
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, May 16, 1993                   TAG: 9305160012
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: E10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

COACHES USING SCHOOLS, PLAYERS

I read recently that Mike Krzyzewski, head basketball coach at Duke University, signed a very lucrative contract with Nike. The Nike deal is going to boost his income an additional $6 million over 15 years.

Apparently, coach Krzyzewski is going to be a "consultant" for the shoe giant. Come on, what does he know about a pair of sneakers that you and I don't know?

At first, I thought, so what? Coach K ain't no Michael J and the whole deal sounded like a big waste of money on Nike's part. Yeah, right! Nike isn't the company it is today because it throws its money away. Coach K might do some consulting, and he might even wear a pair of Nike shoes along with his suit when Duke begins play next fall, but I doubt it.

More likely, the true value to Nike is not Krzyzewski, but having the Duke basketball team wear its products. Something tells me we can expect to see the swoosh on the Devils' sneakers this fall. Let's face it, we're talking big-time national exposure and the market value with the Duke link.

I don't believe coaches should be the beneficiaries of such deals. Not only are they using their associations with the universities for personal gain, but they're using their schools' players as company billboards. After all, who would Mike Krzyzewski be without Duke University?

The universities and not their coaches should be the ones signing these deals and it should be the schools and, ultimately their students, who are the beneficiaries.

MIKE BRANCATI\ ROANOKE

by CNB