Posted on 10/20/2005 6:41:50 AM PDT by WmCraven_Wk
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Indiana guard Stephen Jackson believes the NBA's new ban on bling-bling is racially motivated, but says he will abide by the rules.
The NBA has announced that a dress code will go into effect at the start of the season. Players will be required to wear business-casual attire when involved in team or league business. They can't wear visible chains, pendants or medallions over their clothes.
Jackson, who is black, said the NBA's new rule about jewelry targets young black males because chains are associated with hip-hop culture, and he said the league is afraid of becoming "too hip-hop.'' In protest, he wore four chains to the Pacers' exhibition game against San Antonio on Tuesday night.
Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce agreed that the new rule targeted young, black players.
"When I saw the part about chains, hip hop and throwback jerseys, I think that's part of our culture,'' Pierce said. "The NBA is young black males.''
Philadelphia's Allen Iverson also was critical of the new rule, which the NBA made teams aware of in a memo Monday.
"I feel like if they want us to dress a certain way, they should pay for our clothes,'' he said. "It's just tough, man, knowing that all of a sudden you have to have a dress code out of nowhere. I don't think that's still going to help the image of the league at all.''
*snip*
Maybe you weren't paying attention, but there was national outrage and that player was suspended for the rest of the season...I think there were criminal charges as well but someone else will have to give the details.
Good point.
The throat-slit incident did happen, though it was a one-time thing and was a complete accident as opposed to being the commonplace act of intentional on-ice thuggery that the cretin is trying to make it out to be. Fortunately the player ended up ok.
Why would a culture derived from ex-slaves want ANYTHING to do with chains?
Has anyone else noticed how Hip-Hop fashion is almost completely identical to Rodeo Clown fashion? Somebody should post a collage of images with the question, Hip Hop or Rodeo Clown?
Evidently you don't watch enough or you don't know what the hell you're talking about. Do a search on "Clint Malarchuk".
This is as much age-driven as race-driven. And it's the age and race of the ticket-holders, not the players. The players are not the customers. And the hip-hop crowd aren't the customers, either.
No, it's all about connecting with a bunch of pudgy, bald pate white lawyer schmucks who like to act out their slam dunk NBA fantasies on the 7 1/2 foot basketball goals they put in their driveways (for their "kids", of course). They (and/or their corporations) pay for the season tickets. That's who the league is trying to please.
You're not seriously considering the modern day NBA a sport are you??....The NBA hasn't been a "sport" in 20 years....not very much basketball talent out there....prolly 90% of NBA players couldn't play if they actually had to follow the rules of basketball....even the NFL is going to hell in a hand basket.....can hardly stand to watch the NFL this year...it's pretty damn boring...
I'm assuming I'm the cretin you speak of. I guess because I state facts that "Mr. Hockey" himself has never heard of that makes me a cretin. At least you had enough courage to admit that Mr. Hockey from Texas doesn't know what the hell he's talking about. Cretin--out!
Texan fan?
naa...Philly fan...
I feel your pain.
Now they should also make a ruling against chocking the coach and sex with minors (e.g. DeShawn Stevenson serving alcohol to and then raping a 14 year old girl).
We had to wear shirt and ties the day of the football game, usually Friday. One year, we were allowed to wear our road jersey (home game) all day for one particular game, but still had to wear the shirt and tie with the jersey over it.
I think it was homecoming, and luckily it was later in the year and not as hot! But I don't think it would have mattered to most of us.
"Oh by all means we need stiff penalties for psychological assault with a deadly article of clothing. /sarcasm."
I was thinking more in terms of open season.
But the thing is, I said, "I don't really know what can be done about it," because there doesn't seem to be any practical way to objectively define antisocial costumes.
"As a biker, I've more or less laughed throughout this entire thread. I really sympathise with these young black men, because I experience the same kind of prejudices daily."
It's not prejudice. If by "biker" you mean that you costume yourself as one of the "1%", an outlaw, then you are voluntarily choosing to set yourself apart from the rest of society. You are choosing to tell people, "I dress like this because I do not feel constrained by society's customs and laws. I may stomp you. I may shoot you. I may rape your daughter."
You can't go around in costumes that are deliberately chosen to convey that message, and then expect people not to get the message. Nor can you expect them to like the message, or like you for deliberately trying to frighten them.
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