The Rick has used the term when talking about the University of Louisville basketball program.

Coach Cal has used the concept when talking about the University of Kentucky basketball program.

LeBron James’ cadre of handlers and business managers have used the word when talking about their, uh, product. That would be LeBron James.

I hate the oh so au courant trend known as branding.

How about this quote from an interview with Thomas O’Grady, Vice President and Creative Director of NBA Entertainment:

“The NBA is a 56-year-old brand. NBA commissioner David Stern calls it a “living brand.” It’s a brand that, a lot like a cereal or a TV show, has seasons, with initiation points and finish points. We crescendo; there are highs and lows; there are periods of intense excitement, and periods that go slow and drag on. But sports are woven into the fabric of everyday life. That’s what I love about basketball and sports in general—that it’s a social currency.”

Setting aside for a moment what da fuh the NBA is doing with an entertainment division, what about the GAME? You know, basketball. The art of shooting, dribbling, playing D. Scoring more points than your rival? Making into the Dance? Isn’t that what we used to love? This dunderhead is comparing the NBA to Cheerios.

UK basketball isn’t a brand, for heavens’ sakes. It’s a tradition. Rupp. Issel. Cotton Nash. Mashburn. All those titles, NCAA, SEC, etc, etc. We’re not talking about margarine.

Why does U of L need to be a brand? What about Freedom Hall, it’s long time homecourt, Denny Crum, the NCAA crowns, Unseld, Griffith, Francisco?

I understand it’s a new world out there. Hell, John Wall said he’d never heard of Michigan’s Fab Five, let alone UK’s Fabulous Five. But, still, do we have to be so mercenary about it? Can’t we talk about restoration of tradition? Must it be couched in economic terminology?

Whatever happened to building or sustaining a program?

LeBron James is an incredible basketball player. The problem I have is that, by all accounts, he cares more about branding himself into the world’s biggest commercial asset than he does about improving his game and winning championships. (A dunk is just a deuce, LeBron, get back on D and stop mugging to the crowd!)

I can’t imagine what Larry Bird thinks about branding. Well, yes I can, but it’s nothing I could quote, even on the internet.

– Seedy K