NO! NO! NO! … NOT "Salesman" – Promoter!

[If it helps put this post in perspective, imagine I'm channeling my 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Hoeback, bless her soul, and have manifested a stern though entirely false British accent as you read this. ‘;-)]

Yesterday, Glenn posted a good article (Click Here) about Calipari not getting his just accolades for his ability to successfully coach up the carousel of one-n-done freshman who annually dominate the teams he puts on Kentucky’s court. And, not surprisingly, I agree.

The idea promulgated by his hecklers that Cal may be a great recruiter but not a supremely talented coach is a clear injustice. The concept that he merely rolls the ball onto the court and lets them have at it is just ridiculous and says more about the people who voice such rhetorical garbage than it impugns Calipari. By itself, this type of defamation constitutes a part of the low level derisive background jeering that all public figures must breast. One of our roles as Kentucky’s fans is to correct the public record and constantly counter this type of micro-slur in the public debate to assure Cal’s image (as well as that of the Kentucky program) does not suffer the burden of a metaphorical death by a thousand tiny malignant cuts. And, as can be attested to by the vast majority of both local and national sports media, we’re darn good at it!

One of the problems I’ve noticed, however, is that we Kentucky fans sometimes inadvertently validate some portion of this rhetoric of small slights that Cal is heir to by allowing some of the mocking vocabulary to leak into our descriptive discussion of our own coach. An example of this is how Cal is routinely depreciated as more of a "salesman" than a great coach. Clearly this portrayal is in the exact same vein as the libel Glenn seeks to debunk in his post, but in the comments section of that same post, I noticed a couple of our fans fell into a semantics trap by using the term "Salesman" to label Calipari.

In the fullest and strictest sense, he is not a "salesman." And, when we fans use that term to label him, you’re shortchanging Cal by adopting and disseminating the pejorative characterization used by his detractors who seek to portray him in a shady and thereby less than savory fashion. Encarta Dictionary defines ‘Salesman’ as - "A man who sells goods or services, either in a store or by contacting potential customers" – In a stereotypical cultural context, often subliminally paired with the loaded adjective ‘Slick,’ the term ‘salesman’ frequently has a negative connotation, as in the individual who preys on a naïve individual by convincing them to buy something they don’t need and wouldn’t normally want, often at an exorbitant price they can’t afford, e.g., "He could sell ice to Eskimos."

Individuals who attempt to defend their use of the term ‘Salesman’ point to the recruiting component of a college coach’s job, but they are wrong, imo. To ‘sell’ implies the reciprocal action ‘buy or purchase’ and when someone buys something they are taking possession/ownership and, in effect, separating the purchase from the seller in some manner – and that’s not what happens in the college recruiting process. What college recruiters, in general, and Calipari, in particular, does is to ‘Promote’ UK’s athletic program to the prospect and invite him to join with Cal in becoming a member of the team, rather like an evangelist seeking converts, though Lord knows, in the secular castes of our society, the term ‘Missionary’ carries no small amount of its own baggage.

So, imo, if you have to use a term other than ‘Recruiter,’ the appropriate term is ‘Promoter.’ In addition to abjuring the negative connotations of an inappropriate label, using the term ‘Promoter’ has the added benefit of allowing his wildly successful recruiting activities to be seen as just another aspect of what makes John Calipari so tremendously successful in general - He is a consummate promoter. He’s constantly promoting - promoting himself, the University of Kentucky, its athletic programs, his coaching staff, the team, his players, his opponents, the SEC, his friends, his wife, his charities, Orange Leaf frozen yogurt, etc., etc., etcetera.

Encarta Dictionary defines ‘Promoter’ as: "1. someone who arranges and advertises events. Someone whose job is to arrange and advertise concerts and sports events; 2. Someone who tries to get support for an issue. Someone who tries to make people support an idea or issue; 3. Someone who tries to make a product popular. Someone who tries to make a product or institution more popular; 4. Someone who helps to start a new company. Someone who helps to start a new company or project."

But the best way to see how appropriate the term ‘Promoter’ fits what Calipari does is to read Encarta’s list of synonyms for the word: "Organizer, Agent, Sponsor, Advocate, Supporter, Publicist, Marketer, Developer, Backer, Advertiser, PR person." – Not "Salesman." ';-)