NBA Overly Paranoid About Its Image?
Jesse
Sep 14, 2009
In the professional or business world, proper attire is important for employees. After all, they do need to promote a positive, successful and intelligent appearance towards their clients. But is a dress code really needed for NBA players and how is it relevant to their jobs? I’m a basketball fan and always will be but I think this is completely ridiculous and may even reveal subtle, but negative, stereotypes.
In 2005, the NBA implemented a dress code that must be followed by every player and member from each basketball organization. Under this rule, appropriate attire is limited to suits, sport coats, or other casual business clothing. During games, players that are injured or not going to play must wear appropriate clothing, and during press conferences and other basketball-related public appearances, players and staff members must follow the dress code. I don’t think this will improve the image of professional basketball. Fans and supporters care about the games or their favorite player’s performance, not how well they dress. Basketball is a form of entertainment for fans and the general public. Yes, there have been a few examples of bad publicity for the NBA, such as the Kobe Bryant rape case and fights during several games. These incidents do occur and it is up to the individual player to restore their image. The league will move on and the fans will continue to follow the sport.
More importantly, the dress code may promote superficial and biased stereotypes towards players and fans. The message is that nice attire will deter crime, negative looks or appearances and trouble from NBA players. Basically, the NBA doesn’t want to have a dangerous image. Many players have merchandise or product deals with companies that have strong hip-hop connections. By dressing in hip-hop or street clothes, the league feels it would show inappropriate behavior and set bad examples for kids and adults. This is a stereotype and offensive to certain ethnicities, cultures, and music and entertainment supporters. It’s saying all members of these groups are negative influences and people shouldn’t be like them. Why does the NBA take this stance when they use hip-hop to promote their own events, like the All-Star game? Being hypocritical doesn’t prove anything and only causes more trouble. Better attire doesn’t mean better performances for players, so why not just let them do their jobs. If the NBA wants to improve its image, then that is fine, but do it in a way that has a lasting and productive effect.
By Chad Fukuoka (as acquired from CollegeColosseum.com)
Why not?You dress professionally for your respective job or wear what the company dictates,and in this case the NBA has a clearly defined policy that only makes the players look presentable when they’re not wearing their uniforms.
Flash back 15 years and it seemed the like NBA could do nothing wrong. Ratings were higher than they had ever been and popularity just kept increasing. Back then nobody would even think twice about whether the NBA was more popular than the NFL. Nowadays if you ask the same question everyone will answer the NFL without even thinking twice.
The reality of the situation is that in recent years the NBA has been labeled as a thug league. Granted this label seems to be somewhat unwarranted as the NFL seems to have a news story every week about a player being arrested, but the fact still remains that this is one of the labels that the NBA has to deal with. When you are watching a football game everyone is wearing full pads and helmets so that you can barely tell one person from the other. The problem with the NBA is that when the teams are playing there are only five players on the court and they aren’t covered up by pads or helmets. It is much easier to recognize a basketball player than a football player for this reason and therefore basketball players should be more concerned with their images.
Sports figures are some of the most idolized members of our society, especially by children. If these are people that kids will idolize it is important to convey a positive image and the fact of the matter is dressing well does have a lot to do with someone’s image. If the league feels that it is necessary to force its players to dress in a suit and tie than I see nothing wrong with this. Players would want to say that they never wanted to be anyone’s role model but when they sign that contract with the NBA and put on that jersey and play on television three nights a week it automatically comes with the territory. If you don’t want to be a role model displays a positive image then maybe the NBA isn’t the place for you. Obviously it is not going to be the end of the world if players are allowed to wear whatever they like but at the same time why shouldn’t the NBA try to get as far away from this thug image that the media has created for them. Uniforms and dress codes are an important part of a major corporation and the way that the media works today is that there is constant exposure. People are always following these athletes around and for that reason they are always working in a sense, and as long as they are working they should have to follow the dress code that their employer asks of them.