Does the NBA have an image problem?

[dingclancy]

Here are telling articles -

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3243624

In a recent poll commissioned by The Mag, opinions of the casual fan regarding the NBA suggest significant

[Lazy Faizy]

whats an inmage?

[dingclancy]

oops edited

[UGA Hayes]

I think overall the NBA has much improved the way they present themselves, even if it hasn't translated into public opinion. This generation of stars if so much more fan friendly than the AI/Francis/Carter generation its amazing. The contrast is so stark that I believe there has to be a tangible reason for the difference in the way the athletes comport themselves-I suspect its related to the media.

[dacher]

So what. Who is this "casual fan"?

It's like asking me what I think about NASCAR drivers. A bunch of red neck, confederate flag waving, budwiser swilling, rv lovers. (And nothing wrong if they are.) I know I'm clueless, so don't hold me to it.

[theTHIEF]

Yes and no. I think a big step was taken in the re-evolution of basketball when the 1 year removed rule was implemented. The rule will help steer young, brain dead ego driven money hungry kids away from the NBA for a year to allow them to "mature". The only issue there, is that many of them just look for that one year loophole, or they go to a University with a commitment and then they ditch the next year. I think a 2 year rule needs to be set in place. It will further help to clean the league up and avoid hatred towards the NBA by colleges and NCAA affiliates...

the dress code was a good idea. in a league filled with young black kids making millions, it's no wonder why there is an image problem, especially when many of them are straight off the streets of your ghetto USA...Stern has a long way to go, but I feel that he is taking appropriate steps to cleanse it. You can't reface it in a day, he has to take his time to avoid race issues and so on.

[Nothingface]

Yes and no. I think a big step was taken in the re-evolution of basketball when the 1 year removed real was implemented. The rule will help steer young, brain dead ego driven money hungry kids away from the NBA for a year to allow them to "mature". The only issue there, is that many of them just look for that one year loophole, or they go to a University with a commitment and then they ditch the next year. I think a 2 year rule needs to be set in place. It will further help to clean the league up and avoid hatred towards the NBA by colleges and NCAA affiliates...

the dress code was a good idea. in a league filled with young black kids making millions, it's no wonder why there is an image problem, especially when many of them are straight off the streets of your ghetto USA...Stern has a long way to go, but I feel that he is taking appropriate steps to cleanse it. You can't reface it in a day, he has to take his time to avoid race issues and so on.

Those are some great points.

Before Stern stated cleaning things up, I was getting turned of the NBA. It also helps that my team, the Raptors, is full of good guys. If the league was full of players like Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan, Steve Nash etc that would only be a good thing.

People sometimes forget that the league is really owned by the fans. Not the NBA office, not he players. It exists for our enjoyment (lol, originally to fill hockey arena's...) and as such we deserve to not be disgusted by it's players. If more players realized it's a privilege to play in the NBA, things would be better as well.

[Nupe_1911]

The NBA is probably the cleanest league in America from top to bottom. There is really no basis for negative perception that the NBA has today other than racism.

[King of Canada]

The image comes from the direct link between hip hop and basketball. From that link comes the idea of NBA players having guns, not respecting women, and being divas.

[theTHIEF]

The image comes from the direct link between hip hop and basketball. From that link comes the idea of NBA players having guns, not disrespecting women, and being divas.

that's part of it...but I still think the lack of leadership, the influence of the industry and money coupled with the unwillingness to want to mature or to know any better...this stems from the lack of guidance, leadership, love and support in many young player's lives...so, when it boils down it's Parents>Society>Culture...

and it really isnt David Stern's job to raise these kids, or to fix them, but over the last 20 years he's had to do just that in many senses...so he deserves a little more respect...it's not easy having to have put up with AI, Stephen Jackson, Tinsley etc. etc. etc.

[Muzzleshot]

The NBA's image will improve greatly when this guy (Link below) and a few others (Artest to name another) retire.
http://www.internationalbasketball.com/ ... erson4.jpg

[UGA Hayes]

^ I think the one year rule is a bit of a red herring. As a whole the straight to pros guys that actually made it to the NBA (not the ones who were never drafted) turned out to be good haed working players. Guys who played multiple years of college ball seem to be every bit as likely to get in trouble with the law if not much more so than the high school guys.

If anything I think being in a good organization is more important. If you think about it a lot of the trouble maker types started their careers in really dysfynctional organizations and it became a viscious cycle. It seemed like a few years ago if you ended up in Portland or Cleveland you got in trouble. Indiana got one bad apple and then all the sudden it ballooned to two than three etc. Now Denver seems to be the team thats piling up the questionable character guys.

