You've been horned! Welcome to Around the Horn with your host Anthony Joseph Temple Owl Reali. The article I read was the one written by the Horn's own Kevin Blackistone. In it, he talks about the racial profiling that exists in sports, and in journalism. The presence, or lack there of in the news room, is not only overwhelming, but a major concern. Minorities make up the largest number of athletes, while they are not represented in the news room in such way. While I could talk a bit about the concern that he states, something else about the article greater struck my intention.

     When it comes to race, profiling is a major concern. Black athletes seem to bear the larger brunt of new stories and are constantly being judged against their actions; this judgement also renders them being labelled in many different ways. The biggest label I can say that has existed, that I feel is vastly overlooked, is David Stern's implementation of the dress code.

     At the time, this was a big deal, but was quickly wiped away from news outlets. Locker rooms and team buses were filled with suit jackets, sweaters, and ties. No longer would you see the Allen Iverson du-rag at his post game interview. That is one of the lasting images I will have after his infamous "Practice" post game press conference. The image that Stern wanted to take away was the thuggish look many of his players had, or were assumed to have. This was not an appropriate look for the players in his league. This is not the image that he wanted for his league. His players would dress well, in order to make them seem classier, and not like they were up to no good. 

    For some athletes, their off the field/court image is as important as their on the field/court. Stern took the hood out of the NBA by forcing his players to dress like they were there for business.