Nicknames on Jerseys - Good Idea or Bad?

The NBA is considering allowing members of the Heat and the Nets to wear their nicknames on the back of their jerseys this season. The league has not announced the change officially, but the teams and the players have been made aware of its likelihood and players have been asked to submit their choice of nicknames. It's not a completely new idea. Pistol Pete all those years ago had "Pistol" on his Jazz jersey.

Some nicknames would be easy as the players have been known by them for years: King James, The Truth, KG (or Big Ticket), Jesus Shuttlesworth. But other players are making up their nicknames as they go. Dwyane Wade is said to be picking from several choices (most of which he made up himself). He was known as Flash for years, but word is that "Three" is his current favorite for the number on his jersey and his ring count. Shane Battier is picking Shaneo, after Batman was nixed because of copyright infringement issues with Warner Brothers.

I can see the players who have been known by their nicknames for years but it gets a bit odd when players start to make up nicknames for themselves. Personally, I think it's just another way for the league to make more money. They'll sell the nickname jerseys and make a bundle on them, because fans are going to want to buy them. It's the same for when teams come up with alternate jerseys. It's all for the money.

I think it's fine for the players like LeBron, Pierce, KG, or Ray Allen, who have had nicknames that they have been known by for many years. In some cases, those nicknames are more prominent than their own names. But, for players like Shane Battier, who has never had a nickname to make one up just for the sake of having one on his jersey, it just doesn't seem right to me.   And can twitter handles and advertisements be far behind?    What do you think?

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