Remember back in the Mark Vershaw years when the shaggy-haired post player was constantly referred to as "the only married player in the Big Ten" on every Badger broadcast?
Or during the Mike Wilkinson era when every ESPN broadcast included gratuitous shots of Wilk's girlfriend in the band, with Steve Lavin following up right away with odd comments that in no way veiled his lecherous thoughts?
Every year, the national and regional media "unearth" one fantastic little tidbit and pound you over the head with it at every opportunity. Last year it was Bo Ryan's Soulja Boy dance video that made the rounds. This year, I'm afraid that Marcus Landry's burgeoning family may fit the bill.
Now that ESPN.com's Dana O'Neil has done a front-page college basketball article on Marcus Landry, the "Family Man", his story has hit the big time. (Pictures, no extra charge!)
The Landry family may get a lot of attention opponent's media sources looking for the human-interest angle when previewing an upcoming game against the Badgers. Not to mention the Big Ten Network, which is always looking for good filler. Joe Krabbenhoft is already a go-to guy for the media and as the only other senior, it would be appropriate for Landry to be another destination for quotes and such. That is, if he has time.
I still enjoy the publicity any time Wisconsin gets it and this actually is a nice 
storyline regarding Landry's growth as a person, not just as a ball player. In that sense, it would be hard to get sick of hearing about it. As a bonus, the attention paid to Landry spills over to the Badgers as a whole with another article on running the hill. However, I know that at some point in the season, we will hear something about Landry having three kids for the 20th time and the announcer will deliver it as if he really did "his homework" on the game. And I will roll my eyes. Or groan. Or both.
Best of luck to Landry with his enormous responsibilities. He has always been one of those soft-spoken guys that you find it easy to root for and I'm hoping for continued success for him on and off the court.
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Props for this post. So often we hear about the players who have messed up their lives in one way or another or ended up on the wrong side of the law. For every one of those there is a story like this, but we don't often get to see it in the media. For Landry and all the other young black men who are stepping up to shoulder their responsibilities thanks.
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