Tattoos and College Basketball

[drcharl]

Just watching WVU and Oklahoma State on ESPN. Normally I can dismiss tattoos and concentrate on the game but several of the Oklahoma State players have complex arm tattoos that look like a bad case of railroad car or bridge graffiti. One player has interspersed red tattoos so it looks upon first sight that he has suffered an arm injury and is bleeding. Is it pretty much up to the school and especially the coach as to what can be displayed as far as tattoos are concerned? Seems to draw more attention to the individual player and away from the team. Not sure I have ever seen our players displaying a tattoo. Do we recruit from the untattooed and have an understanding that they will remain that way while at Duke?

[freshmanjs]

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[FerryFor50]

Dahntay Jones had tattoos while at Duke.

So did Corey Maggette. And Will Avery. And Carlos Boozer.

And Cherokee Parks was Chris Anderson before he was Chris Anderson.

http://www.turbodaddy.net/badschotz/...s0203_pose.jpg

[drcharl]

So are there any limits such as good taste or the amount allowed? The examples above are very mild and subdued compared to what I am seeing with the Oklahoma State players which really get your attention. I can't see Duke going with this if several of the players decided to go out and become so decorated.

[SupaDave]

Although not visible - even J.J. had tattoos...

[Indoor66]

Although not visible - even J.J. had tattoos...

Yeah, big 3 on his chest.

[mgtr]

Yeah, big 3 on his chest.

Showed up best in the Texas game!

[Bay Area Duke Fan]

So are there any limits such as good taste or the amount allowed? The examples above are very mild and subdued compared to what I am seeing with the Oklahoma State players which really get your attention. I can't see Duke going with this if several of the players decided to go out and become so decorated.

It seems to me that this is an example of why others often consider Duke and its fans as being somewhat arrogant. "Our guys don't have tattoos; but if they do, they're more tasteful than the tattoos on players from other schools."

For many years, some Duke players have had tattoos; some very visible, some not so much. Sometimes those tattoos may be considered objectionable, unattractive or even obnoxious by some. But being critical of any player's tattoos is hardly different from saying that some player is physically unattractive or ugly. What's next ... being critical of haircuts or facial hair?

Isn't it preferable to judge players by their game performance and sportsmanship? Why judge them by their physical appearance or tattoos (or lack thereof)?

[drcharl]

It seems to me that this is an example of why others often consider Duke and its fans as being somewhat arrogant. "Our guys don't have tattoos; but if they do, they're more tasteful than the tattoos on players from other schools."

For many years, some Duke players have had tattoos; some very visible, some not so much. Sometimes those tattoos may be considered objectionable, unattractive or even obnoxious by some. But being critical of any player's tattoos is hardly different from saying that some player is physically unattractive or ugly. What's next ... being critical of haircuts or facial hair?

Isn't it preferable to judge players by their game performance and sportsmanship? Why judge them by their physical appearance or tattoos (or lack thereof)?

I guess my reaction is to modifications done within the players control to draw attention to themselves in a team sport for other reasons than their playing ability and sportsmanship.

[ScreechTDX1847]

I guess my reaction is to modifications done within the players control to draw attention to themselves in a team sport for other reasons than their playing ability and sportsmanship.

It's become a part of the athletic culture from college and beyond in basketball and football. I recall an interview with Shane where he said K never told players not to get them but he knew that "coach wouldn't like it" or something similar.

It doesn't make a difference to me.

[BlueDevilBrowns]

It seems to me that this is an example of why others often consider Duke and its fans as being somewhat arrogant. "Our guys don't have tattoos; but if they do, they're more tasteful than the tattoos on players from other schools."

For many years, some Duke players have had tattoos; some very visible, some not so much. Sometimes those tattoos may be considered objectionable, unattractive or even obnoxious by some. But being critical of any player's tattoos is hardly different from saying that some player is physically unattractive or ugly. What's next ... being critical of haircuts or facial hair?

Isn't it preferable to judge players by their game performance and sportsmanship? Why judge them by their physical appearance or tattoos (or lack thereof)?

In a perfect world, yes. But the reality is people do judge others based on appearance. It's why most large companies have dress code policies including no or very limited display of tattoos and body art. If a team or institution decide they don't like the image tattoos project, I have no problem with that. It's worked pretty well for the Yankees all these years.

[Billy Dat]

It's become a part of the athletic culture from college and beyond in basketball and football. I recall an interview with Shane where he said K never told players not to get them but he knew that "coach wouldn't like it" or something similar.

It doesn't make a difference to me.

I remember in Feinstein's "A March to Madness", which covered the 1996-97 season, Greg Newton was one of K's great whipping boys and in one recorded anecdote, Newton got upset/kicked out of practice and K was quoted as derisively saying, "He'll probably go and get another tattoo!" 16 years later, ink is such a part of the mainstream that K would be way out of step to take a strong stand against it, and he's an inherently practical man. I remember first noticing Jason Williams' many visible tattoos and thinking that K must have let that battle go.

[Tripping William]

Even BYU (!) has gotten past this (see, e.g., Araujo, Rafael).

[drcharl]

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[NashvilleDevil]

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Way to point out the extreme

[Billy Dat]

Anyone that bounds like the Birdman in his prime, or the Rod-man for that matter, can play on my squad.

[chaosmage]

I teach for a living, spent 8 years in NC and 4 more now in Cali. The attitude across the country is different. When I got my tattoos, I was told to just make sure I wasn't trying to show them off. When I got to the West Coast, we had an English teacher who had multiple tattoos, mostly of literary and mythological characters. She didn't even try to hide them, and it wasn't a problem. Also, there seems to be a different set of standards for classified (assistants, secretarial staff) versus certificated personnel (teachers and admins). Several of the front desk workers at the schools I worked with had small body art on their chest, visible when wearing a tasteful, but lower cut shirt. No one seemed to care.

It's about what you do and how you carry yourself, in my opinion. If you speak well, perform well, and treat people with respect, most could care less about what you have tattooed on your body. When people speak like they haven't passed middle school English, let alone spent time at the collegiate level, that's when it becomes different in my mind.

My 2p.

[Bay Area Duke Fan]

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If Coach K wants a guy who looks like this to play for Duke, I'd welcome him to the team!

[gep]

I remember in Feinstein's "A March to Madness", which covered the 1996-97 season, Greg Newton was one of K's great whipping boys and in one recorded anecdote, Newton got upset/kicked out of practice and K was quoted as derisively saying, "He'll probably go and get another tattoo!" 16 years later, ink is such a part of the mainstream that K would be way out of step to take a strong stand against it, and he's an inherently practical man. I remember first noticing Jason Williams' many visible tattoos and thinking that K must have let that battle go.

What I recall is that Jason asked Coach K if it was OK to get a tattoo... and something like Coach K said to think about it, since it will be with him forever (well, at least back then). Also, something else about Coach K saying that he's gotta change with the times.

[airowe]

So are there any limits such as good taste or the amount allowed? The examples above are very mild and subdued compared to what I am seeing with the Oklahoma State players which really get your attention. I can't see Duke going with this if several of the players decided to go out and become so decorated.

Good taste is not a universal standard. What may seem to be in poor taste to you would not be to others.

For instance, passing judgement on others is in poor taste to me.