that the NBAs new dress code is being racist against black males his age that wear jewlery outside the clothes...INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana Pacers guard Stephen Jackson, contending that a league ban on chains worn over clothing is "a racist statement" from the league, wore every long, diamond-studded chain in his collection Tuesday night as a protest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getty Images

Stephen Jackson, pictured during the NBA playoffs in May, says he doesn't plan on challenging the new dress code.

 

Jackson voiced no opposition to the bulk of the "business casual" demands in the NBA's new dress code, but he described the jewelry ban as "attacking young black males."

 

"I think it's a racist statement because a lot of the guys who are wearing chains are my age and are black," said Jackson, 27. "I wore all my jewelry today to let it be known that I'm upset with it.

 

"I'll wear a suit every day. I think we do need to look more professional because it is a business. A lot of guys have gotten sloppy with the way they dress. But it's one thing to [enforce a] dress code and it's another thing if you're attacking cultures, and that's what I think they're doing."

 

Jackson made his comments before Tuesday's home exhibition game against San Antonio, with the four chains he wore to work hanging in his locker -- one sporting his initials, two with a crucifix and a fourth depicting Jesus Christ.

 

A section in the new dress code listing items players are not allowed to wear on team or league business includes "chains, pendants or medallions worn over the player's clothing."

 

"I know a lot of guys on my team are upset and I have no problem speaking up on it," Jackson said.

 

Jackson, though, said he wouldn't openly defy the rule if it means he keeps "giving money back" in fines.

 

San Antonio's Tim Duncan, far less vocal but also a critic of the new policy, did not play in Tuesday's game and sat on the bench wearing an untucked shirt and baggy jeans -- attire that could result in a fine if seen during a regular-season game.

 

A specific range of penalties has yet to be announced, but league officials have already made it clear that violators of the dress code will be fined -- as well as their teams -- with repeat violators subject to suspension.

 

 

 

what a joke, theres plenty of loser white thugs that walk around like that anyway. but i love how he thinks that they're attacking all the black players. looking for an excuse to get his name out...total bs shut the f*** up you slut.

Well, duh.

 

It can't be racist if everyone (black, white, Canadian, asian) has to do it anyways.

you would think that action jackson would have learned after last year to keep his damn mouth shut.

 

 

obviously not....cause you know everything that affects a black man has to be racist.

:banghead :banghead :banghead

 

 

I won't even say anything else.

my company is racist with their stupid dress code and they enslave me to a cubicle for 8+ hours a day

 

not to mention the economic hardship it causes with the extra money spent on work clothers, i agree with camby, i need a stipend!

I do think it is hypocritical of the NBA to sell the hip-hop way of the NBA and then ban the hip-hop look of the league.

 

That said, its definitely not racist to institiute a dress code in the league.

Hey Stephen, shut the f*** up.

I think it's stupid the NBA is telling people what they have to wear when they're on the way to work. I also thought the caveat about the headphones was absolutely retarded. I can see where the NBA is coming from, but this is just a semi-hypocritical move to show the "red staters" that basketball isn't a thug sport. Heck, Allen Iverson put it best when he said, "You can put a murderer in a suit, but he's still a murderer." There are plenty of good guys that wear thug/hip-hop/urban clothes that are really classy guys, then there are guys that dress like the establishment want them to dress but are complete sleezeballs (read: Kobe Bryant).

I would get fired if I dont wear a shirt and tie. I dont see the big deal really of a dress code.

It's not racist, but it's not right either.

 

Stern rode this inner city hip-hop culture to being the #2 sport in America behind only football, yet he does this. It's not intentionally racist, but I don't necessarily agree with what's happening. Basketball's been marketed one way to a certain culture for so long that to say that "it's time to clean up the image of the league" is ignorant.

 

You don't embrace a culture, ride it to the top, and then tell it to go away when you've reached the peak.

Fritz hit the nail on the head. This was intended for the benefit of the wealthy consumer who gets offended at the site of a guy wearing hip hop clothes and chains. I dont think its necessarily racist however. Dressing to the highest degree of professionalism shouldnt be a black/white things. And as a side effect, its should have a good role model effect on kids who watch the NBA.

 

But I really do think its stupid to enforce a dress code when they are on a plane flying across the country.

I hope he's not actually shocked at the fact they wouldn't allow that type of jewelry for this new dress code. It doesn't look 'business-like', plain and simple. Just because that's what a lot of the black players choose to wear doesn't mean the intent was to make some racist statement against them. I mean come on, almost the whole league is black so from his perspective, anything they ban could be considered racial. It's just ridiculous, get the hell over it.

