The issue is not the "thugs", or the tats. Hardcore basketball fans nowadays grew up in the 90's (some in the 80's), and the hardcore fans that grew up in the 70's are frankly a little too old and outdated to look past anything but the thuggery (small portion, but these kind of people do exist). The problem is not tats and thugs, once again. The problem I have is that the NBA wants to cater its image as being "clean" to white society when it's full of (mostly) black players that are 6-7 feet tall. The PROBLEM with that mission (and it is a mission), is the fact that most of the players in the league came from impoverished backgrounds and struggled to make it where they are (Leon Powe!). I know there are impoverished white people out there, but they're mostly not focused on basketball, I would think. Suburbia rules the NBA ratings, and suburban white dudes just cannot relate to guys like Leon Powe, no matter how thuggish they think they may be.
I grew up in the 90's. I was born in the 80's, but I grew up in the days of Michael Jordan. So, with that being said, most of the fans that are really into the NBA right now (I mean they actually know their stuff and aren't casual observers) would be from the age bracket of around 18-35 or so. This is not counting reporters of course. I'm just making a generalization based on the people I've seen and talked to that actually KNOW their shit. Meaning, if you asked them what country Boris Diaw is from, what team he was drafted from and what his number is, they would respond with France, Atlanta and #3. What I'm trying to say is that, to the hardcore fan, tats don't matter, nor does thuggery. In all honesty, the fans who watch today's game are more concerned about OFFICIATING then anything else. I don't care how many tattoos Iverson has, dude seems like a cool guy. Bruce Bowen seems like a dick, and he has NO tattoos at all. See what I mean?
The NBA thinks that the problem with the league is how people perceive their players. No, the problem with the league is that its covered by 40-60 year old white guys who seem to have a habit of complaining about the "thuggery" of the league simply because its (usually) 10 large black guys on the court with their faces shown to the world and their deadly tattoos visible to the cameras. My problem is with the media, as much as the league's standards itself. For example, there exist writers out there who (unfairly) seem to think that the league is full of thugs (like that loser from ESPN that I can't stand: Gene Wojciechowski - henceforth referred to as "Gene The Geezer") and try to perpetuate that image through the media to the general population. THAT is the problem. If you see basketball on a court, you don't think of thugs. It's a beautiful game to watch when it's not being tainted by referees or nonsensical double standards in league rules. The media and the NBA entwine a lot of the time (hell, all the time), and Stern thinks that by doing things like airbrushing tattoos from magazine covers, the league is in better shape.
Ironically enough, the fans don't have a problem with the product on the floor, we have a problem with the obvious lack of consistency by the league office when it comes to things that actually have an effect on games. Sure, the dress code was cool, and bringing back the leather ball was a good idea (thank god), but the league still hasn't addressed the most important issues: officiating, inconsistency with league rules, and hmm....did I mention officiating?? The NBA needs to stop catering to the general public. What good is that going to do? Honestly, you go on Youtube and click on any random NBA fight videos, all you'll see is racist comments made by obvious dumbasses who have nothing better to do than be ignorant. You know what type of comments I'm talking about. You're NEVER going to change those people. There's no way the NBA can convince a certain segment of the population to fall in love with this sport. As long as 10 big black guys are running around, you can't convince them otherwise. Maybe in the future, the children of some of these individuals will smarten up and open their eyes and refuse to be so close-minded...but my friends, the year is 2008 and while the world is a little less racist than it was the last time the Lakers and Celtics faced off, racism still exists in large doses. To these people that I refer to, the NBA was, and always will be, full of thugs, for a lack of a better word.
My point is this: I know I'm being a tad bit abrasive, but as a minority in Canada, I think it's ridiculous that some obviously biased white dudes get to write and represent the NBA through major networks when they either have a certain bias towards the league in a racial manner, or when they make insane remarks and stories just for shock value and to get a read (usually followed by a billion comments of debate and yelling) for the casual fan. It doesn't even require writing ability anymore. All they have to say is "KOBE BRYANT" and boom! Here come 439872349872 comments, most of them somehow turning into "MJ vs. Kobe" comparisons.
It's sad that the NBA thinks cornrows are the problem when the problem lies within the head office itself. Issues need to be addressed and resolved. These guys NEVER look at it from a fan's perspective. Ask 20 hardcore NBA fans what their opinion on certain things are (Hack-A-Shaq being used randomly, for one) and they will give you an opinion that actually matters. All the league simply does is "look into it". What the hell does that even mean? There shouldn't be a fine for flopping, there should be a suspension, or an ejection, or a technical foul, to say the least. And why is the flopping fine being implemented now, in 2008, when the issue's been relevant for at least 3 years now? I'm not even mentioning the art of Vlade Divac. To add, there shouldn't be a need for the league to apologize to Brent Barry and the Spurs AFTER a game is over due to a non-call because the officials should be able to use INSTANT REPLAY whenever they cannot agree on a call. Why is this not implemented yet, despite the fact that there have been numerous games wherein a controversial call by the referee completely screwed over one team when the instant replay could have proved otherwise?
It's the little things that count in making the product better.
The NBA is so caught up in their god damn image that they fail to realize that the problem lies internally, not externally.
Douche.
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