Coach K chastises the local media

[sagegrouse]

WRT the subject article -- Coach K blasting the local media for giving short shrift to his team's accomplishments:

Part of the message was aimed at his team to make the players feel they have something to prove. (I think we've seen this behavior for about 30 years.)

But K is addressing a real problem for Duke in NC. The local press will mirror the readership's opinion of and interest in Duke, and why should we expect to get equal billing with the large state universities?

Consider the following:

a. Only 15% of Duke students come from NC (that's fewer than 1,000 undergrads). Not a lot of parents and students reading NC papers, are there? Moreover, the graduates, in my experience, leave the state and end up in a few large metropolitan areas across the country.

b. A year at Duke is $50,000 and admission standards are frighteningly high. Not too many North Carolinians are thinking of sending their kids to the nearby gothic campus, although Duke does have leadership and academic scholarships aimed at Carolinians.

c. Hardly anyone gets to see the games in person. [If I reverted to being an economist, I would say that the small size (9,314, but really many fewer) and the high price for a pair of season tickets (around ten grand considering the necessary ID pledge) are just different expressions of the same scarcity.]

d. Until recently, Coach K -- one of the best-known coaches in the US of A -- refused to deal with the local media, leaving that to his assistants. This was an attempt to control his workload not show a bias, but that policy, since changed, surely was a poke in the eye to reporters and columnists. Those folks NEVER forget.

Now exactly why should Duke expect to receive the same coverage as UNC and State?

Does it matter? I think it matters. I am impressed with Coach Cut's strong outreach program across the state on behalf of football. And Duke football has lots of seats to sell at very reasonable prices. I would like to see basketball do more to build local support (and heck, I live in the Rockies).

Having a larger crowd in attendance is important and would be the main reason to get a larger arena. A larger arena may not be financially beneficial to Duke (not as able to ration tickets to the highest contributors), but there is a real positive to having a larger live fan base.

sagegrouse
'My two cents -- change given on request'

[Indoor66]

WRT the subject article -- Coach K blasting the local media for giving short shrift to his team's accomplishments:

Part of the message was aimed at his team to make the players feel they have something to prove. (I think we've seen this behavior for about 30 years.)

But K is addressing a real problem for Duke in NC. The local press will mirror the readership's opinion of and interest in Duke, and why should we expect to get equal billing with the large state universities?

Consider the following:

a. Only 15% of Duke students come from NC (that's fewer than 1,000 undergrads). Not a lot of parents and students reading NC papers, are there? Moreover, the graduates, in my experience, leave the state and end up in a few large metropolitan areas across the country.

b. A year at Duke is $50,000 and admission standards are frighteningly high. Not too many North Carolinians are thinking of sending their kids to the nearby gothic campus, although Duke does have leadership and academic scholarships aimed at Carolinians.

c. Hardly anyone gets to see the games in person. [If I reverted to being an economist, I would say that the small size (9,314, but really many fewer) and the high price for a pair of season tickets (around ten grand considering the necessary ID pledge) are just different expressions of the same scarcity.]

d. Until recently, Coach K -- one of the best-known coaches in the US of A -- refused to deal with the local media, leaving that to his assistants. This was an attempt to control his workload not show a bias, but that policy, since changed, surely was a poke in the eye to reporters and columnists. Those folks NEVER forget.

Now exactly why should Duke expect to receive the same coverage as UNC and State?

Does it matter? I think it matters. I am impressed with Coach Cut's strong outreach program across the state on behalf of football. And Duke football has lots of seats to sell at very reasonable prices. I would like to see basketball do more to build local support (and heck, I live in the Rockies).

Having a larger crowd in attendance is important and would be the main reason to get a larger arena. A larger arena may not be financially beneficial to Duke (not as able to ration tickets to the highest contributors), but there is a real positive to having a larger live fan base.

sagegrouse
'My two cents -- change given on request'

From what I heard, the issue wasn't about equality of coverage. The issue was the fact that there was NO mention of the fact that Duke was ranked #3. I think that K was chastising the fact that Duke was ignored, not that the coverage was unequal.

The Sun-Sentinel and Miami Herald had articles about the polls and the movement of the teams in the polls and those papers give very short shift to college basketball. Why should the home town papers ignore the facts.

