Stern criticism

(Cheesy title.)

In the last few weeks, the NBA has fined Phil Jackson 35 grand for comments disparaging of the referees. Over the weekend, both Jackson and commish David Stern weighed in on the subject.

Stern's full comments, which you can read here, range from Dirty Harry to regretful to naïve to nobody-puts-baby-in-a-corner defensiveness.

Notably, Stern basically said, "Shut the fuck up," (I'm paraphrasing) but then actually said, "And if someone wants to try me the rest of these playoffs, you know, make my day because the game is too important and I don't think that the people who trash it are respecting it and we'll do what we have to do – to players and coaches alike."

Stern has always been keenly aware of the league's image, and that's obviously what he's concerned with here. He has always tried to make the game and the league more marketable, but in this case, he's going too far.

It's not the first time either. In 2005, Stern oversaw the creation and deployment of the somewhat infamous NBA dress code. Considering the outfits that players like Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James wear to meet that dress code, I'd say the implementation of the dress code has led to mixed results.

One of the downsides of the dress code is the inherent impingement on free expression. Even though players are still fairly expressive with their bowties, shoulder pads, and vests, they're still working within limited confines.

Obviously, Stern's stance on comments about referees is in similar danger of limiting free expression, but the stakes are much higher here than with fashion trends (important though they may be). By essentially censoring players' and coaches' comments about refs, Stern is eliminating one of the essential elements of American expression: criticism.

Criticism is as American as reality TV and is a necessary part of the American democratic experiment. In fact, it's in the First Amendment, which guarantees the citizens' right "to petition the Government for a redress of grievances" – a fancy way of saying we're legally allowed to complain all we want.

The US Supreme Court further upheld Americans' right to criticism by declaring the Alien and Sedition Acts unconstitutional, in part because these acts outlawed criticism of the government.

Obviously, the NBA is not the US government and therefore has no legal obligation to endure criticism from its members, but I'd argue it's a good – maybe even great – idea.

Criticism is an important step in evolution and change. If nobody criticized the British rule, America might still be a British colony. If nobody criticized steroids in baseball, MLB players might still be roiding every day. If nobody criticized Tim Donaghy, the NBA might still have refs betting on games.

I hope Stern is right when he says that his current referees are very committed and devoted to their jobs, but that doesn't mean they don't make mistakes. And if nobody criticizes them for those mistakes, then they'll have no reason to work on them and improve.

Event of the Week:

It's exam week at UNCW. Two of my three exam periods are Thursday, though neither of them includes an exam. My classes are all giving group presentations instead of taking tests.