Mr Miggle

December 12th, 2012 at 3:04 PM ^

Those actually sound like very good numbers for him. His unfavorable number was only 15%. Not everyone is going to have an opinion about a basketball coach, even in Kentucky.  

M-Wolverine

December 12th, 2012 at 3:06 PM ^

You have to figure a large percentage are Louisville fans and hate him.

I don't think Dantonio or Hoke are going to get 100% numbers in Michigan either.

Mr. Rager

December 12th, 2012 at 3:12 PM ^

I live in Kentucky and college basketball is only second to Jesus Christ.  

It's a tough environment to coach in (ask Tubby Smith or god forbid, that alcoholic from A&M), and even tougher if everyone knows you're cheating / have left your previous employers in ruins.  

 

WolverineHistorian

December 12th, 2012 at 3:21 PM ^

That fanbase didn't care that they hired a known cheater for a coach, they didn't care that their 2012 national title will no doubt be forfeit in few years (just like all of Calipari's previous accomplishments) but now the approval ratings for him are down?

These people sound like Buckeye football fans.  You can cheat as long as you win.  But if you cheat and still lose, then we have a problem. 

TheDirtyD

December 12th, 2012 at 4:03 PM ^

I live in Louisville and Lexington while it seems crazy. I cant blame them. Kentucky is the winningest program in history. They have a coach who recruits elite level talent. It's their only sport they excel they tend to demand excellence every year. It's funny though they demand this in a state with virtually zero D-1 talent. I will say this living here has made me dislike UK almost as much as MSU and Ohio.

LSAClassOf2000

December 12th, 2012 at 4:07 PM ^

Here is the link to the full study on Kentucky - much of it is comparing hypothetical 2016 campaign scenarios, so you have to scroll through for the basketball stuff. 

Interestingly, Calipari's favorability ratings peak in the 30 to 45 year old demographic, whereas Pitino is rated highest among the oldest Louisville fans. 

CitizenKane

December 12th, 2012 at 7:49 PM ^

I was a UK student from 2009-2011. I also worked in the Athletics department, mainly in the Nutter Field House. Although Kentucky's basketball program is a seperate business split from university athletics, I still preformed jobs for them. Calipari is a very chill guy and very humble. When UK is losing a basketball game, all hell breaks loose and it's all "Damn you John  Wall!", or "Calipari doesn't know who to put in, we're gonna lose all of our games. I wish Billy Donovan was here!". And when UK is winning, it is more along the lines of, "We're going 30-0! Calipari is our savior! Screw Billy Gillespie!" 

I had the priviledge of working all UK Football games. I had credientials to get me anywhere from the press box to the sideline. I would die to have this at the Big House! Nobody cares if UK wins or loses. Everyone is drunk. If UK is down 40-0 with one minute left and gets a 1st down, the crowd goes wild. They are also some of the most disrepectful fans on the planet. I woiuld rank them up there with buck-asses. When Tebow suffered that huge hit from Taylor Wyndham, that put him out for two games, all 40,000(HEHE!) fans were flipping him off and screaming "FUCK YOU!" I prayed at that point. 

UK fans are die hard about thier basketball program. I guaranteed that if they had Borges like mistakes (10 straight playactions, while disregarding the positive that have worked the whole game), that a couch would be lit  downtown and a riot would be protested and the coordinator would be gone. They really lit a couch on fire, TWo ACTUALLY, downtown upon reaching the final four. Also a car was burned. Not a fun place to ride your Piaggio, when UK wins a game. 

718Wolverine

December 13th, 2012 at 10:31 AM ^

If the approval rating is down now, wait until he leaves and the program is put on probation. Maybe UK fans should've given Calipari a bigger war chest to buy...uh I meant "recruit" a 5 star true PG for this season. Cheer up Cats fans! You just got a commitment from the 2015 #1 overall player, Karl Towns...who reclassified to 2014...who just happened to be coached by Calipari in the Olympics