I think it's stupid the NBA is telling people what they have to wear when they're on the way to work.

 

so its wrong for the NBA to do it but every other professional company in the world can tell their employees what to say? basketball may be a game but its their job. and players need to stop bitching cause they're fortunate enough to be able to play the game they love and make money so f***ing deal with it.

I think it's stupid the NBA is telling people what they have to wear when they're on the way to work.

 

so its wrong for the NBA to do it but every other professional company in the world can tell their employees what to say? basketball may be a game but its their job. and players need to stop bitching cause they're fortunate enough to be able to play the game they love and make money so f***ing deal with it.

Most companies dont care what their employees wear on the way to work.

I think it's stupid the NBA is telling people what they have to wear when they're on the way to work.

 

so its wrong for the NBA to do it but every other professional company in the world can tell their employees what to say? basketball may be a game but its their job. and players need to stop bitching cause they're fortunate enough to be able to play the game they love and make money so f***ing deal with it.

Hey Captain Retard, you obviously don't know much about reading comprehension. The players have a dress code for their jobs (which is to play basketball) and that's the uniforms they wear on the court. Now, they're getting a secondary dress code that applies to when they're en route to work. I highly doubt your job tells you what to wear when you're driving to work. I know when I worked at Target you had to be in red and khaki when you were on the clock, but they didn't say you had to drive to Target in your red and khaki or you'd get fined. Honestly, do you think any employer other than the NBA tells their employees to drive to work in some sort of attire? It's absolutely ridiculous. It'd be like a private school telling kids they had to wear their uniforms at home or else they'd get a detention.

actually a lot of companies do ... when I travel on business I must be dressed in a business manner

 

i have a relative who is a pilot, he must go to work dressed and ready to go ... if he, or any of us, use an airline standby ticket, we must be dressed in no less than business casual

 

when you get into jobs that are higher level and the companies are vested in the public image of their employees, then they often mandate your attire

well i guess an nba player technically could change outside in the parking lot before entering the arena, which is technically 'the work area'

 

team buses are 'work area'

 

 

this is no way this is racist, action jackson is wrong, i mean even tim duncan has said he is against this, but does he play the race card? no.

 

its not racist, may be a major change, but thats just life, they will need to deal with it; its called a professional image, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.

 

 

I think it's stupid the NBA is telling people what they have to wear when they're on the way to work.

 

so its wrong for the NBA to do it but every other professional company in the world can tell their employees what to say? basketball may be a game but its their job. and players need to stop bitching cause they're fortunate enough to be able to play the game they love and make money so f***ing deal with it.

Hey Captain Retard, you obviously don't know much about reading comprehension. The players have a dress code for their jobs (which is to play basketball) and that's the uniforms they wear on the court. Now, they're getting a secondary dress code that applies to when they're en route to work. I highly doubt your job tells you what to wear when you're driving to work. I know when I worked at Target you had to be in red and khaki when you were on the clock, but they didn't say you had to drive to Target in your red and khaki or you'd get fined. Honestly, do you think any employer other than the NBA tells their employees to drive to work in some sort of attire? It's absolutely ridiculous. It'd be like a private school telling kids they had to wear their uniforms at home or else they'd get a detention.

 

the guidelines have nothing to say with driving to work. just simply with what you are to do when you arrive on work property or for any other work related function.

I can't believe how some of the players are complaining about it and I won't even entertain the race card discussion.

 

Let them find another job that pays them that much. I'm sure Joe Schmoe would trade lives with you suit or not, jewlery or not, etc. Crybabies

I think it's stupid the NBA is telling people what they have to wear when they're on the way to work.

 

so its wrong for the NBA to do it but every other professional company in the world can tell their employees what to say? basketball may be a game but its their job. and players need to stop bitching cause they're fortunate enough to be able to play the game they love and make money so f***ing deal with it.

Hey Captain Retard, you obviously don't know much about reading comprehension. The players have a dress code for their jobs (which is to play basketball) and that's the uniforms they wear on the court. Now, they're getting a secondary dress code that applies to when they're en route to work. I highly doubt your job tells you what to wear when you're driving to work. I know when I worked at Target you had to be in red and khaki when you were on the clock, but they didn't say you had to drive to Target in your red and khaki or you'd get fined. Honestly, do you think any employer other than the NBA tells their employees to drive to work in some sort of attire? It's absolutely ridiculous. It'd be like a private school telling kids they had to wear their uniforms at home or else they'd get a detention.

