"Rise of the NBA Nerds" Response

In Wesley Morris' essay, "Rise of the NBA Nerd: Basketball Style and Black Identity". Morris' main point was that black athletes have adopted a different, more "nerdy" style. He believes that NBA stars, such as Kevin Durant and LeBron James are changing their attire because it is what has become popular in black culture. Morris states that it has become a trend, which was set by hip hop artist like Kanye West, that allowed African Americans who viewed themselves as outcasts or different from others, to physically show that by dressing contradictary to ethnic stereotype.

As an athlete, I agree with this act. I believe that these NBA players are choosing the suburban style, because it makes them different. When you look at an athlete, you see the similar height and build, but nothing that makes these African American basketball stars stand-out from each other at first glance. An example of this would be former University of Kentucky NCAA All-Star, Anthony Davis, who is not only known for his impressive skills in basketball, but for having a very noticable unibrow. Davis has refused to remove this blemish because it has become popular and made him stand-out from the rest. Even though his unibrow make him appear undesirable, he kept the flaw because his skills could compensate for what he lacked in appearance

The athletes who choose to dress differently from the stereotypical NBA stars, are the ones who receive the most publicity for their athletic abilities. In an effort to standout from the ones who are at a lower skill level, they dress differently to show themselves and others, that they are in a class above their competition.

These athletes may also be doing this in order to indirectly intemediate their opponents. In sporting events, their appearance says, "They can dress oddly because they are comfortable with what they do", which can be intimidating to an opponent that is anxious to begin with. Also, the clothing isn't just seen as different, the attire that is chosen specifically because it appears to be the attire of someone who is less athleticly gifted. It forces the opposing team to feel inadiquate, if the team that was victorious just so happens to consensually wear a sweater vest and bow tie.

This style has mainly become popular to celebrities and other athletes, because it satisfies the egotistical mindset. If people who were less popular or talented attempted to wear this style of clothing, they would be classified as an outcast. These celebrities know that they're popular, that they're worshipped, that whatever they do will automatically considered as stylish, and they know that they are the best at what they do, therefore they feel that they can afford to do something that would be seen as social suicide if a normal person were to do the same exact thing. This level of megalomania allows these all-stars to know that people respect them, and they can afford to wear what they want, because no one is going to negatively judge them if they still have the same level of talent.

Carlton-wade. 12/16/11. Photograph. Www.kottke.org. 16 Jan. 2013. Web

I believe that these athletes should be able to wear what they please, reguardless of them doing it for all the wrong reasons, rather than doing it because they feel that it's normal. If our society would like to see its idols in normal attire, then I suggest that they ignore the fact that these athletes are even wearing this odd clothing. It's an obvious attempt at gaining attention from others, the trend will eventually pass and athletes will mature beyond that adolecent mindset of wanting attention for playing dress up.After all, we're refering to NBA stars, the people who make a living by playing a kids game. They didn't have to acquire an education or stay in school in order to be successful. If we allow these people to make a living by playing a sport, then I doubt we should expected them to take life seriously, let alone the way they dress.