The NBA Dress Code

So I guess Russell Simmons failed!

Flashback to the year 1992: Def Jam Records co-founder Russell Simmons launches the first major hip-hop clothing line, Phat Farm. Recognizing the reality that the clothing does not make the man and that there was a large demand for so-called Urban Wear, Simmons boldly went where many have since followed. His stated goal was to prove that there is room in corporate America for the garb that is often represented in a culture called “hip-hop,” and that not everyone wearing such attire is a “thug.”

It’s now a couple weeks into the 2005-06 NBA season, and if you don’t know by now, a new NBA dress code has been implemented. In accordance with the dress code, players can no longer wear large necklaces/chains/medallions on the exterior of their clothes, doo-rags/head scarves, or headphones. On the flipside of the coin, players must wear collared shirts, dress pants, and cannot wear “work boots.” These rules apply when players enter any arena, and are in effect at all times (except while they’re in their playing uniforms).

In short, I think the new dress code is heavily flawed and has been brought about because of cultural, if not racial (and incredibly foolish), stereotypes. I think that the NBA Commissioner David Stern has turned into a dictator in his attempt to clean up the image of the NBA in the post-Pistons/Pacers brawl era. And ultimately, I think this policy and his statements are so amazingly hypocritical on several levels.

I’ll begin defending my thesis by noting that Stern is taking his job too seriously. He keeps asserting that the NBA is a business, pulling in $3 Billion Dollars a year, and that its members should carry themselves (i.e. look) like businessmen. Well I have a serious problem with Stern looking at the NBA from this perspective. It is true that the NBA is a business, of sorts. It is also true that it makes a lot of money. These things I would never dispute. However Pornography, Lawn Care, and Automobile Repair are also businesses…and you know what, they dress (or don’t dress, as the case may be) in the attire that is appropriate for their job. Stern’s argument about the NBA being a business likens the NBA to Wall Street.

That is the farthest thing from reality.

The NBA is about 1 thing and 1 thing only: Entertainment. That’s right, entertainment on a similar wavelength with Hollywood. And much like Hollywood, part of the biggest appeal (you know, the part that helps make the $3 Billion in revenue) is the individuality of the players that make up the NBA. It is for certain that people are curious to see what “A.I” is going to wear in the post-game press conference. It is for sure that people find it entertaining to see Rasheed Wallace bouncing his head to the music in his headphones during a pre-game interview. The individual aspect of the game (largely what makes the game so much fun to watch), what this business truly is all about, is now being abandoned.

To piggyback on that notion, the NBA already has a dress code. When they’re on the clock, every player is wearing a jersey with their number and name on it. I’ve never seen a player playing while wearing a medallion or sporting a headscarf. And that makes sense. You see, once upon a time I worked at McDonald’s (if the NBA is a business, certainly Mickey Dee’s is), and we also had a dress code. But you know what, unless I was on the clock, working in the capacity of that business, I didn’t have to adhere to the dress code. This meant that when I exited my vehicle and entered McDonald’s, I could be dressed in mismatched shoes, a polka-dot sweater and fluorescent orange jeans. However, once I punched in, I had to have the familiar McDonald’s shirt, pants and hat on. Stern’s policy regulates the players from the moment they get into their limo, or the team airplane, until the time they leave the arena.

Isn’t that a little excessive? I think so!

Especially since it may affect the player’s performance. Anyone who works any job will attest to wanting to relax prior to work. So why are NBA players now being denied (to some extent) the same opportunity. Some NBA players listen to music to take their mind off the ensuing game. Some players, being superstitious, wear special jewelry before each game. And if you buy the argument that sports is largely psychological (and trust me athletes often think so), then it is feasible to suggests that such change in routine (which dates back to childhood for many) could have an affect on their playing.

Undoubtedly the NBA has experienced significant bad press over the course of the last few seasons. Probably the most notable occurrences are the “basketbrawl” of last season, and the fall from grace of Kobe Bryant, one of the NBA’s biggest names. However, changing the outer appearance does not change people. If players want to fight during a game, they’ll still do so, it’s been happening as far back as I can remember (and I’ve been avidly watching the NBA for nearly 20 years). Indeed, I think Allen Iverson put it best when he said, “you can put a murderer in a suit, but he’s still a murderer.”

Now back to that $3 Billion Dollars a year. Where in the world, or how in the world does the NBA think it makes that money. Well, let me tell you. The NBA capitalizes on the Hip-Hop culture that Stern and many others (primarily Phil Jackson) criticize. The NBA now uses, on a regular basis, “Throwback” Jerseys which were made popular through hip-hop. NBA exposure through hip-hop music has been present for over a decade at least. Even a handful of NBA stars have had their own hip-hop albums. In fact, arguably the NBA’s biggest star, Shaquille O’Neal, has something like (I can’t remember for sure) 4 Gold Albums and 1 Platinum Album, featuring some of Hip-Hop’s biggest stars including the late Notorious B.I.G. Some of Hip-Hop’s most successful artists, like Jay-Z and Sean Combs, now have part ownership of NBA franchises or are pursuing it.

