[SeanFitzRef]

Just my two cents....

Most everything that is done involving millionaires and billionaires is done at a level that most of us can't compare to or understand.

The NBA is now in an 'image reparation' mode, because their league image has gone way down since the massive preps-to-pros movement that started in the early 90's. The league started to lose face with the corporate fan, the one's spending large amounts of money for sky boxes and courtside seats. If you pay attention to who was spending the money for courtside seating over the last few years, there are more and more entertainment types filling those seats, such as Jay-Z, Nelly, Usher, and Jamie Foxx just to name a few. With Jay-Z and Nelly getting into the ownership business, the 'Hip Hop' culture has made its way into the boardrooms of the NBA.

How can the NBA get Joe CEO and Mary VP back to those courtside seats? Make the product more appealing and 'mainstream'. What 'product' does the NBA have to market? It really only has the players. If the players image is 'thugged out' or 'Hip Hop', the suburban parents aren't going to bring their kids in to the games or embrace the players, although the kids are going to emulate these fashions and embrace the players on their own. It really has nothing to do with race, because I see it happening on both sides.

Athletes always want to emulate entertainers, who always want to emulate athletes. Fans want ot emulate either. Just life as it always will be.