Re: Official NBA Dress Code Thread

[Playmakers]

Re: Official NBA Dress Code Thread

What about the fans at the games?

Trust me out here in Phoenix these fools dress just as gangster as the players. Is Stern going to tell the fans what is appropriate to wear at these games?

Fans be trippin just as much as the players. Hell the females that show up to the Suns games are damn near naked tell Mr Stern that **** ain't appropriate but it sure is attractive.................

[timid]

Re: No more Bling Bling

Well, I've read all these posts and I still stand by this, lol...

Originally Posted by Graphik
Enjoy being a follower all your life.

You mean just like everyone in this thread who is saying, "this is what professional is", "this is what it means to *dress up*". "The NBA is a business and thats how it is, I have to FOLLOW the same rules at my job". You guys are doing the same thing. You're followers just like the kids you're describing. Obviously you have bills to pay just like everyone else but its still following nonetheless. This is a conformists society we live in and just because some of you choose to conform to what "society's" idea of what "professional" is, doesn't mean that everyone thinks like you. Unfortunatlely, the ones who are in control, have that same mentality and thats the root of this dress code. It takes a lot to go against the "standard" and most of just just can't afford to do that, myself included.

I agree with everything utexas, hmcoy and others have said. This is ridiculous. No matter how well thought your responses are, this boils down to ONE thing. THE NBA IS TOO "GHETTO" AND WE NEED TO LOOK MORE "PROFESSIONAL", IE: the majority of white america. Thats it, period.

The hip hop look already has a "thug" image which is just so ignorant, it pisses me off. The fact that you wear baggy jeans, and a skull cap makes you a thug, is the most ridiculous stereotype ever. "Real" thugs and "gangsters" aren't walking around in throwbacks and white t-shirts.

I'm a 25 year old black male and I also understand the league wanting to clean up the "image". But IMO, hip-hop is not the "image" that should be cleaned up. The way the game is played should be cleaned up. Just like Dan Patrick said on his radio show, the NBA isn't suffering because of the Hip-Hop culture, its suffering because the product is BAD. Suits and ties, or collar shirts are not going to fix anything.

And please, don't give me this, "well Steve Nash, etc. has to abide by the dress code also". Steve Nash is not who this was aimed at and everyone here knows that. The banning of the jewelry is a direct slap in the face. We all know who is rocking the jewelry and its not Steve Nash or Tim Duncan. This was aimed at Allen Iverson, Jermaine Oneal, Kevin Garnett, etc. I happen to think Jermaine looks damn good when he's wearing that all white collar shirt, white baseball cap with the white du-rag under it. I think the **** looks hot as hell and its clean too. However, myself and the hip-hop culture I'm associated with, (by default or by choice), does not set the standards in our world and we do not get to determine what is "professional". This is a white man's world, period, end of story.

What if the roles were reversed and "we" set the standard for what is "professional", and some of you were "forced" to wear baggy jeans, a backwards hat, some air force ones, and a throwback? Honestly, how would you feel? Yes, you would conform because you have bills to pay but are you telling me that wouldn't speak out?

And like someone else said, why NOW do they choose to implement the dress code? Thats easy. Because hip-hop wasn't as big of an influence "back in the day" as it is now. It wasn't a threat. People say, "they didn't need one because Jordan, Magic, etc. didn't dress like that. They wore suits". So what? Half the league probably didn't dress up back then either. So why didn't they institute a dress code back then? You all know the answer to that. Hip-hop culture is seen as a threat.

The same culture that the NBA basically "pimps" to make a lot of its money.

[GSW]

Re: No more Bling Bling

You really have no clue what you're talking about. A dress code does not mean suit and tie, it means acceptable apparel. What's the difference between Professional Basketball and Banker... or Police Officer.... or Teacher... Their bosses or unions get to determine what is acceptable. They agree or they work somewhere else. Every second they are in an arena, they are a representative of the league. Therefore, they are subject to their policy.

When you're 25, they're going to make you wear the shirt and visor at the BK drive-through...so what's the difference?

i wear jerseys and white tees to my job.. thats not acceptable attire?

[Silverstring]

Re: Official NBA Dress Code Thread

"The Establishment" vs. "Young African American culture/outlook"

WE don't like the way YOU GUYS dress so WE are TELLING YOU how WE want you to conform to our standards!

