Gilbert Arenas: He Knows the Rules of the Game

Gilbert Arenas is a great basketball player. Not only does he have super skills and talent, but let’s not underestimate his smarts as he’s mastered a game with rules as complex as the Uniform Commercial Code. Block a shot on the way up, and it’s good defense; on the way down, it’s goal tending. Stand outside the line and hit a jumper, it’s three points; let the corner of your sneaker touch the line, and it’s two. Those are just the basics, what occasional fans like me know. If you play the game, you need to study pages of nitpicking regulations, commit them to memory, and apply them reflexively. Otherwise, you’ll foul out every game until you’re cut. So Arenas has learned lots of rules and made them a part of every move, drive, shot, and defensive play he makes.

Somehow, though, he could not master a rule far less complex than even the simplest rule in the NBA rules book, which is a given in any workplace: Bring a gun to work, and you’re gone. Except in law enforcement, this is one of those immediate discharge offenses – a no brainer anywhere. If you do get fired for this offense, not only will it be quick, but good luck finding a job anywhere else as employers struggle to prevent workplace violence often caused by personal firearms. So how did this happen? I’m still trying to figure out what Arenas could possibly have been thinking.

But I also have questions relating to his role as an employee of the Washington Wizards (formerly the Bullets) and how the Wizards and professional basketball handle this situation. Arenas’ suspension is a good first step, but what I wonder about is this: Did the Wizards stress the importance of following their rules regarding non-court conduct with the same rigor as they stress the game rules? Did they look the other way about rule violations of conduct other than those publicly visible on the court before this recent and flagrant violation? Did their actions in any way suggest that there was a separate standard for players versus the rest of the club? In fact, I’m sure a trainer or front office executive in the Wizards office would have been quickly tossed already had he done what Arenas purportedly did.

If Arenas is ultimately released, will another franchise pick him up quickly based on his skills and without regard to his locker room conduct or the risk that any other employer in any other industrial setting would recognize it presents? I think the issue in basketball, other professional franchises, and other business settings in general (because that’s what professional sports are) is whether the rules apply to everyone except those who are the stars. We’ve seen the fruit of special rules for special people over the past decade in the political and corporate worlds, not just on the basketball court, football field, or golf course. Much of the misery foisted on our economy and dutiful workers has been the result of big shots who operated seemingly immune to the rules that applied to everyone else. If that remains the norm, we can expect more shocking stories that sooner or later will lead to catastrophes, not just mere embarrassments or public relations disasters. At some point, the gun will be loaded, and a bullet will find its target.