I have been an outspoken critic of the new NBA Dress code, and will even be publishing a law review article on it (and a few other issues). But I'd like to post an well-reasoned opposing view. My good friend Lindsey McDaniel is a high school basketball coach in Georgia, and here is his take:
The new NBA dress code was needed yesterday. We have gone from the images of a well-dressed Michael Jordan in his Armani suits to the images of guys who have slaughtered the "moral dress code." Players such as Allen Iverson with his "Do-rags" and baggy clothes gives the impression to the younger generation that poor attire is socially acceptable. It isn't, and they are worse off thinking that it is.
I say all this as an African-American male. I just think there is a time and place for this type of appearance, such as when you are off the clock. Besides, the NBA is a business, and just because you make millions of dollars playing a child's game doesn't mean that you can circumvent the rules, especially when someone else is paying your salary--and that person makes a lot more money than you.
Also remember, the dress code for the NBA is just like a dress code for any other company or business, and if you want to remain a part of an organization, then you must follow the rules. It's as simple as that. If you reflect back to 1996, when Allen Iverson was a sophomore at Georgetown University (and, by coincidence, a classmate of Michael McCann). He was wondering if he would be drafted and at what point in the draft would he be selected. During this time, he would have DONE anything to guarantee a shot at the NBA. So, hypothetically, if David Stern had approached him and said, "Allen, we can guarantee you a great contract with the Philadelphia Sixers, and it will pay you guaranteed millions of dollars for several years, but please read the bottom line of the contract before you sign, as it states: 'You must agree to this dress code policy for the duration of your career.'" I bet the house that.Iverson would have signed that contract before Stern got the last word out of his mouth. Not once would he have said,"Man I don't know, because I like to be comfortable." So at that point it was either the Sixers in the NBA or working from 9 - 6 at the local grocery store. Do you have any doubt as to what he would have done?
So for all these big-time, 7-digit salary NBA players who have become "comfortable," and feel that they are above the rules, I ask you to do this: think back to the days when you would have done anything to play in the NBA. Think back to your first training camp when you were a rookie and you actually respected the NBA for giving you an opportunity to play against the best basketball players in the world and for an enormous amount of money. And then think about all those guys who are on the outside looking in, and how they are saying, "man, if all they want me to do is wear a suit and look respectful for their organization, and they are going to pay me millions of dollars to play the sport I love, I would do that in a heart beat." I ask you to think about those guys, just for a moment, before the next time you complain about "being comfortable." You might just re-think what you are about to say.
It's time to look at the NBA as an organization that can set it's own rules, rather than focusing on a bunch of individuals . . . who's only concern and care is about being "comfortable."
Lindsey McDaniel
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