A (silly) word from Coach K

• Article
• Comments ()
• Click-2-Listen
• Videos

By

Enough already with Mike Krzyzewski and the American Express commercial.

Put this over-the-top appeal in storage. Be done with this insufferable message.

It is trite. It is silly. It is annoying.

We get it already.

Coach K is a visionary who sees beyond the lines of a basketball floor. As one of the compelling thinkers of our times, he sees the big picture of life. He is Mahatma Gandhi with a whistle and clipboard, clad in a suit instead of a loincloth.

Look, Coach K is entitled to pitch whichever products he wants and earn an extra buck. And in this case, he has made what amounts to a recruiting video, which, understandably, has resulted in a certain level of consternation among his competitors.

They see the commercial as a recruiting advantage, which it is, of course. But Coach K has earned that advantage on the basketball court, and he is free to deploy it however he sees fit.

But here is where the ad goes wrong, especially on the 100th viewing: It confirms what Coach K and the Duke brigade profess not to understand each college basketball season. They profess not to understand why the Duke basketball program is perceived to be smug, arrogant and just so above it all.

So here is Coach K, in this sanctimonious burst of commercialism, rising to the charges he finds so unfair.

"I am a leader who happens to coach basketball," he says in the bit. "When they get out into the workplace, they're armed with not just a jump shot or a dribble. I want you armed for life. I want you to develop as a player. I want you to develop as a student, and I want you to develop as a human being. My life isn't about playing games. That's why my card is American Express."