So again who set the standards... to what is proper and what is not proper in society?

So fine, forget about money. It's still a false conflation. It's not about what is proper in "society", it's about what is proper in a place of business, when you are representing an organization.

Anyone who thinks their "culture" is being suppressed because they have to wear certain clothes during a specific part of their day has either an incorrect definition of culture or a misguided sense of their own. You're culture is being suppressed because you can't wear a medallion for 2 hours? Are you serious!?!?!?! It's not as though bolo ties, cowboy boots, board shorts and flip flops are allowed....and if you think there is a particular culture essentialized by a collared shirt, you are delusional.


Who sets the standards? We all know what you are weakly hinting at, but the answer is simple: the BOSSES, regardless of their own individual "culture". Just like any other company/business/organization.

[rawdawg71]

Re: Official NBA Dress Code Thread

[QUOTE=Programmed2Kill]A little freedom? Are you serious? The players have had so much freedom all this time. Yeah, stiffs in the league that can't play a lick making over 5 mil a year guaranteed. No freedom, huh?[/QUOT

Look Dude, I don't care how much money a NBA player earns, or whether he's a scrub, or an All-Star, at the end of day, he must have some kind of freedom!! and yes!! I'm very serious!! I guess U be happy if all Nba players Keep their mouths shut, get less money, and Play better ball then everything is alright in your mind.

Wake! Up! It's bigger than that!!! If it ain't broke, Don't try to fix it!! and if it is Broken should 've fixed it a long time ago Period!!!

[ChicagoNVA]

Re: Official NBA Dress Code Thread

So fine, forget about money. It's still a false conflation. It's not about what is proper in "society", it's about what is proper in a place of business, when you are representing an organization.

Anyone who thinks their "culture" is being suppressed because they have to wear certain clothes during a specific part of their day has either an incorrect definition of culture or a misguided sense of their own. You're culture is being suppressed because you can't wear a medallion for 2 hours? Are you serious!?!?!?! It's not as though bolo ties, cowboy boots, board shorts and flip flops are allowed....and if you think there is a particular culture essentialized by a collared shirt, you are delusional.


Who sets the standards? We all know what you are weakly hinting at, but the answer is simple: the BOSSES, regardless of their own individual "culture". Just like any other company/business/organization.

Sorry we must come from 2 different worlds...if you don't see the bigger picture!

[Programmed2Kill]

Re: Official NBA Dress Code Thread

Trust me out here in Phoenix these fools dress just as gangster as the players. Is Stern going to tell the fans what is appropriate to wear at these games?

Fans be trippin just as much as the players. Hell the females that show up to the Suns games are damn near naked tell Mr Stern that **** ain't appropriate but it sure is attractive.................

What I meant is what about the fans at the game and how they perceive the players when they dress like that.

[Silverstring]

Re: No more Bling Bling

Well, I've read all these posts and I still stand by this, lol...

Originally Posted by Graphik
Enjoy being a follower all your life.

You mean just like everyone in this thread who is saying, "this is what professional is", "this is what it means to *dress up*". "The NBA is a business and thats how it is, I have to FOLLOW the same rules at my job". You guys are doing the same thing. You're followers just like the kids you're describing. Obviously you have bills to pay just like everyone else but its still following nonetheless. This is a conformists society we live in and just because some of you choose to conform to what "society's" idea of what "professional" is, doesn't mean that everyone thinks like you. Unfortunatlely, the ones who are in control, have that same mentality and thats the root of this dress code. It takes a lot to go against the "standard" and most of just just can't afford to do that, myself included.

I agree with everything utexas, hmcoy and others have said. This is ridiculous. No matter how well thought your responses are, this boils down to ONE thing. THE NBA IS TOO "GHETTO" AND WE NEED TO LOOK MORE "PROFESSIONAL", IE: the majority of white america. Thats it, period.

The hip hop look already has a "thug" image which is just so ignorant, it pisses me off. The fact that you wear baggy jeans, and a skull cap makes you a thug, is the most ridiculous stereotype ever. "Real" thugs and "gangsters" aren't walking around in throwbacks and white t-shirts.

