Media Portrayal
Bob Knight is not only known for his national championships, but also for his volatile temper. In 1979, he was arrested for assault during the Pan American Games basketball tournament in Puerto Rico. He later threw a chair across the court, was vilified for kicking his son, who was on the team, during a game, and was known for verbally attacking officials and his secretary. The man in the red sweater was controversial and colorful, combustible and combative.
A large component of the media does not approve of or respect Bob Knight, in part due to certain regrettable incidents that occurred on and off the court. Clearly, Knight has become a certain type of enigma: while the vast majority of the media respects and admires “Coach K”, they fail to remind their viewers and readers that Bob Knight is one of Coach K’s idols. Indeed, the much praised coach of Duke University has claimed that Bob Knight is one of his personal heroes and a source of inspiration. When discussing his mentor, Coach K once said, “I have the ultimate respect for him as a coach and a mentor, but even more as a dear friend…For more than 40 years, the life lessons learned from Coach (Knight) are immeasurable. Simply put, I love him.”Another example of a potential bias in the media is the way they have opposed Knight’s coaching style. In fact, they seem to just see a black and white case, ignoring any points that may complicate their neat version of the story. For example, why do they not criticize coach John Calipari (who has coached at the universities of Massachusetts, Memphis and Kentucky) ,who has graduated less than ten percent of his players, while more than 90 percent of the players under the tutelage of Knight graduated successfully from college.
