March 19 - Pet Peeve Monday - TV Spousal Support

This week’s PET PEEVE MONDAY was in full bloom this weekend during the avalanche of NCAA basketball games. My PEEVE is the constant camera shots of the coaches’ wives. They are so intense, covering their faces, unable to look at the action. Originally I thought, “hey that’s sweet, she cares, she really cares.” And then it came to me. She cares all right. She cares that he better win so they can hold the university hostage as her husband goes job hunting up the college coaching ladder. As always, follow the money.

It happens every year. I call it, “Driving Miss Cinderella’s Pumpkin.” A Cinderella university is an underdog that outplays the larger school. The coach (the driver) gets his 15 minutes of fame and moves onto the next high paying job. He leaves his players, his recruits, his fans and boosters for a better deal. Sometimes he doesn’t even have to win to get an offer. Sean Miller, the coach of Xavier, lost a heart breaker to Ohio State this past weekend. He is already rumored to get over a 100% pay raise, just to STAY at Xavier. Imagine his compensation package if he chooses to move up to the open spots at Minnesota or Michigan.

Bruce Pearl, now coaching at Tennessee, was given the escalator ride after leading UW-Milwaukee to the Sweet Sixteen in 2005. He now coaches at Tennessee. He also likes to paint his body orange in support of his school at times. I can't exactly see Coach Tressel going that route. There are many, many, more examples of job jumpers, but I digress from my PET PEEVE.

Why do they show the emotionally distraught and obviously unstable wife on TV? When I was presenting at a critical meeting in a far away country, I doubt my Japanese audience would have paused to reflect on the “courage” of my spouse supporting me.

Why is it important in a basketball game? Do we subconsciously or in my friend’s case think out loud, “Boy, she’s hot, I hope her husband’s team wins. And if it’s not too much trouble could maybe their marriage be in trouble.”

In the rare instance that the wife is unattractive, does my friend also think, “Man he should be a better coach with all his free time. Who would want to go home to that?”

My friend can be so shallow, yet funny.

Watch the NCAA games this coming weekend. I bet they show each wife at least three times. I may even watch a women’s Basketball game to see if they show the husband or their partner. OK that was my friend talking again.