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Report User Once upon a time, an older generation looked at Joe Namath's long hair and white cleats and felt threatened. That generation looked with disdain on the loud mouth of Cassius Clay, and hated (to put it nicely) the name of Muhammad Ali. Bill Walton's ponytail and politics was looked upon with suspicion. We all know how parts of America reviled Tommy Smith and John Carlos.
How ironic that the children of that generation, the ones who cheered Ali, Walton, Namath are now cursing hip-hop and cheering the dress code. All to feel safe all over again.
Let me preface my remarks by stating the following, I like a lot of things about hip-hop. Some of the things I don't like are jeans haning off the butt, and when I see a grown man wearing more diamonds than Liz Taylor I think about a Fool and His Money.
So I see the NBA dress code as a good idea, but done for the absolute wrong reason. First part: Dress codes are something most of us need for our working environments. But the working environment in the NBA is a 94x50 rectangle of wood. Shorts and tank tops are the WORK gear. So why the insistence on dress casual?
The fact of the matter is that David Stern is trying to continuously "sell" the NBA to older White America. Why? It's where the money is. If you don't believe me, look courtside. Then look up in the 300 section.
The NBA has been a game whose best players are mostly black, while their best revenue sources are white and at least a generation older. Hence the need to make sure that these players is not too controversial. Present them as "safe". Keep smiling, and please, no images that appear "thuggish". I tell you, I'll hurl if I hear another announcer (Bob Costas is the worst offender) wax on about the Holy Trinity of "LarryMagicAndMichael".
Of course, therein lies the hypocrisy. We all know that a large part of the NBA's popularity over the last 12-15 years is about the impact of hip-hop culture on the game and the fans. The music, the swagger, the longer shorts...go back to the Fab Five of Michigan; things have never been the same. A 45 year old white person may have a big problem with the cornrows and tatoos of Allen Iverson (often used as The Embodiment Of Everything That Is Wrong With The Game), but his 22 year old kids may be rocking the baggy pants and playing 50 Cent and Jay-Z on the iPod. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
David Stern knows that Ron Artest in a business suit will not make him LESS likely to go charging into the stands when some moron throws a drink at him. So do you. As I recall, most of your on-court confrontations (which are mild compared to hockey and baseball) are between players in uniform. So tell me again about how a dress code is supposed to help?
If you are really soothed by this, you're drinking the Kool-Aid. Stop, put the glass down and take two steps back. Image is overrated here. People seem to forget that when Michael Jordan showed up for HIS first all star game, he had on a warmup suit and gold chains. Go look it up.
The NBA has taken a hit in the last decade, not so much because of misbehaving players (although I don't deny the cumulative impact in a town like Portland), but because the on-court product stunk. Even in the last days of the sainted Jordan Era, scoring was down, and the flow of the game was lacking. The league suffered because of overexpansion (David Stern, look in the mirror) watering down talent, the exit of many great players (which is cyclical), and the immaturity of the new stars. Yes, plenty of players left college too soon, but owners went and drafted them no? And how much did Kobe, KG, Amare, and Jermaine O'Neal hurt the NBA by coming straight out of high school?
It is really ignorant to scapegoat hip-hop and dress codes. The dress code isn't as much about dressing players up for image's sake - if you don't believe me, check out Tim Duncan and Steve Nash to name two. Neither will win a Best Dressed Award in my lifetime. Both men are considered assets to the league, and rightfully so. Kobe Bryant has always worn some killer suits, and will any of you tell me with a straight face that the league was eager to showcase him the last two years?
The NBA image is improving for some simple reasons - scoring is up; defenses are being forced away from the clutch and grab tactics of the 1990s. And most of all, great players from Europe and South America (and Africa and China) are in the league and the overall SKILL level (note, I did NOT say talent level) of the NBA is starting to approach the level of the 1980's.
Basketball is a beautiful game when played well. The 1980s featured some of the greatest players in history togther at the right time. A league that was ready for them, and game played well. I'm confident it is on the verge of happening again, and when it happens, it won't be because A.I. started wearing Dockers.
Dress codes and bling is a diversion for the weak minds. As Public Enemy said, don't believe the hype.
Now you can feel safe.