Comments on: Moving on….

By: Kirk

Kirk — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:03:55 +0000

Awesome post! I couldn’t agree more. I’m still in awe of this blog. You’re an icon in the small entrepreneur’s world, and will be invaluable mentorship to us! It’d be amazing if others like Steve Jobs, or Jerry Greenfield, Ben Cohen, et al followed your example!

By: Marvin

Marvin — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:03:55 +0000

Mark I couldn’t agree more!

By: monkeyinabox

monkeyinabox — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:03:55 +0000

Baseball had steroids, so the NBA needed something to incite the fans. It all makes sense now.

By: Kwesi King

Kwesi King — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:03:55 +0000

Mr. Cuban,
I think it’s good to move on maybe to a subject of health care and long term disability insurance for players that are in some way covered at least in the standard 80/20 type coverage that typical employees receive.

They (the players) are employees right? And if the league is going to impose a dress code and expect them to act like employees why not provide basic employee compensations, Maybe even a 401k type of plan to protect the guys for the long term?

Your a money man maybe you can enlighten those of us who are to this point unaware of the in’s and out’s of that aspect of the “players” employment..

Oh and one other thing if it’s mandatory that they dress in a certain uniform manner wouldn’t that make the purchases of those uniforms subject to an itemized deduction on tax returns?

Just curious..

K.King

P.S

Next time you talk to Mike tell him he still owes me $5 for that Megan Ashford bet from the 8th grade..ha!x2

By: Kwesi King

Kwesi King — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:03:55 +0000

Your a money man maybe you can enlighten those of us who are to this point unaware of the in’s and out’s of that aspect of the “players” employment..

Oh and one other thing if it’s mandatory that they dress in a certain uniform manner wouldn’t that make the purchases of those uniforms subject to an itemized deduction on tax returns?

Just curious..

K.King

P.S

Next time you talk to Mike tell him he still owes me $5 for that Megan Ashford bet from the 8th grade..ha!x2

By: Rick Lewallen

Rick Lewallen — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:03:55 +0000

All I can say is…ITS ABOUT TIME! The NBA needs to continue to protect its image.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:03:55 +0000

Is the dress code a really big deal? NO, but then it is a lame attempt at shoring up public support. Yet I can’t remember when an NBA player has been on trial for murder. Yet as Mark says, the NFL just keeps humming along even with recent murder trials AND a conviction.

HMmm,
Ken Lay and Enron buddies
Dennis Kozlowski at Tyco
the Rigas family of Adelphia Communications
are just a few who I am sure dressed the way
Stern wants the players to dress.

peace
jeff

By: eugene

eugene — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:03:55 +0000

yo, feel you on the entire “ageism” deal, however, don’t you think it only takes $60 bucks to get a pair of slacks and a polo shirt?
i make 40K per year and seem to have enough money to get myself a weeks worth of business casual threads, so, can’t sympathsize with rookies making at least 4x as much money as me not being able to meet the code. If rooks wanna save, they can go to JC Penny, but of course, that probly ain’t bling enough for some players. Put it this way, if you told me i had to wear a suit to work for your company, hell, if i didn’t, would i still be working there?

By: Brad Hutchings

Brad Hutchings — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:03:55 +0000

Mark, I disagree. It’s not racism or sexism. It’s about control. And that’s precisely what has made it a hot-button issue. Listening to sports-talk radio yesterday, opinion seems evenly divided between those who like control and structure and those who don’t. Half the callers were like, “when I show up for my shift at McDonalds, I have to wear a uniform, they should too”. The other half agree with Tim Duncan’s sentiments. Most thought the race angle was a little over the top. That’s refreshing.

This one hits close to home for me. I quit a very well paying job three days after the “boss” decided that I should not go off premises for my lunch. At the time, I was really pissed off at the attempt to control me. But that’s not why I quit. I quit because that kind of attitude from the top was inappropriate for the enterprise (a startup). I knew if it was that important that I stay for on premises for lunch, the business was headed for failure. Guess what? 6 months later, people weren’t getting paychecks. I bailed at the right time. Now, I’m not suggesting that the players or owners who know in their hearts how stupid this thing is should bail. But it may be time to undermine Stern’s authority to pull this kind of stupid stuff. I’d love to see a few players just ignore it and have lawyers ready to sue. The NBA isn’t McDonalds.

By: jamie doom

jamie doom — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:03:55 +0000

I think you are right about the ageism, Mark. t Those who think that the players who dress a certain way look like thugs are from a different generation. I see somebody in baggy pants, I don’t think they are a thug, but that’s not because I’m any more enlightened than anybody else. It’s because I grew up in a time, place, and culture where wearing baggy jeans, large white t’s, and chains doesn’t really say anything about you, except that you are part of a younger generation.
Having said all that, these guys aren’t white collar businessmen. They are not in a board room culture. They are entertainers. Why should we expect them to dress like Donald Trump? I write for a living, and I haven’t worn socks and shoes in about seven months. Why? It’s not necessary to help me succeed as a writer.