The Idea of "Team" Has Gone Missing

UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad making quite a fashion statement

The most basic lesson athletes are taught from the time they begin sports is the concept of team. It is perhaps the most important aspect of team sports. A team is like a machine and all components of the machine must be working together if it is to succeed.

There are several aspects of the quality of team, but one that may not be noticed by everyone is the way a team looks. It can be considered a small thing, but a team that dresses the same can truly be considered a team. Why? Because nobody looks different and nobody stands out. I'm specifically talking about the shoes and socks that players wear on the court. The idea of the team shoe seems to have run its course and now it appears that if you play for a team that wears red, white and black you just have to make sure your shoes are close to those three colors. There is no matching anymore and shoes is just the beginning of the problem.

Socks have always been a form of fashion on the basketball court, but there was a period of time where teams all wore the same socks. Throw that out the window now too. There ought to be a fashion show just for basketball players and their socks. There are socks with vertical stripes, horizontal stripes, wide arrays of color and even some tie-dye ones. Did I tune in to watch this college basketball game or did I tune in to watch the Sock Fashion Show 2013? Sometimes I can't tell. The NBA, for all their faults, got this one right. Every player in the NBA wears NBA socks and they are white or black. Nobody stands out in that department.

However, where the NBA and college basketball have really gone wrong is the accessories. Some players have more accessories on than a sixth grade girl going to her first junior high sock hop. Whether it be the arm sleeves, leg sleeves, knee sleeves, shin sleeves, headbands, or even the long sleeve Under Armour underneath the jersey, players today are after the "cool" factor. If a player has an injury and needs a pad on his knee or elbow that's fine. If something needs to be wrapped up that's fine too, but the idea that your whole body must be covered in Nike Pro Combat doesn't make you look like the world's next top baller. It makes you look like a classical dope.

Perhaps this isn't a big deal to everyone and I can understand if you don't agree, but here's why I took the time to write this post: a team that dresses alike can lessen the egos. That sounds ridiculous, but it's true. If the coach says the team will wear the same shoes, socks, ankle braces and no one can have any accessories unless prescribed by a trainer then nobody tries to look cooler than the guy at the locker next to him. Nobody is focused on what the people will say about their socks and consequently they might worry more about what people will say about the hustle rebound they grabbed in the final minutes.

It's a trend that will only continue and one that will only get more flamboyant. Call me old-fashioned, but I will never be a fan of it. There's something to be said for all five players looking the same and being after the same goal. That's not to say that teams who dress different can't or won't win, but if a coach wants to get everyone on the same page it starts with the way the team dresses because remember, you're out there to play basketball. Not to look good.