Clothes Don’t Make the Man

By Kris Fenrich

The commotion surrounding the NBA’s recent implementation of a dress code has been nothing short of ludicrous. The only time the world of fashion receives this much mainstream publicity is when Naomi Campbell throws a temper-tantrum or Kate Moss sheds a few more pounds and inches ever closer to nothingness. What we’re dealing with here is bizarre, out of the ordinary and yet, somehow newsworthy. Grown men are being told what to wear and they’re not happy. Isn’t this sort of behavior typically reserved for image-conscious teens or guys wearing “Big Johnson” shirts? Since when are professional basketball players spokesmen for self-expression?

That’s just it: NBA players, for the most part, aren’t spokesmen for self-expression. As is the unfortunate case for so many Americans; issues don’t become issues until they affect you. Basketball players weren’t worried about expressing themselves through dress until NBA Commissioner, David Stern, decided to implement a dress code. The same line of thinking can be applied to numerous problems throughout the country. Here in Seattle a group of homeowners were all for building “tent-towns” for the city’s rapidly growing population of homeless people. Someone suggested that a “tent-town” be placed near one of the advocate’s neighborhoods. What do you think the response was? In an extremely loud and audible voice the neighborhood shouted: No! And that’s the thought process of Americans.

NBA players, despite their freakish athleticism, are still humans and are still restricted by the same self-indulgency that afflicts all of mankind. Yes, yes, NBA players have raised millions of dollars for Hurricane Katrina, improved impoverished neighborhoods all over the world and donated time and money to an endless list of causes. None of this is being disputed. What is being disputed is the NBA player’s defense of a cause.

To specify a quote, Jason Richardson said, “You’re expressing yourself, expressing your identity. It’s taking away our self-expression.”

Jason Richardson is a charismatic, engaging, talented and, apparently, political young man. The same can be said for Paul Pierce, Allen Iverson, Stephen Jackson, Tim Duncan, and Josh Childress. Each of these players has been highly critical of the NBA’s dress code.

These players actually have a legitimate bone to pick. It isn’t realistic or considerate to force players to wear suits on a plane at three o’clock in the morning. As a former basketball player forced to wear a shirt and tie on game days I can honestly say that I empathize with these players. After playing an intense game, working up a sweat and then showering; getting re-dressed and presentable isn’t always at the top of an athlete’s list. And the jewelry issue? While I’ve never been one to don necklaces and earrings, in no way do I associate with informality, negativity or a poor image. The league’s image is in need of a bit of tweaking; and a lot of the players are agreeing with that. Sadly however, David Stern feels the need to polarize the league’s image and cozy up next to corporate sponsors and white collar owners instead of marketing to the league’s fan-base: Young, hip-hop influenced, jewelry-dripping, hat-wearing kids who love basketball.

Now, back to the issue at hand. With the exception of Allen Iverson, the players named above have done little, if anything, in terms of activism. The extent of Iverson’s activism has been constantly having to defend his persona. None of these players spoke out against or for the war in Iraq. None of these players has made comments regarding the recent Supreme Court nominees, racism in New Orleans, sweatshops, the ongoing Palestinian-Jewish conflict or any other issue of civic importance; least of all freedom of expression.

It is terribly disappointing that in today’s society, where issues are blossoming out of the ground on a daily basis, it takes something as small as a dress code to make the blood of a pro-athlete rise. I refuse to paint all NBA players with this brush, but regrettably so many players have spoken out about the dress code that their voices are drowning out those who are in favor of it. Professional athletes, while certainly not required to do so, have an incomparable opportunity to use their status as public figures to make positive changes in this world. This isn’t a call for basketball players to take a Jim Brown approach to social issues, but rather to be aware of the world around them and stop focusing on the issues that only affect them.

In time this dress code and all the “self-expression” limiting elements that accompany it are going to be forgotten. This isn’t a denial of self-expression; it is wishful thinking by David Stern. This isn’t racially motivated; it is racially ignorant. This isn’t a group of players uniting to protest a common cause; it is Marcus Camby saying: "I don't see it happening unless every NBA player is given a stipend to buy clothes…” This is a bunch of grown men, on both sides, fighting over something that isn’t worth fighting over. This is…not newsworthy.

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