They don't have to "celebrate" Duke but it is not appropriate to ignore Duke.

[dukelifer]

I think the backlash from K's comments have started. Last night on WRAL-TV, they had interviews with Roy and Lowe on this weekend's games with video of previous game highlights. At the end of the broadcast, the idiot announcer said " and also, Duke plays Florida State on Saturday".

Local radio is having fun with this- having ceremonial horns sound each time Duke is mentioned- making sure they mention the ranking of Duke. Well it could be worse. You could be the media favorite and 0-2 in the ACC.

[Acymetric]

From what I heard, the issue wasn't about equality of coverage. The issue was the fact that there was NO mention of the fact that Duke was ranked #3. I think that K was chastising the fact that Duke was ignored, not that the coverage was unequal.

The Sun-Sentinel and Miami Herald had articles about the polls and the movement of the teams in the polls and those papers give very short shift to college basketball. Why should the home town papers ignore the facts.

They don't have to "celebrate" Duke but it is not appropriate to ignore Duke.

Actually, #2 when he made the comments, I believe. Other than that, spot on.

[DukeDevilDeb]

Full disclosure. I was in the room at the time but did not ask the question.

Clearly, K didn't just drift into this. He had lots of facts at his disposal and I'm pretty sure he wasn't just making up stuff off the top of his head. So he said what he wanted to say and wanted to say what he said.

I think he had a couple of objectives. The Herald-Sun has long had had a pronounced light-blue lean. Not every writer, all the time. Al Featherston wrote for the H-S for years and you won't find a more knowledgeable Duke writer. And Mike Potter is more than fair on the women's side. But lots of other H-S writers have tilted the other way.

In some respects, this makes sense. I call it the Demographic Reality that all Duke fans must face. Duke is a small school, whose student body largely comes from outside the state. It is bracketed by two larger schools who draw most of their student bodies from in-state. Do the math.

But when the media openly cheers news of a Duke defeat--as happened after the VCU game two seasons ago--then something is wrong. When ESPN polls fans on which Duke players they most hate--something is wrong. And Duke has been fighting that phenomena much more proactively the last two years and K has made an effort to become more accessible and more media friendly.

Than there's the News and Observer. Until recently, the N&O had a Duke beat writer. Now Duke shares Ken Tysiac with State. Ken used to be the Clemson beat guy for the Charlotte Observer. Ken's a friend of mine and a good writer but Duke cannot be happy with the reduced resources devoted to Duke by the N&O.

I live in Raleigh and have subscribed to the N&O for over 30 years and I'm depressed and more than a little worried by what is happening to that fine newspaper and lots of other fine newspapers. But that's another thread.

But I think K had another point. He's talked several times recently about the burden of success and the weight of history on his team. And I suspect he's talking to the fan base as much as he's talking the media. Just because Duke has been ranked high most of the last quarter-century and just because Mike Krzyzewski has won umpteen gazillion games, doesn't mean that anyone should take this year's team's success for granted. Being ranked number two is new for Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer and Gerald Henderson and that success should be acknowledged by the media and celebrated by the fan base.

Seems like a reasonable argument to me.

Great post!
Great coach!
Great team!

Go Devils!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[weezie]

Local radio is having fun with this- having ceremonial horns sound each time Duke is mentioned- making sure they mention the ranking of Duke.

Oh that IS good! I do like a nice fanfare when I walk into a room. I think K should insist on playing one when he enters his press conferences, too.

If he's half the great guy I think he is, he's probably laughing and shaking his head at the fickleness of the press corps anyway.

[TillyGalore]

Was just perusing one of the local media's web site, http://www.wral.com/, and noticed that in their "top stories" section is a story about carolina's game against Gonzaga, tomorrow night. While the story about Duke's game against Villanova is further down the page in the sports section. Further proof that the local media is biased towards carolina.

On second glance of the main page, the story about the Duke game isn't even showing.

[roywhite]

Have to say, we are getting decent coverage in Winston-Salem area. Maybe they were geared up to cover Wake in the tournament, and still need to fill space?

http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2...have-grown-up/

Lenox Rawlings is IMO the best sportswriter in NC.

