NBA Case Study
David Stern, the commissioner of the NBA, handled the Detroit brawl in a correct way. Stern could have also considered other options. He could have just kicked Artest off of the team all together, rather than reprimanding him with a suspension and significant pay cut. In addition, Artest should have made a public statement expressing his remorse for his actions, as well as what he is going to do to ensure an incident such as this will not happen again. I don’t think that Artest’s behavior is appropriate for anyone,especially a professional athlete who could have potentially seriously injured a fan which would have made this event even worse. Stern could have also made rules within the NBA that if a player does fight or intend to fight with anyone; they will immediately be suspended for the rest of the season, and possible termination of contract pending further investigation. This is much like what happened to Kobe Bryant in the much publicized trial of the stagetory rape charge. Players would then have to be responsible and also be held accountable for their actions by suffering a consequence that is more than a slap on the wrist. As far as the responsibility of the fans is concerned, much of the same mentality could be applied. If a fan is causing problems to the players or other staff, they will be escorted out of the venue, and never allowed to return. In contrast, the commissioner could have not dealt with the situation all together and just continued business as usual. This could have tarnished the reputation of the NBA even more. Stern did a great job in managing the situation and informing the public what he is doing so that this scenario will be prevented in the future. Implementing the dress code was a great idea. The players are representing the NBA as a whole, and when they are working they should look professional. The business casual is a classy style that is much more regulated then sweats and sandals. As far as racism...