Lexington, KY - Years ago, this column featured an article called "The Tubby Quotient," a back-of-the-envelope calculation that shed light on Coach Tubby Smith's generosity in Kentucky. It suggested that Coach Smith's charitable efforts and community investments would help area teens stay in school longer, increasing their collective earning potential up to $100 million over their lifetimes.
Shortly after the column ran, Coach Smith left Kentucky.
Months later, this column featured "Mickie's Team," which showcased Coach Mickie DeMoss' community leadership and bringing area businesses together to fight domestic violence - a plague that costs businesses more than $727 million annually in increased health care costs, lost productivity, and other factors.
Shortly after the column ran, Coach DeMoss left Kentucky.
This space did not feature Coach Gillispie.
Since he's gone now, perhaps it's safe to feature John Calipari, Kentucky Basketball's chosen savior, and perhaps, a one-man economic stimulus package for the commonwealth.
To be clear, this isn't the short-term stimulus like the kind they talk about in Washington. "Calipari's hire will not add a lot of immediate spending to the Lexington economy," said Dr. Brian Goff, Distinguished University Professor of Economics at Western Kentucky University - and contributor to the popular blog The Sports Economist. "The spending on t-shirts and other items will likely just come out of a reduction in similar spending over the next week or two."
Rather, the Calipari stimulus takes place in the nexus where economists and basketball fanatics agree - winning cures all ills. "In contrast to short-term, tangible 'stimulus' spending, the hire certainly boosts mental well-being for a lot of Lexington-area basketball fans," Goff said. "It's not easy to put a dollar figure on such feelings, but they are not trivial, as evidenced by the amount of buzz surrounding the hire. Especially during a time when other news on matters like the economy is not so good, this "feel-good" stimulus helps (in Lexington, not in Memphis). Longer term, if Calipari brings his prior success to UK, both the school and Lexington will likely benefit by the positive attention attracting more fans and students to town."
Not to mention the national media attention (and commensurate financial windfall) from the annual Calipari-Pitino grudge match. Kentucky versus Louisville has always been a big rivalry, but to people outside of the Bluegrass, it simply doesn't reach the level of Ohio State-Michigan or Georgia-Florida in football, or, candidly, Duke-North Carolina in hoops. Coach Calipari and Coach Pitino don't dislike each other the way some in the media claim, but their intense, competitive personalities will make for high theater worth watching - no matter where you're from. Indeed, simply the name "Calipari" probably means more nationally televised games, which means more revenue for the university, and subsequently the community.
The Calipari stimulus is grounded in much more than celebrity, however. Everywhere John Calipari has gone, he has generated excitement AND economic activity with a long-term impact. In addition to building a sustainably successful basketball program at the University of Massachusetts, he pushed state and local leaders to build the Mullin Center, a top-notch basketball and hockey facility. In Memphis, he combined an aggressive blue-chip national recruitment strategy with an intense and successful public relations campaign to re-ignite interest in college basketball there. (Winning didn't hurt, either.) Calipari's track record is clear - he's most successful when he invests time and effort not only in his team, but in his community.
While the Big Blue Nation waits with excitement for a new season on the court, some people are also wondering how Calipari will make his mark in the community. Of course, you can argue that an economic boost of any kind helps the least fortunate; as President Kennedy said, "a rising tide lifts all boats." However, some in our community are hoping that Coach Calipari quickly follows up on what he said to CBS when asked about his newfound financial windfall: "My wife and I will be good stewards of this blessing. We'll support Memphis and Lexington with the blessing we've gotten."
Calipari has never been afraid to contribute to a good cause. For example, he's given considerable sums of money to the athletic scholarship funds and other academic programs at the University of Memphis. But will his charitable work extend beyond the University? Will he take an approach similar to Coach Smith, who raised over $1.5 million for Tubby's Clubhouses to help at-risk kids gain critical skills for their future? Or will he follow Coach DeMoss and rally businesses to an issue that has business as well as societal impacts?
Perhaps it's best to let the Calipari family get to know their neighbors before asking how they plan to invest their "blessing." One thing, however, is certain - whatever he chooses to do in the community, expect him to go all out. His track record shows he doesn't know any other way.
David Wescott is a Lexington-based vice president for APCO Worldwide, a global public affairs firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. He writes a blog about communications and technology issues which can be found online at www.itsnotalecture.com.