Dress for Success
They’re apparently going to have the men’s college basketball “final four” this weekend; I’m ignoring it due to the wokeness of college sports. But since games were literally on four different TV channels at times this month, it was hard to miss while mindlessly channel surfing.
I noticed something that I guess started last year during the pandemic, when games were typically played with empty stands. The coaches started dressing down—instead of a suit and tie, they now prowl the sidelines in sport shirts or warm up suits emblazoned with the school logo.
It’s one thing, I suppose, to not dress up for an empty stadium, but now that thousands are in the stands…you don’t dress up when company comes over?
I know that I’m out of step with all this. I wear a shirt and tie to work here at the radio station. Of course, you don’t see me…but I have guests in the studio at times, we do videos of segments like this…but more importantly is the attitude. If I’m supposed to sit here and talk to you about important events, somehow wearing an old t-shirt and shorts just doesn’t feel right…it feels like I’m disrespecting you, the audience, if I don’t care enough to come to work in a professional manner. And I’m not into so-called “dress down Fridays” either.
Some 35 years ago when I was in college at Iowa, then-coach George Ravelling enjoyed wearing “dress down” clothes so much during a tournament in Hawaii that he and his staff coached the rest of the season in Hawkeye warm-up suits. Expensive ones, nice ones, yes…but it just seemed weird. Still does, to me.
I did linger on one game on TV, one in which UCLA was playing. Their coach was in full suit and tie, the traditional coach’s uniform…which stood in stark contrast with the coach on the other side.
Call me old-fashioned, that’s fine…I’ll gladly own it. But come on, coach…up your game a little.
