The NBA dress code: setting high standards

Black Enterprise, Dec, 2005 by Earl G. Graves, Jr.

On Nov. 1, opening day of the 2005-2006 National Basketball Association season, NBA Commissioner David Stern implemented a policy that, frankly, I am amazed the league has gone without for as long as it has: a dress code. The NBA (as well as the individual clubs that comprise it) is, after all, a business, and a global one at that. Of course, that didn't stop some NBA players from condemning the new "business casual" dress policy, which, among other things, requires players to wear dress shirts and slacks (including dress jeans) but forbids sneakers, headgear, or chains worn outside their clothes. Some even called the policy racist.

Those people are absolutely wrong. Stern is right to require NBA players to do a better job of representing their business. Moreover, the new NBA dress code is absolutely the right message to send to young black men aspiring to careers in professional basketball--or any profession.

It was not that long ago that the most popular NBA superstars saw themselves as ambassadors of the league, determined to set a standard of excellence both in how they performed on the court and in how they represented the sport off of it. All-time greats Dave Bing, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, and Michael Jordan all showed--through the business attire they wore before, after, and between games--an instinctive understanding of the fact that the operative word in the term "professional basketball player" is not basketball or player, but professional. It's the perception of professionalism that makes the game--and the apparel and other NBA-team-branded products--worth the increasingly high price.

What is the difference between a professional and an amateur? Many people would say it's that professionals have achieved a level of experience, expertise, and proficiency that allow them to be paid for what they do. But there is far more to being a true professional than extraordinary skill and a big paycheck. Professionalism is about setting high standards for how you choose to communicate, conduct business, and present yourself. It's no coincidence that many of the highest paid, most respected professionals--lawyers, doctors, television journalists--embrace dress codes as standard for their respective professions. But we expect the same level of professional representation from transit workers and restaurant wait staffs.

This is why I'll accept nothing less than the most professional business attire from every BLACK ENTERPRISE employee, from our operations and administrative staff to our senior management team, as well as the many outside vendors, freelancers, and temporary workers who do business on behalf of our business. There are no casual dress days at our company, and there never will be. In fact, the NBA's new business casual dress code would be unacceptable here at BE. This is not just about my personal style preferences; it's about what's best for business. Whether we like it of not, what we wear to work and how we look on the job affects how others perceive and choose to (of not to) interact with us. The bottom line: our success is dependent on our customers and prospects electing to choose us over a competitor. In that sense, the primary business objective of every employee, in every job, in every profession, is to overcome the reasons, whatever they are, that potential customers or clients may have for taking their business elsewhere. This is as true for the NBA as it is for BE or any other business.

It's no coincidence that Bing, Johnson, and Jordan have all built successful businesses, enjoyed thriving careers, and accumulated significant personal wealth long after their glory years in NBA arenas. The NBA's dress code can help show young black athletes what will be expected of them in post-basketball competition for jobs and business opportunities, which is far more brutal than any hotly contested playoff race. By insisting that players save personal style preferences for personal time, and dress for business when handling business, Stern has taken an important step toward preparing them for the real world--the one outside of the NBA.