Saturday, February 28, 2009

NBA: No Band-Aid Association

The Miami Heat has a superstar player named Dwyane Wade. He is the NBA's leading scorer, and a player that had an unusual facial accessory that quickly become his trademark in the league. He wore a Band-Aid on his left cheek, an action that began when he originally needed to seal a cut beneath his left eye. The bandage often brandished his nickname, "Flash," and even the American Flag.

The NBA, however, is not fond of such individual expression, and in order to stop the self-promotion, has banned Wade from wearing the "fashion statement."

The reason for the ban, according to NBA spokesman Tim Frank, is that a player can wear a Band-Aid for healthcare purposes, but it should not have any name or identifications on it.

Conformity is the goal, and I understand their reasoning, because sometimes such allowances can be abused. But really, in a league where players are forced to abide by a strict dress code before and after the game, surely this is something that they can let slide. After all, isn't such uniqueness something that will attract more fans?

Remember, this is the same basketball association that two years ago banned full-length tights under uniforms, which players had used as a fashion statement rather than for their intended medical use.

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