. Speaking of, if they are, in fact, trying to subdue the young black male hip-hop culture because it is hurting their profitability, is that a problem?
Not until the new TV contract is signed and it is smaller and salaries go down. Then they will b**** up a storm about feeding their families. The players don't get it that this is about making more money.
so I dont see a dress code for the fans, they can continue to express themselves through their throwback jerseys and use NBA gear as a fashion statement(which I frankly dont understand... why wear a team jersey of a team youre not even a fan of? because the baby blue goes well with your shoes?) this is about presenting the players in a professional manner to the media...
I guess they want to boost the sales of Iverson jerseys to the level of those of a more "respectable" player......like Duncan? This whole thing is silly.... If the old Rocket's dildo on the front of the jerseys during games wasn't a problem, I can't see what difference it makes what a player wears when he's driving his Bentley from his gated mansion in the suburbs to the secured parking at the Toyota centre.
I've met w/ businessmen & investors from Dallas on a few occasions. It's not been uncommon for them to show up in Cowboy hats and instead of ties, those suede cords with the little metal buckle at the top (sorry, don't know the proper name of it). Frankly, these guys would indeed get "second looks" around the office. But all in all they would be accepted and everyone would move onto business. But on one occasion, a black guy had come in from LA. Cleancut, well-groomed, nice suit, polished shoes. With the exception that he was wearing an unusually loud and colorful tie. At the end of the meeting when this guy left, everyone still sitting at the table talked and discussed ad nauseum about the black guy's lack of respect for business etiquette and proper attire. So to me, Stern is simply pandering to the prevailing perceptions prevalent around the country - especially to the 'corporate' and 'family values' groups he is hoping to extract more revenue from. I have had so many people tell me the last few years that they stopped watching the NBA ever since "all these ghetto kids in tattoos took it over." Of course it's not unusual for Stern to be pandering to certain groups or pandering to anything for that matter. Over the decades we have all come to know him as the w**** deluxe who will do almost anything for an extra $1. Tinkering with half the rules to generate more scoring hasn't really helped the ratings, so why not try insulting the majority of his workers with a crackdown on anything that might reveal their culture to all the John Roberts in Peoria...
Thanks guys. Added a bunch of great quotes. I will check back again tonight for more rocket goodness.
Has Stern discussed how much profitability the league has lost because of the players' attires? And if they have lost money because of this "image" and they're enforcing this code because of that, I have a problem with that. They're basically pandering to racists, IMO. I completely understand actions like suspending Ron Artest and people whose actions place a black eye on the game. However, if you're forcing people to change the way they dress because some in the public think it's too thug or too hip-hop, then I think the players have every right to play the race card. And I agree with them. Having a different fashion style than some 35 year-old white soccer mom in Suburbia, USA, is not putting a black eye on the sport. I say if they don't want to watch the sport itself because of what they wear off the court, or let their kids watch the sport or buy their products, then I don't want to pander to idiots.
So when the Rockets win the championship this year, will the players be required to put on championship suits instead of t-shirts? I guess no championship hats will be allowed?
Man, this is fast becoming an D&D thread. RM95, I see where you're coming from. The problem is, the business world just don't dress in hip-hop fashion, black, white, Asian, whatever. If that's racist, then that's a much larger problem to solve than the players' right to "express themselves." The 35 year-old white soccer mom in Suburbia's aversion toward the hip-hop fashion is not idiotic, and it may or may not be racist. It is not the culture per se that they dislike. It's the things that are associated with the culture that concern them. The inner city culture itself can be respected. But very few parents, black or white (I am neither), would want to raise their kids in the inner city if they have a choice.
The protesting players are acting like babies. "Whaaaaa, I can't show off the ridiculously expensive gold chain and diamonds that this employer got for me. Your holding me down!". It's called biting the hand that excessively feeds you, moron! And if you really think what you wear defines you as a person then you have big problems. Put on a tie, collect your huge paycheck, and shut up. Or go get a job making tons of money the magical place where there is no dress code. They make me sick.
Sounds like ignorance to me. Why don't we judge people by their actions and not what they wear? If a white soccer mom doesn't want her kids to support the league because of the Ron Artests of the world, then I have absolutley no problem with that. But if she sees someone like Ray Allen (just an example, I have no idea how he dresses) dressed in a throwback jersey with some bling and decides that she doesn't want her kids watching, then that's ignorant and borderline racist. By the way, I work in the business world. The company I work for was just named #203 on Inc.'s list of fastest growing private companies in America. There are people here who dress similarly to some NBA players. I guess if we had a stricter dress code, we'd be higher on the list, huh? All this talk about the players being whiners, ya'll do realize that if it wasn't for those whining babies, there wouldn't even be a league right? I've never understood how so many people who spend so much time watching sports could have such contempt for the players they're watching. This is for all sports.
He's finally grown some balls!@ ##### Duncan rips dress code as 'basically r****ded' Story Tools: Print Email FOXSports.com Posted: 2 hours ago Spurs superstar Tim Duncan is known to be understated and shy — but not about the NBA's new dress code. Duncan, according to a report in The San Antonio Express-News, joined the Indiana Pacers' Stephen Jackson with not-so-kind words for commissioner David Stern's dress-up policy. Tim Duncan, seen in his sideline attire of choice last season, calls the NBA's new dress code "a load of crap." (Rocky Widner / Getty Images) "I think it's a load of crap," Duncan said. "I understand what they're trying to do with the hats and do-rags and jerseys and stuff. That's fine. But I don't understand why they would take it to this level. I think it's basically r****ded. "I don't like the direction they're going, but who am I?" Duncan, a two-time NBA MVP and three-time NBA Finals MVP, did not play in Tuesday night's 94-81 exhibition loss to the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse. He wore what The Express-News called his typical injured-list wardrobe: jeans and a dress shirt. However, an NBA spokesman said Duncan would have to tuck his shirt in once the regular season starts and the policy goes into effect. In the new policy, players will be allowed to wear "dress jeans" and a collared shirt or sweater to and from the arena, but they must put on a sport coat if they are sitting near the bench and not in uniform. This clearly isn't music to the ears of Duncan, who is thinking of remaining in the locker room on nights he does not play. As for Jackson, his problem lies in the fact that players will not be allowed to wear large chains, pendants or medallions over their clothes when they enter an (NBA) arena. "I have no problem dressing up (business) casual because I know I'm
Oh sure...run away from RM95 . I'm thinking the 35 year-old white soccer mom who's unsettled by hip-hop fashion would likely be just as unsettled sitting next to Ben Wallace in a suit. And probably not quite so unsettled next to Justin Timberlake wearing a throwback jersey. (unless he started to sing). And if it's the professional look they're after -- they should introduce Steve Nash to a barber. I really can't see how this is THAT big a deal either way. But why is it an issue now? The league could issue guidelines, I suppose, but you'd think they couldn't impose it without it going through the collective agreement. Or that it would be a team by team thing. But if it's a condition of work thing...then that should be outlined in the agreement. I suppose if Sterns real plan was to get press by making himself, and/or his players look really stupid...he's done a great job. Lots of quotes abound....from Iverson suggesting he should be getting a clothing allowance to Duncan suggesting he'd rather stay in the dressing room and pout.
