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Brawl at the Palace lives in infamy
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-18 08:53
In the wake of the brawl, Wilson said the NBA mandated teams add one
uniformed police officer near the court, putting three of them between players
and fans.
 "We learned that the impossible is possible, so we have to be prepared
for the worst," Wilson said.
The brawl transcended sports, landing on front pages, leading newscasts and
even inspiring an episode of NBC's fictional "Law & Order."
"Both the league and the players got a quick and dramatic wake-up call about
their perception in the public," said Richard Lapchick, director of the
Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at Central Florida. "When the NBA
took corrective actions, like the dress code, it showed how serious they took
the threat to their business."
Stern acknowledged the dress code he instituted before this season was "a
small thing" the league is doing to improve its image because of the brawl. The
new policy requires players wear business casual attire whenever they
participate in team or league activities.
"We need to have our players look more professional to show more respect for
the game and consumers," Stern said. "That's just part of what we're trying to
do to let the public know that our players are good people."
Ben Wallace said earlier this week he didn't know the one-year anniversary of
the brawl would be Saturday, but the reminder didn't annoy him.
"We know it's not going to disappear, because people will probably bring it
up and talk about it for a long time," he said. "I wish the whole thing didn't
happen for the sake of the fans, the league and the players. But it did, so we
all have to live with the effects of it."
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