Sleeveless shirts, shorts and clunky jewelry are out; sports coats, shoes and socks are in for all NBA players, as of Nov. 1. The NBA commissioner, David Stern, announced that a new dress code is required for players and the business order set off an uproar among some of pro basketball’s biggest stars, according to BBCnews.com.
I do not think that Stern is asking too much of NBA players by asking them to follow the new dress code. The thing I don’t get is what’s the big deal about having to dress in a professional manner for your job? Keep in mind, as stated by BBCnews.com, business casual simply means sweaters or long- or short-sleeved shirts with a collar or turtleneck, dress slacks, khaki pants, dress jeans, dress shoes and socks.
Banned under the new code are sneakers, sandals, flip-flops, work boots, headphones, chains, shorts, sleeveless shirts, indoor sunglasses, t-shirts, jerseys and headwear such as baseball caps.
What is the penalty if NBA players refuse to accept this new policy? As stated by BBCnews.com, the grand prize will be fines and possible suspension. This is a well-suited penalty for all NBA players and I hope they all work together to enforce it.
Although I think everyone should be able to freely express themselves and dress the way they want, I think in a working environment you should dress in a professional manner. NBA players can dress and express themselves the way they want off the court.
Just as any other individual would have to dress in business-casual attire for their jobs why shouldn’t they? Millions of children look up to NBA players but only to find that they are dressing as Phil Mushnick, of the New York Post, said, “like recruitment officers for the Bloods and Crips.”
At least I am not alone by agreeing with the new dress code. According to BBCnews.com, even Charles Barkley says the new dress code is “fantastic.”
Nonetheless, Philadelphia’s own Allen Iverson is greatly against the new dress code and said, “I don’t think it’s good for the league – it kind of makes it fake.”
Several basketball stars claim the off-court code is an attack on black American culture as it outlaws hip-hop style attire, according to BBCnews.com. How can creating a dress code for a job be deemed as negative or “fake” for the league?
Is it negative and “fake” for personnel of the MLB, let alone for any person of any job profession to dress in business casual attire when they engage in public appearances for their job? I think not.
Also, I do not think the new dress code was created to criticize or attack the dress style of any particular culture. I think Stern was seeking to make the NBA the professional league that it should be, by making NBA players prime examples of what is expected of our youth in the future as they endure their future careers.
Honestly, I do not think it is so much to ask men who are making millions of dollars, playing in a national and professional setting to wear business- casual attire when working.
Posted to the web by Brian Coary
