There’s been a bit of noise amongst fans of NBA basketball, the media, ethnologists, fashionistas, NBA players, managers and owners about a new dress code put in place by the NBA.

Basically, it stipulates that players are to wear “business casual” attire whenever engaged in team or league business (other than when they are suited up for gametime). Specifically banned from wear during official team time: shorts, t-shirts, athletic jerseys (even for your own team), sneakers, flip-flops, casual headgear (e.g. do-rags, baseball caps), and jewelry work outside clothing (excepting earrings). While some teams already had this requirement (e.g. the Utah Jazz and the Jordan-era Chicago Bulls), the new rules apply league-wide.

Natually, this rubbed some players the wrong way. Allen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers) accused the NBA upper management of “targeting… the hip-hop generation” – i.e. him and his peers who are disciples of “streetball.” Iverson and other NBA players have asked whether the NBA will provide a clothing stipend to allow players to retool their wardrobes.

My $0.02 on the matter? It’s about friggin’ time! There used to be a time when NBA basketball was one of the most popular sports in the U.S., where players were known by all and revered for being models of sportsmanship and decorum. Since the late-1980s, however, the NBA has declined not only in fan base, but in public perception. The stories of rampant promiscuity, the “bad-boy” images of players like Dennis Rodman and Iverson, and the increasing tendency for kids to jump directly from high school to the NBA (and the resultant run-ins with the law, inability to manage money and poor social skills that seem to go hand-in-hand) have driven away the paying fan base.

Some will claim racism. After all, many NBA players are black, and the majority of the paying fan base (as well as upper management) is white. But I don’t think that this move is based on racial tensions.

I think this move is being done to help elevate the players to true role models – not just people who “look like me” (i.e. streetballers), but people of achievement. After all, these players achieved a lot by making it into the pro leagues – why not dress the part of somebody who has achieved?

Yes, there is some self-confidence in feeling able to show up at any-and-every event like you’re about to hit the gym. But there’s a much more total air of self-confidence in showing up to press conferences, charity functions and other events where you are representing your employer (these players are not self-employed, after all) dressed up in a smart, tidy manner.

And to the demand for a clothing stipend: puh-leeze! At a minimum, an NBA player earns an annual salary of $398,762. This places him into a decidedly upper class standard of living, one that can easily afford the player some fine threads. Yes, some of these clothes can get pricy if you go for hip couture items, but it’s all about showing true accomplishment.

Perhaps that’s the reason behind the new dress code: to help teach these players a sense of personal responsibility – not only in the way they dress, but in personal conduct and even fiscal responsibility. After all, how many single, young twentysomethings really need a 15,000 square foot mansion, two sports cars, a gas-guzzling SUV, a vacation condo in Hawai’i or Aspen, and the like? Maybe David Stern and the owners are trying to send a dose of good ‘ol common sense to these chumps who call themselves “professionals.”

After all, Allen: I haven’t seen you come back to complete your degree at Georgetown yet – we’re waiting.