The fashion business has new set of men to dress

The fashion industry has a major emergency on its hands with the latest NBA news. Players are now being forced to dress in business casual attire when at NBA events, in the stands at games and talking to the media. Designers are probably sending out samples to Allen Iverson as I type this. Thorstein Veblen was right when he said fashion is as important as sports and politics. \nI feel like the new ruling has been a long time coming. When thinking of a professional man, most people think of a man in a suit, tie, slacks or khakis and nice dress shoes. When most people think of athletes, they usually think of more laid-back attire like sweats and jeans paired with Nikes or Adidas. When you think of professional athletes, that is when the discussion gets fuzzy.\n"Should a player not dress for the game and either sit on the bench or in the stands, he must wear a sport coat over his shirt, with socks and dress shoes or boots. The one caveat is while leaving the arena, they can wear team-issued warm-up suits that are deemed 'neat.' And this is just the start of what is guaranteed to set off a large group of already annoyed players," wrote Mike Khan for Fox Sports News.\nI am a little annoyed because they didn't pass this ruling when Dennis Rodman was in the league because if anyone needed fashion help, it was him. Ironically, he now shows up at Fashion Week.\nI am in total agreement with the new ruling -- well, not in total agreement -- but I understand. As reported in Fox Sports News, David Stern wants the players to dress up in order to be more accessible to the fans and to better represent the NBA. Those are both valid points. Men who are professionals should go to press conferences in the proper attire. A press conference and public appearances are business and should be approached as such. A tweed Ralph Lauren jacket, nice slacks, nice shoes and a Rolex never hurt anyone.\nBut who defines proper dress? When MTV's "Cribs" comes to an NBA player's house, should the player be in a suit? Or can he wear braids, Enyce jeans and a T-shirt because he is in his own home (and us girls find it incredibly sexy)? Would "Cribs" constitute as a public appearance?\nWhen NBA players are in the stands at games should they look like fans or professional athletes? If someone is going to enjoy a game, I believe he has every right to wear sweats, baggy jeans and Timberlands or whatever it is he wants to wear. The media should be focused on the people playing the game, not the players watching. \nIn a conversation about the entire ordeal, one of my friends mentioned basketball legend Michael Jordan and how pimp he looked in his suits. Yes, Michael Jordan did look pimp, but not every NBA player is a Jordan or Dwyane Wade.\nAppropriate dress is required in any situation, but where does the jurisdiction of the fashion police end? The whole situation is a bit scary. You can compare it to a college student who works at the Wells Library and his or her boss saying, "now every time you come into the library, whether you are working or not, you have to dress in business casual." Of course, students do not make as much money or are exposed to the public like NBA players, but to have to enjoy a game in business casual is absurd. Will players no longer be able to wear braids? Will basketball players become regulars at Fashion Week? Who knows, the situation has implications that go beyond the court and closet. Will they hire professional stylists; will college athletes have to be trained in the ways of dress if they are headed to the pros? Will the Sean John suit become a staple in every basketball player's closet? These are questions that are going to have to be answered. Dressing for success takes practice and time.\nNow, not only will players have to answer questions about their game, but "who are you wearing?" will be a favorite among the fashion writers. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. If basketball players own as many shoes as I have seen them in, a dress code could be Allen Iverson's perfect excuse to dress in Sean John suits, Armani loafers and Versace sweaters for free.