[sagegrouse]

Have to say, we are getting decent coverage in Winston-Salem area. Maybe they were geared up to cover Wake in the tournament, and still need to fill space?

http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2...have-grown-up/

Lenox Rawlings is IMO the best sportswriter in NC.

Just reading the links over the past few years, I would say that Duke basketball AND football get good and fair coverage from the Winston-Salem Journal.

I hate to say anything nice about anyone, but I agree with you WRT Lenox Rawlings.

sagegrouse

[CLT Devil]

If you think your paper is bad, try reading the Charlotte Observer. The day after we won the ACC Tourney the above the fold story was about Ty Lawson's toe, and on the side there was another article about how the loss to FSU could have been good for the heels. Finally, below the fold was a story about how Duke had won the tourney.

I guess that's what happens when the state journalism school is located where it is.

[davekay1971]

If you think your paper is bad, try reading the Charlotte Observer. The day after we won the ACC Tourney the above the fold story was about Ty Lawson's toe, and on the side there was another article about how the loss to FSU could have been good for the heels. Finally, below the fold was a story about how Duke had won the tourney.

I guess that's what happens when the state journalism school is located where it is.

Did the Charlotte Observer go bankrupt yet? I've got a bottle of champagne on ice ready to pop the day that rag goes belly-up.

Agree with above comments regarding Mr. Rawlings.

[jjasper0729]

I concur with regard to Mr. Rawlings. I do like to read his columns

[killerleft]

I agree wholeheartedly! Lenox Rawlings and The W-S Journal have the most balanced ACC coverage around.

[SmartDevil]

Great post!
Great coach!
Great team!

Go Devils!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Absolutely !


But it would be good to remember that almost nobody has ever won a war against the media. (Unless perhaps one has a unit of tanks at one's disposal. And even then the victory will be temporary.)

Charm and seduction and, privately, subtle flattery/egostroking of the press are a lot more effective.

[Biscuit]

If you think your paper is bad, try reading the Charlotte Observer. The day after we won the ACC Tourney the above the fold story was about Ty Lawson's toe, and on the side there was another article about how the loss to FSU could have been good for the heels. Finally, below the fold was a story about how Duke had won the tourney.

I guess that's what happens when the state journalism school is located where it is.

In fairness to the Observer, it's not just the UNC journalism school. It's the interests of their readership.

Duke is 2 hours away from Charlotte, and while UNC is as well, it is the flagship state university, while Duke is a smaller private university. I think you'd find the same thing almost anywhere. A Kentucky town two hours from Lexington and Louisville would almost certainly cover the Wildcats over the Cardinals. And who would you expect the Shreveport, Louisiana papers would give more coverage to, LSU or Tulane?

[jjasper0729]

And who would you expect the Shreveport, Louisiana papers would give more coverage to...

Louisiana-Lafayette?

[blueprofessor]

In fairness to the Observer, it's not just the UNC journalism school. It's the interests of their readership.

Duke is 2 hours away from Charlotte, and while UNC is as well, it is the flagship state university, while Duke is a smaller private university. I think you'd find the same thing almost anywhere. A Kentucky town two hours from Lexington and Louisville would almost certainly cover the Wildcats over the Cardinals. And who would you expect the Shreveport, Louisiana papers would give more coverage to, LSU or Tulane?

Let's examine "newsworthiness."
Nationally,Duke has been the dominant men's bball program for the last 20 years and usually finishes high in the Directors' Cup standings.It has won the ACC Championship 8 of 11 years---the conference that UNC and NCSt are members. Duke,one of the smallest schools in its NCAA classification, beats UNC in sports regularly despite the latter's financing by taxpayers.
Duke is a top 5-7 school academically,while UNC is around 30th.
The only thing Tulane beats LSU in is academics---Tulane is about 38th and LSU is over 100 in rank.
Duke has the best coach in men's college bball (CNN and Time say best in any sport), who just coached the US to a gold medal.
Duke has charisma, national prestige,a brilliant student body, and great sports teams.Think Harvard as a power in bball, hockey, and crew( and 10 other sports).Pretty newsworthy.
Duke sounds like a school any unbiased media would be covering as assiduously as a tick on a national field trial champion hunting dog.
No comparison.