I'm a 25 year old black male and I also understand the league wanting to clean up the "image". But IMO, hip-hop is not the "image" that should be cleaned up. The way the game is played should be cleaned up. Just like Dan Patrick said on his radio show, the NBA isn't suffering because of the Hip-Hop culture, its suffering because the product is BAD. Suits and ties, or collar shirts are not going to fix anything.

And please, don't give me this, "well Steve Nash, etc. has to abide by the dress code also". Steve Nash is not who this was aimed at and everyone here knows that. The banning of the jewelry is a direct slap in the face. We all know who is rocking the jewelry and its not Steve Nash or Tim Duncan. This was aimed at Allen Iverson, Jermaine Oneal, Kevin Garnett, etc. I happen to think Jermaine looks damn good when he's wearing that all white collar shirt, white baseball cap with the white du-rag under it. I think the **** looks hot as hell and its clean too. However, myself and the hip-hop culture I'm associated with, (by default or by choice), does not set the standards in our world and we do not get to determine what is "professional". This is a white man's world, period, end of story.

What if the roles were reversed and "we" set the standard for what is "professional", and some of you were "forced" to wear baggy jeans, a backwards hat, some air force ones, and a throwback? Honestly, how would you feel? Yes, you would conform because you have bills to pay but are you telling me that wouldn't speak out?

And like someone else said, why NOW do they choose to implement the dress code? Thats easy. Because hip-hop wasn't as big of an influence "back in the day" as it is now. It wasn't a threat. People say, "they didn't need one because Jordan, Magic, etc. didn't dress like that. They wore suits". So what? Half the league probably didn't dress up back then either. So why didn't they institute a dress code back then? You all know the answer to that. Hip-hop culture is seen as a threat.

The same culture that the NBA basically "pimps" to make a lot of its money.

Are you kidding?

Since when did looking "professional" become a white enterprise? I'm latino, but if I'm dressing professional, I'm trying to conform to a "white" standard? Wow, and here most of the world is, thinking that looking professional is a colorless business. Go to India, Japan, even Africa...how do the professionals look there, even with the relative absence of whites?

What exactly is Hip-Hop culture a "threat" to? Many people have thrown that around, but refuse to expound. Tell me. The NBA has been majority young/black for decades now...what is in danger?

It's obvious that to some of you "defenders", the NBA can't win here. Hmm, if the NBA incorporates a dress code, it is attempting to expunge hip-hop culture, but if it uses it in advertisements and such, it is pimping it.

To the non-jaded, rational mind, however, it's possible that the NBA is EMBRACING hip-hop culture, yet they still want their players, of all ethnicities/backgrounds/cultures to project a more professional image. Why wont the dissenters allow for this possibility? Isn't it possible, just possible, that the only color that matters to the NBA is GREEN, and they are mediating for both the corporate audience and the young, african-american, hip-hop culture? Nope, guess not, it's much easier to point the finger at the "establishment" boogeyman.....

[Silverstring]

Re: Official NBA Dress Code Thread

[QUOTE=rawdawg71]

A little freedom? Are you serious? The players have had so much freedom all this time. Yeah, stiffs in the league that can't play a lick making over 5 mil a year guaranteed. No freedom, huh?[/QUOT

Look Dude, I don't care how much money a NBA player earns, or whether he's a scrub, or an All-Star, at the end of day, he must have some kind of freedom!! and yes!! I'm very serious!! I guess U be happy if all Nba players Keep their mouths shut, get less money, and Play better ball then everything is alright in your mind.

Wake! Up! It's bigger than that!!! If it ain't broke, Don't try to fix it!! and if it is Broken should 've fixed it a long time ago Period!!!

Yeah, the NBA player has no freedom. He doesn't wear what he wants the other 80% of the time he's not on a bench or on the team bus/plane.

[Silverstring]

Re: Official NBA Dress Code Thread

Sorry we must come from 2 different worlds...if you don't see the bigger picture!

Different worlds? Bigger picture? I see people bending this dress code to fit in a narrow box, not a broad, measured rationalization. People see what they WANT to see more than what's really in front of them.

P.S. I'm a minority who grew up in the city of Chicago. Are our worlds all that different?

[ChicagoNVA]

Re: No more Bling Bling

Are you kidding?

