Rise of the NBA Nerd

When you think of a sports press conference the attire that would normally be acceptable, would be the just cleaned up after an intense game in the locker room kind of look. When we get more specific and think about the image of an NBA star, most people would see an extremely tall, muscular man, in a jersey and baggy shorts. People normally do not expect these athletes to look put together. Morris takes a look at the relatively recent change in the wardrobe of NBA stars at press conferences. I think that pointing out just what these famous black men are wearing at press conferences is not enough; we need to point out how the fashion of black Americans today has been slowly evolving.

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It is not just at the NBA press conferences that black celebrities have made noticeably more effort on their personal appearance but in their everyday life these famous men are going to new lengths to dress in a different style. As Morris pointed out, this wardrobe change has made “nerdy” or “white” attire acceptable and cool. Morris compared these styles to Carlton from the TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, at the time of the show Carlton was the farthest thing from cool, but when we look at Kanye West in his gray suit with a tan backpack and thick rimmed glasses, we cannot help to think that he is sporting the nerdy look.

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I believe another important point that Morris is sort of making is that because these celebrities are changing their looks, that means the fans of these of men are going to also change their look. I have definitely noticed this change in the black culture. Ten years ago Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, Journeys and Express were all white people stores but now those stores seem to appeal to all races. It is not about looking your color, it is about looking fashionable and put together. I think Morris’ article to commenting on the society change in America, showing that black men are not condemned to the city projects but they too can be smart and successful.