Without a speckle of doubt, the NBA is as big as it is today specifically because of its intermingling with the hip-hop culture.

That being said, I am absolutely tired of people wearing Timberland Boots and Platinum Chain medallions being equated with gangsters and thugs. When people say that (i.e. Phil Jackson and several news reporters…even acclaimed Black film director Spike Lee) it makes me so mad I want to spit nails. For starters, when people say such things it clearly indicates to me that they are out of touch with the younger, “hip-hop” generation. The gangster era in hip-hop died, in my opinion, when Tupac was murdered (about 10 years ago). Since then we’ve gone from Jiggy to Bling-Bling to Pimp. And if you want to say that Platinum Chains and Gold encrusted Chalices are negative depictions that shouldn’t be portrayed by NBA players because it is representative of the Pimp imagery, then fine. That logic would indicate to me that the critic has a full awareness of where the music and the culture are today, and would get little rise out of me at all. However, to place all “hip-hoppers” in one basket because of their dress, and call that basket “thug” let’s me know that there are stereotypes and prejudices at play that have been engrained in the minds of hip-hop haters.

Furthermore, if hip-hop is such a bad thing, explain to me why even the gangsta era hip-hop artists have found cross-over success. Snoop Dogg is a spokesman for Chrysler and recently did a commercial with Chrysler Corporation Chairman Lee Iacocca. Ice Cube and Ice Tea have both become prominent and respectable forces in Hollywood. And that’s just to name a few. And each of those artists has dedicated time, their voices, and their skills to the NBA in some way form or fashion. And the NBA stands to gain the most from it simply because when hip-hop artists speak, the generation listens and follows.

When Snoop wears a Kobe jersey, the sales for Kobe’s jerseys goes up. When Jay-Z wears a Jason Kidd jersey, everybody rushes to the stores to see if the Kidd jersey is still in stock. And who benefits? Not Snoop, Kobe, “Hova” or Kidd…the NBA does.

And how hypocritical is it (or at least fundamentally flawed) for the NBA to solicit high school and young college talent but not allow these people to dress like their peers. Many of the leagues 30 and under players grew up in neighborhoods and areas where hip-hop was all they knew. Despite their hip-hop backgrounds, their talent is what makes them good enough to play in the NBA. But now the NBA is too good for their background???

So basically the NBA wants the talent, but not the “baggage” that goes along with it.

For arguments’ sake, I’ll buy the case that wearing Roc-a-wear sweats with a Jakob the Jeweler watch and a G-unit platinum (spinning) medallion is representative of gangsters and thugs. What does the dress code change then?

Answer: Absolutely nothing.

So now they’ve gone from dressing like Gangstas on the street to dressing like Gangstas in corporate America. Because last I checked, the biggest thugs and gangsters in this country wore suits, collared shirts, neck-ties, and worked on Wall Street. I mean, what exactly is a thug? An Enron executive? A WorldCom CEO? A Tyco Board Member? A United States President? All these people wear suits and ties and don’t dress in the attire of hip-hoppers, but they are no less criminals, thieves or crooks (i.e. thugs and gangsters) because they look the part of the stereotypical law-abiding citizen.

NBA players and those that identify with the hip-hop culture should be so offended that they boycott anything hip-hop based that benefits the NBA. The handful of hip-hop artists that still wear jerseys should cease. Players shouldn’t do anymore shoe commercials that feature hip-hop music. Players shouldn’t be in anymore commercials promoting NBA teams if the commercial features a hip-hop beat. Hip-hoppers shouldn’t buy NBA player-endorsed shoes or their clothing and then wear them in music videos. NBA players should refuse to wear throwback jerseys during home games they’re supposed to wear them in. There should be absolutely no intersection between hip-hop and the NBA, and I guarantee that the 3 Billion dollars that Stern is touting would sharply diminish. Then what would his business do?

For Stern to implement such a prejudiced policy (I haven’t even gotten into the implications for players from overseas, or those that don’t dress in hip-hop clothing, but rather in other attire that’s no-longer acceptable) means that he’s missing the point, and I don’t want to miss the point.

The point is simply this, running a business is all about making money and providing a service. By Stern squelching the individuality of the players through this superfluous dress code he is doing a strong disservice to the culture that makes this business as lucrative and commercially successful as it is. There is a direct correlation between the $3 Billion Dollars the NBA makes each year and its intermingling with the Hip-Hop Culture. Unfortunately, there is a direct correlation between what Stern thinks is wrong with the NBA and Hip-Hop as well.

I’d just like to say that he’s wrong, and that the NBA is fine. Also, the problems that do exist have more to do with certain individuals, and not the apparent “Universal Dumping Ground” culture of Hip-Hop. When he learns how to deal with people on a more personable level, the pockets of trouble around the NBA will also subside. Because all he’s doing with his dictator-like stance these days is alienating not only the players, but the fans as well.

Sounds like to me that Stern needs to brush up on Business 101!
-Maelstrom