Coach Rat defends successful TV spot

Posted on Tue, Jun. 28, 2005





Coach K defends successful TV spot

Critics say ad gives Duke men's coach a recruiting advantage

KEN TYSIAC

Raleigh Bureau


DURHAM - Ask Mike Krzyzewski about the longevity of his American Express television commercial, and he smiles.

"The only reason it's played long is because it's good," Krzyzewski said Monday.

At his yearly summer news conference, Krzyzewski explained his perspective on the national commercial that debuted during the 2004-05 college basketball season and quickly became the subject of intense debate.

NCAA President Myles Brand said in April at the Final Four in St. Louis that conference commissioners and athletics directors had alerted him to a possible recruiting advantage for Krzyzewski and the Duke program he coaches.

Brand said the NCAA can't prevent such commercials because it can't legally limit coaches' earnings. He said he was pleased to see Krzyzewski speaking positively about college athletics on television. Krzyzewski said it's "juvenile" to complain about a recruiting advantage.

"We're going to recruit good players whether I do that commercial or not," he said.

Krzyzewski admitted he was compensated and said American Express contributed to the Emily Krzyzewski Family Life Center in Durham and will sponsor a leadership conference at Duke for the next three years.

Duke monitors and approves all of Krzyzewski's partnerships, including the content of the ads, Krzyzewski said. He said he likes seeing college basketball instead of the NBA as the focus of a national ad.

"To do one nationally like this, I thought, was great for college basketball," he said. "Some people have come back to me and said, `Boy, that's good for coaching. It was good for the college game.' "

Krzyzewski said he understands the complaints because his competitors are -- well, competitive.

"I always say the easiest way to have people like you is to lose," Krzyzewski said. "Or you're no good. Then you're everybody's friend."

 

There could be some merit to this. One thirty second ad devouted half to selling a credit card could be enough to lure top highschool players to Duke just because coach K is that good.

 

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