Best--Blueprof

[Biscuit]

Let's examine "newsworthiness."
Nationally,Duke has been the dominant men's bball program for the last 20 years and usually finishes high in the Directors' Cup standings.It has won the ACC Championship 8 of 11 years---the conference that UNC and NCSt are members. Duke,one of the smallest schools in its NCAA classification, beats UNC in sports regularly despite the latter's financing by taxpayers.
Duke is a top 5-7 school academically,while UNC is around 30th.
The only thing Tulane beats LSU in is academics---Tulane is about 38th and LSU is over 100 in rank.
Duke has the best coach in men's college bball (CNN and Time say best in any sport), who just coached the US to a gold medal.
Duke has charisma, national prestige,a brilliant student body, and great sports teams.Think Harvard as a power in bball, hockey, and crew( and 10 other sports).Pretty newsworthy.
Duke sounds like a school any unbiased media would be covering as assiduously as a tick on a national field trial champion hunting dog.
No comparison.

Best--Blueprof

All of those things are well and good as far as general newsworthiness goes, but only one of those things is even remotely relevant to the sports page- the excellence of its sports teams.

My point, simply, is that Duke University is two-plus hours from Charlotte by car. That's a long way, well beyond even considering Duke as being of local interest to Charlotte residents. I used the comparisions with other state schools simply to point out that even though UNC is just as far from Charlotte as Duke is, sports media always covers the state's flagship university, because they represent the state to some extent and also because a large portion of their readership has ties to the university. I bet you would find the same exact thing two hours from Lexington, two hours for Lawrence, and so on.

None of that is a slight towards Duke, it's just the facts. It is nice that you are so proud of your alma mater, though.

[blueprofessor]

All of those things are well and good as far as general newsworthiness goes, but only one of those things is even remotely relevant to the sports page- the excellence of its sports teams.

My point, simply, is that Duke University is two-plus hours from Charlotte by car. That's a long way, well beyond even considering Duke as being of local interest to Charlotte residents.

Biscuit, Jacksonville is 2 1/2 hours from Tallahassee and 1 hour 1/2 from Gainesville. Yet the Jacksonville Times Union is full of FSU and UF coverage. Same for Tampa Tribune and Orlando Sentinel, both 1 hour and 45 mins from Gainesville and 3 hours and 1/2 from Tallahassee.

There is a profound,sometimes anti-Duke, pro-UNC bias in the NC media. Better to admit the obvious.

Best--Blueprofessor
P.S. I know you are proud of your school and I only use UNC,which has the dominant coverage in the state, to show why unbiased coverage would feature Duke prominently , academics and K and small size apart, as Duke ranks only a few places behind UNC in the Directors' Cup, while spending a lot less money (that it must raise privately).

[Biscuit]

Biscuit, Jacksonville is 2 1/2 hours from Tallahassee and 1 hour 1/2 from Gainesville. Yet the Jacksonville Times Union is full of FSU and UF coverage. Same for Tampa Tribune and Orlando Sentinel, both 1 hour and 45 mins from Gainesville and 3 hours and 1/2 from Tallahassee.

There is a profound,sometimes anti-Duke, pro-UNC bias in the NC media. Better to admit the obvious.

Best--Blueprofessor
P.S. I know you are proud of your school and I only use UNC,which has the dominant coverage in the state, to show why unbiased coverage would feature Duke prominently , academics and K and small size apart, as Duke ranks only a few places behind UNC in the Directors' Cup, while spending a lot less money (that it must raise privately).

FSU is a huge public institution with an enormous fanbase throughout the state. It's not a good analogy here. Actually, I'm not sure what would be a good analogy. Louisville-UK is close, but Louisville is publicly funded. Vandy-UT or Rice-the other UT are also similar, but Rice and Vandy aren't as good at sports as Duke.

Anyway, my only point was that a pro-UNC media bias, even if it exists, isn't the primary reason for the unbalanced coverage in places like Charlotte or even Raleigh, because you find the same thing all around the country when it comes to large state universities vs. small private universities. Local media is just catering to their readership.

And when it comes to the national media, neither Duke nor UNC have anything to complain about