Kentucky fan with anti-John Calipari sign gets in trouble
Mar 28, 2019; Kansas City, MO, United States; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari speaks during a press conference for the midwest regional of the 2019 NCAA Tournament at Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
A fan who attended Tuesday night’s Kentucky-South Carolina game ended up leaving after his sign caused a disturbance.
The Wildcats lost 71-68 at Rupp Arena in Lexington to the Gamecocks, who entered the game with a sub-.500 record. One fan attending the game brought a sign that said, “Please Go to Texas.”
Fan escorted out of Rupp after holding up a “Please go to Texas” sign during the South Carolina game… pic.twitter.com/llCn4A3WJn
— Sophie Meadors (@SophieMeadors) January 11, 2023
The sign was a reference to rumors that Texas has interest in Calipari for their head coach vacancy. The Longhorns are looking for a new coach after firing Chris Beard for cause last week.
The fan’s message is clear: he is not happy with the way things have been going under Calipari.
Though the sign was disrespectful to Calipari, the message on the poster was not the reason the fan left. Rather, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports that fans sitting behind the fan in question complained about having their view blocked by the sign. The fan chose to leave rather than lower the sign.
Here is video showing the fan leaving:
That didn’t last very long. pic.twitter.com/AZMJ6juoSE
— Samantha Valentino (@SamanthaWKYT) January 11, 2023
Why are some fans frustrated with Calipari? Kentucky has fallen well below expectations in recent years. The Wildcats went 9-16 in the 2020-2021 season and missed the NCAA Tournament. They went 26-8 last season but were upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by Saint Peter’s.
Calipari, 63, has been the coach at Kentucky since the 2009-2010 season. He’s probably not a long-term solution for a program like Texas. And let’s be real: he has a lifetime contract with Kentucky. There would have to be a lot more pressure than the sign for him to leave Kentucky.
