NBA DRESS CODE

This is a topic where I am honestly split between my immature thinking, and my Old Skool mentality! The 24 year-old side of me says “Let the men rock their ice”, and “Why do they have to wear a shirt and tie to a basketball game?” The mature side of me says “These men get paid millions of dollars, the least they could do is buy a nice shirt, tie, slacks, and shoes to wear twice a week!” and “David Stern is right, no one wants to see ‘Thugs’ on the sideline of an NBA game, I see them everyday in my neighborhood."

It’s funny because I remember being a h.s. Junior, and my father taking me shopping for casual pants, shirts, and shoes to wear to my away games! I thought, “Why is he making me wear this cheesy stuff?” At the time, I saw it as a punishment, and my father trying to change me. However, eight years later, I realize that wearing baggy clothes, sneakers, and a du-rag to all of my games only put a stereotype on myself and the rest of my basketball team!

Since I have been asked to choose a side, I must say “YAY”. And I say this for two main reasons. First, although basketball is a sport, the NBA IS a job. An extremely well paying job at that! When we go to work everyday, we have a dress code that we abide by. So what makes the NBA players excluded from being required to wear reasonable attire to work? NOTHING! Did I mention that these are “Grown A!% Men Dawg”, and not 17 year-old high school students! These players have games 3 maybe 4 times a week, and are only asked to purchase a few hundred-dollar suites out of their few hundred MILLION dollar salaries.

Secondly, it creates somewhat of a distraction from the game when fans are more focused on what new sneakers, clothing, tattoo, or jewelry the player on the sideline has on, rather than what is going on in the game. I also remember, that same year in high school when my father traumatized me by making me wear shoes to my games, going to see the Knicks play the 76’ers at the Garden. In a game where Iverson was sidelined by an injury, he was quickly identified on the bench by those of us in the Garden’s “Nose-Bleed” seats, by the glistening of the ice in his ears, neck, and wrist! We thought it was the coolest thing in the world that we could see his jewelry from damn near the last row in the building, but couldn’t see his face! Again, eight mature years later I think: “Why is that the only memory I have of that game” and not what we were brought there for – to learn the fundamentals of the game. It is a distraction for the fans that are paying absolutely no attention to the game, but are zoomed in on the sidelined player’s attire.

All in all, I would have to say that David Stern made a great decision by enforcing a dress code. It has not taken away from the players’ performance, and it has refocused the fans’ attention back onto the court, and not on the bench! It also gives our NBA players a more mature look, which is the look they should have after being paid millions more than our Doctors, Lawyers, and Teachers!