Man Up And Suit Up

Call me old fashioned but I fully support the NBA's proposed dress code for players. As someone who wore a school uniform through my sophomore year in high school (with picture day being the only "dress up" day and the last day of school being the only day we could wear "street clothes" (in grade school we had to help clean up text books for the next year's class)), I can't say I have sympathy for the players (or fans) who are kicking up a fuss about it. The reactions are definitely mixed and many people, like this sports writer, think it is a subtle attack on the hip-hop trend amongst the black player (and I actually agree that it is) but it is about time that they suited up.

Stern explains that the league wants its players to present a more professional look, but anyone who's been paying attention to the NBA over the last decade or so knows what the real message to the players is: Stop dressing like thugs -- or at least, stop wearing what a significant portion of the public perceives as thug attire. Call the style what you will -- urban, ethnic, hip-hop, ghetto -- the league has apparently decided that the look is bad for business, that there's a big chunk of the potential ticket and merchandise-buying fan base that has a hard time warming up to players who look like they just stepped out of a 50 Cent video.

This is dangerous territory, and Stern knows he needs to step lightly. Forget for a moment whether the league has any business telling grown men how to dress when they're not in uniform. The unspoken issue here is race. Young black men -- and that's who we're talking about here, with a few exceptions, like Jason Williams of the Miami Heat -- sometimes dress in ways that make people who don't belong to that demographic uncomfortable. If you think the league isn't targeting any one particular style of dress, ask yourself whether Stern or anyone else would be pushing for a dress code if the predominant look for players out of uniform was a polo shirt and khakis, a la John Stockton.

Agreeing with this author, I don't think that they would be pushing for a dress code if the players dressed like John Stockton. But, in the tradition of the tailored suits worn by Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and Magic Johnson, I think that the John Stockton look is too casual as well. These players are young but most of them aren't kids. They are grown men and need to dress like grown men with a J.O.B. (Besides, black men look soooo good in a nice suit).

Timmy, that outfit doesn't cut it!