Since when did looking "professional" become a white enterprise? I'm latino, but if I'm dressing professional, I'm trying to conform to a "white" standard? Wow, and here most of the world is, thinking that looking professional is a colorless business. Go to India, Japan, even Africa...how do the professionals look there, even with the relative absence of whites?

What exactly is Hip-Hop culture a "threat" to? Many people have thrown that around, but refuse to expound. Tell me. The NBA has been majority young/black for decades now...what is in danger?

It's obvious that to some of you "defenders", the NBA can't win here. Hmm, if the NBA incorporates a dress code, it is attempting to expunge hip-hop culture, but if it uses it in advertisements and such, it is pimping it.

To the non-jaded, rational mind, however, it's possible that the NBA is EMBRACING hip-hop culture, yet they still want their players, of all ethnicities/backgrounds/cultures to project a more professional image. Why wont the dissenters allow for this possibility? Isn't it possible, just possible, that the only color that matters to the NBA is GREEN, and they are mediating for both the corporate audience and the young, african-american, hip-hop culture? Nope, guess not, it's much easier to point the finger at the "establishment" boogeyman.....

It's funny how people make light of another man's experiences.. when YOU have NO idea!!!

But, I wouldn't expect you to understand.

[Programmed2Kill]

Re: Official NBA Dress Code Thread

Look Dude, I don't care how much money a NBA player earns, or whether he's a scrub, or an All-Star, at the end of day, he must have some kind of freedom!! and yes!! I'm very serious!! I guess U be happy if all Nba players Keep their mouths shut, get less money, and Play better ball then everything is alright in your mind.

Wake! Up! It's bigger than that!!! If it ain't broke, Don't try to fix it!! and if it is Broken should 've fixed it a long time ago Period!!!

He does have freedom....he's getting paid millions of dollars playing a game we all grew up playing on the playground. Goes to the best hotels, travels by charter flights, own fancy cars, get all the fat assed groupie bitches, lives in a big house away from the masses, so on and so forth. If that ain't freedom, I don't know what else is.

I really don't care if players keep quiet or not or get paid less or more or whatever (well actually I do care how much they are paid because it affects how much my team can compete for free agents and trades). Just don't insult my intelligence with the crap Iverson and Camby are throwing out there. It's a slap in the face to those that are fans of theirs.


You say if it ain't broke, don't fix it and if it is broke, it should've been done a while ago. Well the league just ain't broke...the NBA is f**ked up. Just because fixes weren't done sooner, doesn't mean it's bad now. Better late than never...isn't that what they say?

[Silverstring]

Re: No more Bling Bling

The hip hop look already has a "thug" image which is just so ignorant, it pisses me off. The fact that you wear baggy jeans, and a skull cap makes you a thug, is the most ridiculous stereotype ever. "Real" thugs and "gangsters" aren't walking around in throwbacks and white t-shirts.

And what are YOU doing? You aren't essentializing/stereotyping your own culture? Your implicit assumption is that the young black males of the NBA embody their culture through things like jewelry and throwbacks? How would you respond to the Jalen Roses', Melvin Elys' and other young African-American players who embrace the dress code? Oh, perhaps they are "disowning" their own culture.......

Oh, and those of you who continue to assert that the "professional" standard is somehow the "white standard".....step outside of your damn bubble and read up on other cultures throughout the world!

[ChicagoNVA]

Re: Official NBA Dress Code Thread

Different worlds? Bigger picture? I see people bending this dress code to fit in a narrow box, not a broad, measured rationalization. People see what they WANT to see more than what's really in front of them.

P.S. I'm a minority who grew up in the city of Chicago. Are our worlds all that different?

You tell me? It depends on how you want to view it.. I guess.

I Know growing up in Chicago, it was one of the most polar cities I have ever lived in.

What I saw growing up in Chicago was all too real!

[HardwoodHeisman]

Re: Official NBA Dress Code Thread

This is minor to me, and to a lot of the players I'm sure. There are plenty guys in the league who I'm sure don't have a problem with dressing up.

If this can somehow limit the "thug wrap" the NBA gets to some extent, I'm all for it. Besides, I'm more impressed with a player's wardrobe when he's styling in some fresh azz suit than I am the average jersey/white T.

I know that is making this situation smaller the most see it as, but this just doesn't bug me.