Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope learned a valuable lesson this week: be careful what you joke about. During his weekly radio show, Pope quipped that he would be willing to help out with gas money for fans traveling to Milwaukee for the NCAA Tournament.
Big Blue Nation took him up on the offer – literally. Pope’s executive assistant was inundated with emails from fans requesting gas money, with one student even asking for a plane ticket.
Pope quickly realized that his joke had backfired. “That was not a good call on my part,” he said. “This is not going to go well.”
Despite the overwhelming response, Pope remained good-natured about the situation. He even promised to “do his best” to help out one student who emailed him.
While it’s unlikely that Pope can afford to cover gas money for the entire fanbase, his willingness to engage with fans and show his sense of humor is a testament to his commitment to Big Blue Nation.
