First, when I googled “LSU head coach,” all that comes up is a list of head football coaches and then news stories about Brian Kelly being hired last year. This is a bummer, because Kim Mulkey came to LSU in 2021 after winning three national titles at Baylor, including one perfect 40-0 season that represents the most wins in all of college basketball, PERIOD. Between her playing and coaching career, she has been part of the NCAA tournament every year since it started in 1982, except for two, and now has her team in the Final Four after only two years. Having covered all that, she said problematic stuff during the pandemic about how they should just scrap the Covid tests because it would be such a downer if somebody tested positive and couldn’t play, and THAT sucks and is disappointing (not to mention extremely cavalier about her players’ health***). Covid dropped so many land mines into people’s Wikipedia pages, where you’re like, “Oh, WOW, that’s gr… oh, crap.” There are probably a lot of topics on which Kim and I might disagree, but that doesn’t erase the fact that it’s irritating — but NOT surprising — that Google is like, “Okay, but FOOTBALL!!! BRIAN KELLY!!!!” Bleh.
Anyway: We’re here because Mulkey’s sleeves during the Sweet Sixteen round caught the imagination of the Internet.
We haven’t seen them lately… https://t.co/Wly2VsI72y pic.twitter.com/N4I04wJLWC
— Muppet History (@HistoryMuppet) March 25, 2023
So I figured, why not highlight some of the other glitz she’s brought to the sidelines? Basketball in general is fun because the coaches of all genders typically dress up — not always, but much of the time — and Kim is assuredly not the only one to add pizzazz, although she might take it up to eleven. But it’s a good place to start, and more importantly, a chance to encourage everyone to add the Final Four (Friday) and final game (Sunday) to their weekend TV schedules. It’s good to remind the Powers that Be that investing real money in increasing access to women’s sports can only pay dividends.
*** And apparently is a rampant homophobe! I will probably take this post down soon because it was really only meant as a way to be like YAY WOMEN’S HOOPS, and and I got tricked by her sleeves into picking THE worst poster child?!? For now it’s staying up for the comments, just a bit longer. I’m so sorry.
