Mike Krzyzewski's consumer appeal has grown significantly since he took over Team USA. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY- cliddy@newsobserver.com
If you haven't seen my Sunday story on Mike Krzyzewski and how the Olympics have endeared him to UNC and NC State fans (at least right now), check it out if you have the time.
One of my favorite nuggets from that story is the part on his Q score. That number, which is used to measure the commercial appeal of programs, brands and people, is a function of awareness (how many people know who or what you are) and likability (of those that know you, do they have postive reactions to you).
Nationally, Krzyzewski ranks 16th out of 621 sports personalities, and Nolan Ryan, the president of the Texas Rangers, is the only non-athlete ranked higher. In fact, Krzyzewski's score—55 percent awareness and a Q score of 31—puts him in the same range as Joe Montana and Magic Johnson.
The Q Scores Company doesn't measure a person's appeal on a statewide level, but they do break it out by region. And I'll be honest, I was a bit surprised by the data.
In 2004 (before Krzyzewski was named the head coach of Team USA), his Q score in the South was a 28, and that jumped to a 36 in 2006, after the annoucement but well before the Beijing Olympics of 2008. During that time, Duke turned in one Final Four trip and back-to-back Sweet 16 exits and had a man named JJ Redick on the team, so I doubt the boost in popularity was largely driven by anything Duke was doing.
During that same time, Krzyzewski's Q score went from a 23 to a 33 in the Northeast. Duke grads tend to go North after they graduate—New York and Washington, D.C. have been the top job locations for Dukies since 2008, the first year that data is availiable (for the record, the Raleigh-Durham area has ranked third every year, and Boston and San Francisco have traded off between fourth and fifth for the past two years). So, following that trend, I would have expected Krzyzewski to be more popular in the Northeast than in the South. But, hey, shows what I know.
