I stand holding a bottle of cleaner and a rag as my father carefully applies the sticker to my back windshield, knowing even the smallest bubble would drive me crazy. I beam with pride. Now that I have a car of my own, I can finally carry our family’s makeshift crest. He takes a step back once he finishes, and we admire the new addition — the Miami Hurricanes’ U.
In all honesty, I don’t know anything about University of Miami sports; however, I have never let my ignorance stifle my enthusiasm. I never hesitate to throw up the U to a passing car or awkwardly try to catch the eye of someone wearing a Hurricanes sweatshirt so I can nonchalantly say, “Go Canes,” and give them a nod.
This loyalty is the backbone of most fanbases. It is what holds them together through every bad season or change in management. However, Kentucky is finding that their Big Blue Nation is not as cohesive as they may have hoped when faced with such trials.
Rupp Arena was a cacophony of overwhelming boos and some resilient cheers on Saturday night as former Kentucky coach John Calipari walked into the arena sporting a dark red suit — a contrast against the sea of bright Kentucky blue. This was where Calipari had spent the past 15 seasons, leading the Wildcats to four Final Four appearances, reaching six SEC tournament championships, and securing the national championship in 2012. It was the first time Calipari had returned since leaving to become the head coach for the Arkansas Razorbacks in April of 2024.
Calipari’s departure sparked division among the fans, becoming even more apparent after Arkansas upset No. 12 Kentucky 89-79 in their face-off on Saturday. Many fans feel betrayed by Calipari, believing he gave up on the program. Calipari’s first eight or nine seasons with Kentucky were super successful; however, the program has been steadily declining since 2019.
Others are glad to have Calipari gone, claiming he wasn’t loyal to Kentucky while he was their coach. Calipari has always boasted a “players first” philosophy, even making it the title of his memoir, and while this seems like an unproblematic philosophy, it caused people to question his loyalty.
Did Calipari’s loyalty to individual players affect his loyalty to Kentucky?
Calipari prioritized improving individual players over improving the team. He would rely heavily on true freshmen, which often worked because Calipari was an amazing recruiter and could always secure the best players out of high school. However, this strategy had a major flaw. The players he recruited only stuck around for one year due to the NBA’s “one-and-done” rule that requires players to wait one year before entering the NBA draft. Calipari had turned the program into a revolving door of talented players, robbing Kentucky of the benefits that come from experience and stability.
While this philosophy angered many of the fans, it also earned Calipari the loyalty of many of his players. When Calipari left Kentucky, former Wildcats D.J. Wagner, Adou Thiero and Zvonimir Ivisic followed him to Arkansas along with the former 2024 recruits Boogie Fland, Karter Knox and Billy Richmond.
Even former Kentucky players Reed Sheppard and Tyty Washington Jr. showed where their loyalty lay after the game on Saturday. Sheppard, who played for Kentucky during the 2023-2024 season before being drafted to the NBA to play for the Houston Rockets, arrived at his game on Tuesday wearing an Arkansas shirt and Kentucky shorts. Washington Jr., who was also drafted to the NBA after playing for the Wildcats for one season, shared a post after the game on Saturday that voiced his support for his former coach’s win. These displays of loyalty to Calipari feel like a twist of the knife to Kentucky fans.
But who can blame the players? I think it is silly to expect a player to be more loyal to a fickle fanbase than to a coach who has invested time in their careers and lives. I think the players are more loyal to Calipari because he is more loyal to them.
However, I don’t think that just because Calipari is a “players first” kind of coach, he gets a free pass to neglect the team he is supposed to be improving and benefiting. He has a responsibility to the team as a whole, not just the best players. He also has a responsibility to the fans, who are often committed to the team for longer than any player or coach. Now, this doesn’t mean I am advocating for a coach to treat players poorly for the sake of team success. I personally don’t even think success is necessary for the fanbase to be happy. I think what rubbed Kentucky fans the wrong way wasn’t that the team hadn’t been doing great recently but that Calipari didn’t seem to care that Kentucky wasn’t succeeding as long as his players were.
