Dressed To Thrill
As the NBA 2005-2006 season opens tonight, it will be a new day for the way players dress off the court. At first I had my doubts whether David Stern's brash dress code would blow up in his face or not, but seeing Kevin Garnett dressed to impress has led me to believe that Stern's plan will be a gem. I suspect NBA millionaires will rise to the occasion and take the NBA...GQ. Looking at it from a business perspective, this is a home run, or shall I say, slam dunk. Just as we thought the sports marketing industry had hit its peak, lo and behold a new segment of the market to target. It has been challenge for the NBA to reach the demographic of men older than 32, but here comes the opportunity to capture a niche market of thirty-something professionals who seek mentoring in casual and formal fashion. Yes, you can still use Lebron James to sell sneakers and apparel to the streetball-crazed youth, but who would have thought of endorsements for Armani and Prada from Shaq? Yes, I believe David Stern has done it again. Although controversial, he may have taken the world of professional sports to another level.
It is hypocritical though to play up the hip-hop scene and then say that they cannot express themselves in that manner. As a business move it may be the a good thing, but like a recent news article stated David Stern may be doing the right thing for the wrong reasons.
ReplyDeleteBrian E.