[Nupe_1911]

The image comes from the direct link between hip hop and basketball. From that link comes the idea of NBA players having guns, not respecting women, and being divas.

Regardless of that the league is still one of if not the cleanest in America. No roid controversy, no real problem with athletes habitually being arrested, no yearly contract holdouts, no spygate scandals, no real congressional hearings, etc.

Any bad image the NBA has is primarily due to racism which is something the NBA can not remedy.

[UGA Hayes]

-= original quote snipped =-



Regardless of that the league is still one of if not the cleanest in America. No roid controversy, no real problem with athletes habitually being arrested, no yearly contract holdouts, no spygate scandals, no real congressional hearings, etc.

Any bad image the NBA has is primarily due to racism which is something the NBA can not remedy.

I wouldn't be too certain about no roid use. I could be wrong, but I get the sense that the NBA is very lax about testing for things like steroids. There has never been any public pressure to test.

[theTHIEF]

the rule is unfortunately a necessary evil...while, like you mentioned guys who go to college for any period of time are just as likely to tarnish the league, I believe that the rule is put in place more to weed out the younger guys for the sake of making it a more professional atmosphere. Giving the NBA the professional look is something that Stern has been trying to do for a long while, and it's slowly getting there, but it still has many years to go. And with all the oppression along the way, and the criminal acts or bone headed moves made by players season to season, the plan suffers setbacks...

so it's not that it's only H/S guys causing trouble, it's to keep the H/S guys from taking over the league. There is nothing professional about a 7-1 H/S player ratio IMO...

there arent many Dwight's out there...

[Muzzleshot]

-= original quote snipped =-
Any bad image the NBA has is primarily due to racism which is something the NBA can not remedy.

Nonsense, Stern summed it up perfectly in his comments below.
The very exposure that creates big stars out of NBA players has a downside in that they'll get much more attention when they fall.

"The Mag Do you feel the league has an image problem?"
"David Stern No, I believe we are dealing with having the best-known, most recognizable players in the world. When they get in trouble, people can identify them and their faces. The troubles attached to other sports may be five times worse than ours, but we pay a price for being so recognizable. We have five of the 15 best-known athletes. The NFL has four. Major league baseball has one. It's the downside of playing in a uniform that has no hat, no helmet."

[Nothingface]

The NBA is probably the cleanest league in America from top to bottom. There is really no basis for negative perception that the NBA has today other than racism.

No, it's not even close to Hockey in that respect.

[UGA Hayes]

the rule is unfortunately a necessary evil...while, like you mentioned guys who go to college for any period of time are just as likely to tarnish the league, I believe that the rule is put in place more to weed out the younger guys for the sake of making it a more professional atmosphere. Giving the NBA the professional look is something that Stern has been trying to do for a long while, and it's slowly getting there, but it still has many years to go. And with all the oppression along the way, and the criminal acts or bone headed moves made by players season to season, the plan suffers setbacks...

so it's not that it's only H/S guys causing trouble, it's to keep the H/S guys from taking over the league. There is nothing professional about a 7-1 H/S player ratio IMO...

there arent many Dwight's out there...

I agree with some of what you are saying, Stern put the rule in with professionalism in mind. However I'm not sure college necessarily weeds out problem childs.

At the end of the day, Beasley will be a number one pick with an ego problem, Mayo will be a lottery guy who broke his teammates jaw and broke rules in principle by taking gifts from an NBA player,and the recently drafted Sean Williams is getting nice NBA pub in spite of his past college problems and continued painfully disrespectful behavior on a NBA court.

I think the bigger rationale for the 1-year rule move is that there is no substitute for the free publicity which college gives especially to a young prospective fan base. So yes Stern doesn't want HS guys to take over the league, but not necessarily for the exact reasons you have outline, IMO of course.

[theTHIEF]

i agree with you as well...it's just a combination of things...my point about the rule was that it was an effort, not a definite answer...Stern also made a very valid point about the celebrity aspect, which ties into today's culture which ties into hip hop and tv...

kids these days have things so out of perspective...it's not getting any better...

[Dtown84]

As one NBA higher-up whispered to me last weekend, "People still think we have an image problem, I just don't get it. Do they even watch us? Do they see the caliber of the guys we have now?"

That's the issue gnawing at everyone working for the league right now. The NFL has considerably more thugs, Major League Baseball has a steroids scandal that basically has tainted the past 15 years of games, yet somehow the NBA is still perceived as the league with an image problem? For god's sake, if the NBA can't put that tag to rest this year, of all years, then it's never happening, and we'll have to accept there are deeper issues at work here.

(Well, one deeper issue. And you know what it is.)

From this article detailing both the NBA's helping in New Orleans, and the young superstars in the league.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/st ... d=tab1pos1