John Calipari’s employers at the University Of Memphis have thought twice about a scheme that would’ve had the Tigers donning orange & purple jerseys in honor of “Fed Ex Appreciation Night” for Wednesday’s tilt against SMU.  That’s a bit of a relief to Uni Watch‘s Paul Lukas who declares, “once you sell out your civic institutions to corporate interests, it™s like that story about the million dollar hooker versus the $50 hooker ” just a matter of degree.”  Well put, but I see no reason to drag Denny Negale’s good name through the mud again.

(without corporate generosity, Coach Cal would be reduced to feeding his family on packets of Splenda)

Listen closely, because you may never hear me say this again: Purple was not the main issue here. Neither was the prospect of Memphis wearing the orange hue of arch-rival Tennessee (although that apparently pissed off a lot of fans). The big issue, of course, was glorifying a corporate entity that already has its name plastered on the side of your building. This would be inappropriate enough for a pro team, but it™s completely offensive for a collegiate program ” doubly so for a public university like Memphis.

According to this story, Memphis coach John Calipari was all in favor of the uniform tribute. Maybe that™s because, according to this article, FedEx has helped ensure œthat John Calipari™s salary is one of the best, if not THE best, in the country. Or hey, maybe that™s just a coincidence.