NashvilleBilliken Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Check out this article on ESPN. I guess I knew it would eventually come to this, but I sure didn't think Bob Knight would lead the way... http://espn.go.com/sportsbusiness/s/2004/0108/1703483.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheeseman Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Good Grief - like Bobby Knight does not have enough money already. For somebody who claims he has such high expectations he really sinked low for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillikenButch Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Explain to me how he has sunk low? What high moral ground has been tarnished by his action that major college athletics has not already trampled over? At least he is not making the players wear the logo. I really see this as the natural expansion of the unbridled marketing that is big time college athletics. I am waiting for endorsement tattoos or brands. I can respect not liking the guy, but this is not a big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheeseman Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 I never said I disliked the guy - actually I could care less about him. All I said was that he puts himself up as having such high standards - how often when he was at IU did you hear him talking about everybody is coddling these athletes and how he respects the game and others do not. I just think selling the wearing of his sweater was a bit overboard and question how much $ could he possibly be getting. I agree with you that the thing in college sports has gotten out of hand and this was just a new low in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyClyde Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 I agree with you Butch. Coaches have been making money from shoe contracts etc... for years. A fan of the Billikens!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NashvilleBilliken Posted January 9, 2004 Author Share Posted January 9, 2004 I tend to have the same feelings as Chesseman. I just did not expect Bob Knight to "Nascar-ize" his gameday outfit (maybe Quin, but not Knight). He is always preaching respect and how the game is corrupt. He ******* at media folks for doing their job and hits kids for calling him Bob. He is one of the last "old school" coaches. It would be like Lute Olsen walking onto the court with CarMax on the back of his blazer. I just feel it is very tacky and in some part contributes to the deteriation of the college hoops atmosphere. Sure, Nike sponsors athletic teams. But Nike is an ATHLETIC company that provides necessaties to the team. In this instance, the company is not sponsoring a school, but a coach. If Brad walks out on the court in a Jiffy Lube uniform, i would be very disappointed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillikenButch Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 With all of the marketing going on in college basketball, I got a chuckle about a week or so ago while watching a Kansas home game. Like many teams they have their logo in the middle of the court. The difference here was that the Jayhawk had to be 25 feet tall and 30 feet across. It took up the entire middle of the court. That is some marketing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillikenButch Posted January 10, 2004 Share Posted January 10, 2004 But Brad shilling for Lou Fusz on TV and radio and Lou Fusz ads in the Savvis are that much different? I know he is not wearing the gear, but he is a spokeperson for the company. I think it is a fact of life in the business, and I am not particularly upset by it, though I agree it is a bit tacky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted January 10, 2004 Share Posted January 10, 2004 i didnt go read the article, but i assume he is now some sort of walking billboard or something. doesnt surprise me. the only honorable thing about knight is that most of his players seemed to always be true student athletes. otherwise, imo the guy has always been a jerk. he was selling that sweater in the 80's already with the shoe brand on the chest. and he was the first coach i remember getting a big "shoe deal" as i believe he was a converse man in the 70's. as butch noted, his antics off the court long ago lost any respect he deserved. hitting policemen, throwing vases at defenseless secretaries, undo mental anguish on his players, shooting his hunting partners, the guy is something all right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Majerus Posted January 10, 2004 Share Posted January 10, 2004 I seem to recall that Knight disclaimed his TT salary, either last year or the year before, because, in his opinion, he didn't do an adequate job of coaching. If that's true, it paints a different picture than his being greedy, and sets a standard that would bankrupt Quin if he followed it for the last few years...:7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetorch Posted January 10, 2004 Share Posted January 10, 2004 Hey we live in a capitalist society. While this is something that I hope SLU coaches never do (or Biondi allows them to do) Knight is a little different. There are not many if any coaches other than Knight in NCAA that people come to see. People come to watch him coach, people watch him on TV and listen on the radio when he is on. When Texas Tech is on tv the camera is on Knight on the sidelines more than it is on the action on the court. No other NCAA coach can come close to that. Through good or bad he has become an icon to many sports fans, and if his employer allows it I don't see a problem with him making a few extra bucks from his icon status. He has worked long and hard to get where he is, he now can enjoy the spoils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheA_Bomb Posted January 10, 2004 Share Posted January 10, 2004 Promotion is not new to athletics. Think of all the billboard-lined outfield walls throughout the history of the MLB. Think about all the old TV Shows that were named for a cigarette co. Old guys help me out on this one didn't Jack Parr smoke like a chimney on TV because of promotion dollars? I'm not a big fan of Knight because I think he should practice what he preaches but if Brad could bring in $ for himself or the school by wearing a lapel pin I wouldn't care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtside Posted January 10, 2004 Share Posted January 10, 2004 College basketball is a business, big business. My first reaction was laughter. I thought it was funny. I am numb to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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