 

I agree with this to a point. First, I have no issues with the dress code for non-active players on the bench, that makes sense to me. And really, I don't think I have a problem with it when traveling as a team, you should look like professionals (there are coaches in other sports who have required suits and ties from their teams for road trips for years). As for the rest of it, meh.

 

That being said, it's totally hypocritical to market the league the way they do and then enforce this. Luckily, the NBA sucks with or without this dress code, so whatever.

I'm going to have to disagree with a lot of you here. I think there's definitely a racist element at play here. The NBA has been riding the black hip-hop culture to big bucks for at least a decade now. But following the Pacers-Pistons brawl, the league has a bit of an image problem to deal with.

 

This is isn't a major image problem for black kids and other youths of this country. It's an image problem for corporate sponsors and ticket buyers who, let's face it, are predominately white men who wear suits. They're cracking down on this kind of dress because its perceived by the white suits as thuggish, and they no long wish to be associated with said thuggery. I think deep down these suits are flat scared when they see guys like Iverson and Artest and Stephen Jackson. They want to turn every black player into another Shaq or Michael Jordan, someone they feel comfortable with. That's the image the NBA is going for now.

 

Is it wrong? I haven't yet decided on that one. It's unfair to some of the players, but they certainly have their compensations. But I definitely think there's a big element of race at play here.

Somewhere, Bill Cosby has a big smile on his face right now.

and where was the league riding the hip-hop image to? .... absolutely no where

 

baskeball is marketed to the hip hop culture, but the NBA is at it's best when it isn't

 

the NBA hasn't been nearly as strong since the street elements started to really make an impact in the league ... a lot of this is because many feel that the style of play is sloppy, the players aren't as sound and the image of the league is poor

 

i know a lot fans from the 80s and early 90s who refuse to watch a game

 

stern is a pretty smart guy ... he knows where the real market is, and it isn't in hip hop ... not for what he wants

 

that is why you have had the rule changes and eligibility changes and many of the other things going on

 

a league must present itself as professional

 

i don't think it's racist ... there are just some images that are good and some that aren't as desirable to the people spending $100 a ticket

Gosh darnit people, look up the definition of racism.

 

rac?ism

1. The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.

2. Discrimination or prejudice based on race.

 

Saying that a certain type of clothing is not allowed does not fall underneath either of those.

 

Yes, some African-Americans wear that certain type of clothing, but some white people do as well. It can't be "racism"...it could have some undertones that deal with race, but it's not racism. Therefore Stephen Jackson, as well as any one who yells "racism" wrongly, is an idiot.

 

If they didn't let blacks play in the NBA that would be racist. If blacks made less money than whites even though they did better, that would be racist. This isn't racist because it deals with whites, blacks, asians, latinos, etc.

 

It pains me to see a word thrown around so foolishly. It's ignorant.

Gosh darnit people, look up the definition of racism.

 

rac?ism

1. The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.

2. Discrimination or prejudice based on race.

 

Saying that a certain type of clothing is not allowed does not fall underneath either of those.

 

Yes, some African-Americans wear that certain type of clothing, but some white people do as well. It can't be "racism"...it could have some undertones that deal with race, but it's not racism. Therefore Stephen Jackson, as well as any one who yells "racism" wrongly, is an idiot.

 

If they didn't let blacks play in the NBA that would be racist. If blacks made less money than whites even though they did better, that would be racist. This isn't racist because it deals with whites, blacks, asians, latinos, etc.

 

It pains me to see a word thrown around so foolishly. It's ignorant.

 

 

That definition covers the overt forms of racisim fairly well, but I think it's missing an important element of racism, which is fear. Fear of other races, other cultures, the unknown, etc., and the subconcous impulses that extend from that fear. This is about white men fearing black culture. They don't understand it, and so they act out against it. This is about people like my dad, who would never overtly deny black people any measure of equality, yet readily admits that he can't get into basketball because he doesn't identify with most of the players. It has nothing to do with the game itself, just the people who play it. It has everything to do with the elements of hip-hop culture that permeate the game. This is a bunch of white men trying to wash that hip hop culture right out of the NBA game with a big bottle of White Out, so that they can feel comfortable with the NBA product once again.

 

This isn't the worst kind of racism, of the kind you and your Webster are talking about. But it is racism. It's not understanding a way of life that is different from yours, and doing something to change it, so that you can feel comfortable with what your watching.

 

and where was the league riding the hip-hop image to?

 

To the bank.

Stern needs to quit living in the 50's.