National Bling Association

The NBA has always been slightly absurd when it comes to dress. Professional basketball is the only major sport where coaches feign dignity by dressing in suits and ties despite being as boisterous, loud and obnoxious on the sidelines as their NFL and MLB counterparts. But it gives the game a unique edge – a hint of strange class comparable to the gentlemanly surroundings of PGA golf.

And so the NBA's new dress code for players giving post-game interviews makes perfect sense. No suits, ties or blazers required – merely a prohibition on “bling-bling” and throwback jerseys. Designer t-shirts are okay, jeans still work and even idiotic-looking baseball hats seem to be acceptable. The dress code gives the game a slightly cleaner image – something that can't hurt with constant news stories about athlete drug abuse and still fresh memories of a bench – and bleacher – clearing brawl early last season.

But leave it to the arrogance of professional basketball players to bemoan even the simplest of dress codes. Stephen Jackson of the Indiana Pacers is calling it racist and Alan Iverson of the 76ers is demanding that the league pay for his clothing.

Have these men never worked a day in their lives at a real job? (Okay, probably not, but I digress...) Try demanding that any normal employer pay for your clothing – especially if you are taking home a seriously hefty paycheck – and you may just find yourself wearing bling-bling in an unemployment line. And tell the good people at any restaurant that their uniform-specific codes are racist – I assure you there won't be a sudden appearance of throwback jerseys behind the Wendy's pick-up window.

The dress code is a good thing. These people – for better or worse, and I'm leaning toward the latter – are role models. Dropping the bling-bling for sound bytes really isn't all that much to ask.