PALISADES, N.Y. | This year, the kids listened and engaged. Maybe we can thank Michael Vick, Rick Pitino and Josh Hamilton for setting the table.</p><p>Whatever the cause, the image panel at the NBA Rookie Transition Program was far more productive and substantive this year than the previous three years I participated.</p><p>&ldquo;Encouraging is how I would describe the day,&rdquo; said Dr. Harry Edwards, the star of my panel discussion on how NBA rookies could protect and enhance their images.</p><p>If you remember, last year NBA security booted former Kansas players Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur from the Rookie Transition Program after they were nabbed with girls, weed and Michael Beasley in their hotel room.</p><p>Chalmers and Arthur took the hit for a 2008 rookie class that was impossible to control and engage throughout the entire program.</p><p>The 2009 RTP class &mdash; which included repeaters Chalmers and Arthur &mdash; was much more professional and interested. The news in recent days and weeks has been dominated by high-profile sports figures taking major image hits because of their foolish activity (Pitino and Hamilton) or athletes trying to overcome damage they&rsquo;d previously done to their reputations (Vick).</p><p>Edwards, former NBA guard Greg Anthony and I spoke to an audience on Wednesday that was eager to discuss and debate how to avoid becoming the next Rick Pitino or Michael Vick.</p><p>Edwards, the famous 1960s Cal-Berkeley sociology professor and civil rights activist (the brains behind John Carlos and Tommie Smith&rsquo;s 1968 Olympics gloved-fists salute), made the argument that sparked the most debate when he argued that athletes should quit tattooing their bodies.</p><p>&ldquo;If your body is your business, your corporation, does it make sense to put graffiti all over your business?&rdquo; Edwards asked the players. &ldquo;Would a real estate salesman put graffiti on the buildings or homes he was trying to sell?&rdquo;</p><p>Many of the players struggled to comprehend Edwards&rsquo; larger point. They view their participation in sports as an individual activity and tattoos as an important expression of their individuality.</p><p>They fail to understand how their tattooed appearances affect the way they&rsquo;re perceived by the consumers of their product, and/or they dismiss anyone turned off by their appearance as helplessly old fashioned or biased.</p><p>The players simply do not understand the business they&rsquo;re joining. I&rsquo;ve long argued that universities should offer professional sports majors. Athletes need to be taught the business side of their profession. One of the rookies argued that the average age of the majority of ticket-buying NBA fans was 25.</p><p>You can&rsquo;t properly sell a product when you don&rsquo;t know who your customers are. The young players have no idea that major corporations basically sponsor their league through television and radio advertisements nationally and locally.</p><p>No one teaches the players that selling the game of basketball is completely different from selling music. Sports are a family and patriotic activity. Music is rebellious and for young people. Tatts and individuality work well in music. They&rsquo;re counterproductive in sports.</p><p>The current players are making millions of dollars off the foundation built by Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. They sold the game of basketball. LeBron James is selling LeBron James, and LeBron doesn&rsquo;t sell nearly as well as Michael Jordan.</p><p>Anyway, we had a lively discussion Wednesday. We gave the young guys something to think about.