The Suit and Tie: Where is it?
- John
- Jun 14, 2024
- 2 min read
Flashback to 2019. Duke is led by head coach Mike Krzyzewski, and Duke is 27-9, 15-5 in the conference, only behind North Carolina. The tournament was cancelled due to the pandemic. But there was something else special about 2019. It was the last year that coaches wore suits and ties to every game.
Where did they go?
After COVID, it became common to dress more comfortably, as in a athletic shirt. In fact, the first year after COVID, pretty much no coaches wore suits and ties. It seemed like the suits were long gone, and not needed, as no other coaches were wearing them. There was no need for the coaches to wear them with no fans in the stands. And it wasn't just the head coach either - the full coaching staff would wear suits. It left a more business feel to the game, as the sport had been around for since the early 1900's, and it became a tradition to wear the suits. But COVID just wiped it all away. It seemed like the suits would never come back.
The Return
In the 2022-23 season, a few coaches began wearing a suit and tie for special games. Nothing much, but a few coaches. Then, in the 23-24 season, it became a lot more common. Plenty of coaches wore suits for the whole season. Jon Scheyer took a few games with the suit. It became a lot more common to see coaches with a suit this year.
The Future
I predict that the suits will be back at full force by 2025. Most coaches will be wearing suits for all games this upcoming season, and will become a standard again.
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