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By Jim Caltagirone
For the Mirror
Not that long ago, a man who worked in sales for one of our country's largest steel manufacturers was expected to wear a coat and tie to the office each day.
That man took pride in his appearance and in the sense of obligation he felt to create a positive reflection on the company.
Then one day, he came home from work and announced to his family that coats and ties were no longer required. In fact, business casual was the company's preferred dress code.
It may seem like a small adjustment, but for that man, it was a shock to the system. The end of an era, in a sense.
During the pandemic, college and professional basketball coaches adopted a new dress code. Tailored suits were replaced by athletic wear, coast to coast.
Without fans in the stands, that made sense. But when the crowds returned, the sweatsuits, polos, fleeces and sneakers remained.
That was not corporate dictate. It was personal preference.
The exceptions include UCLA head coach Mick Cronin, who believes that anyone who is privileged to sit in the spot on the bench that John Wooden once occupied should appear appropriately attired in coat and tie on game day.
Ten national championships secured Wooden's stature as a coaching legend, but the emphasis that he placed on the importance of observing social conventions made him a reverent figure beyond the sport.
That's why a head coach's selection of game day attire is significant.
Appropriate dress by a head coach is a social convention that influences the athletes they coach and the fans who admire them.
Social conventions have many definitions but one is "arbitrary rules and norms governing the countless behaviors all of us engage in every day without necessarily thinking about them."
These days, social conventions appear to be breaking down at an accelerated pace in sport. What one person considers refreshing may be viewed by another as unacceptable.
Professional coaches and players, especially in the NFL, are fond of saying that road games are business trips. Well, if that's true, more and more of their family members are going along for the ride.
During this past NFL postseason, a number of postgame press conferences and on-field interviews were conducted with the children of head coaches and players present.
Restless kids cause distractions, not only for their fathers but journalists on deadline.
The kids create perfect visuals for television producers, but there is no legitimate reason why they should appear in this setting.
The NFL could easily stop the practice on the grounds of workplace standards, but likely will not because the images portray family-friendly sports entertainment.
Once dubbed the No Fun League, the NFL now also tolerates choreographed on-field performances after nearly every touchdown.
Showboating is not a recent phenomenon in the league. During a game in the 1970s, Dallas wide receiver Drew Pearson leapt high after scoring a touchdown and spiked the ball. He landed awkwardly and limped off the field.
The Cowboys quickly regained possession and, on the first play, head coach Tom Landry called Pearson's number on a fly route.
The play call was intended to teach the not-quite-recovered Pearson a lesson in humility, sportsmanship and common sense.
When collective standards become personal prerogatives, something is bound to suffer. In today's sports world, that something is decorum.
Jim Caltagirone resides in Altoona. He is a regular contributor to Voice of the Fan.