The Official NFL Thread

[md1198p]

I'm not that much of a fan of basketball, but I do follow it minimally (my roomie is a huge Lakers fan and I'll sit in and watch a bit). And while I'm not a regular watcher, I can't help but know a little about it as it's such a highly visible sport. In short, I'm not completely ignorant about it.

The NBA has been wrestling with "image" issues for a while now. The fact that they're now cracking down on new things this year validates that.

Here's a good article from a few years ago on the "brand image" issue:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...111802752.html



Granted, the article is five years old but I don't see that the ongoing issues with the NBA's image has really changed that much. It's still addressing it's "brand image" issues. Even talking with many basketball fans this becomes evident.

Stern seemed to understand that the league had an image problem. With the new rule changes that still seem to be ongoing, I'd argue that he still seems to understand it.

This is really no new issue. I'd be surprised if you haven't heard about it before (even if you disagree with it).

That whole aritcle basically referenced the fighting, and in particular the Artest fight.. I agree that stuff has no place in sports. I don't see how that is comparable to showboating, celebrating, or even trash talking amongst players.