What are your thoughts on this?

[Tim T]

Not sure if this has been discussed on here, but Jim Calhoun (UConn basketball coach) was questioned about his salary and the fact that he is the highest paid state employee in Connecticut. He responded by ripping the reporter an new one and pointed out that his basketball program brings in $12 million a year. Pretty good lesson in economics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xokthY5zuPU

[MikeKy]

I heard a rebuttal to the rant on the radio yesterday. The reporter giving the rebuttal was highly upset because the coach didn't treat the questioner with respect. The highlights of the rebuttal were that Connecticut is facing a billion dollar budget deficit and the three highest paid state employees are the UConn men's basketball coach, the UConn women's basketball coach and the UConn football coach. The men's basketball program does generate $12 million in revenue but also has $6 million in expenses. My thoughts are that the situation in Connecticut is probably universal across all 50 states. Coaches at state universities probably are the highest paid state employees. Right or wrong, college athletics are obviously big business. That said, the $6 million in profits from the men's basketball program probably never leaves the athletics department but is used to fund other sports that don't generate much revenue. Calhoun was wrong to go off on the reporter but it's really sad that coaches get huge salaries and raises when professors and researchers get squat. Just another one of our national priorities that I can't agree with.

[maxcam]

Sounds like to me that Calhoun should run for governor when he retires so he can straighten out their deficit......;)

His first act in office should be to castrate the president at UCONN for not having his back!

[slickhead slayer]

Athletics are self supportive, they don't get any state funds, or any general education dollars. At UK, not only is athletics self supportive, some of the UK Athletic Association money goes to the general fund. They need to leave athletics alone.

[Regulator623]

I am of the opinion that a person should get paid what the market will bear, whether you're flipping hamburgers or the CEO of a fortune 500 company. When we start mandating that salaries be artificially capped out of political correctness, everyone making an above average living will be affected. Just my two cents.

[trust me]

Athletics are self supportive, they don't get any state funds, or any general education dollars. .

I am of the opinion that a person should get paid what the market will bear, whether you're flipping hamburgers or the CEO of a fortune 500 company.

I despise college athletics, but these posts are correct. Athletic depts pay their own way, and if the coach can get wins, that brings money. No tax dollars go to the programs. The basketball/football programs not only pay their way, but also cover the tab for water polo, volleyball, badminton, and hockey.

[ditchdigger]

College Sports is a heap of a lot more fun to watch than pro sports!

[Tim T]

Calhoun was wrong to go off on the reporter but it's really sad that coaches get huge salaries and raises when professors and researchers get squat. Just another one of our national priorities that I can't agree with.

I disagree, he was well within his rights because this was a post game press conference and the questions are to be strictly about the game. If this was a midwek press conference at the school then anything is fair game, that is the way it works. The reporter was a plant and isn't even a sports writer and if you listen in the background you can hear the sports reporters getting on the guy as well.

Also, when 20,000 people fork over $40 for each class they attend then the professors can justify making millions as well.

[turk2di]

I wasn't aware that universities had to answer to states. Aren't they seperate? Anyway, not a Calhoun fan by any stretch, so im not concerned with whatever trouble he causes himself!

[buckfever]

I heard a rebuttal to the rant on the radio yesterday. The reporter giving the rebuttal was highly upset because the coach didn't treat the questioner with respect. The highlights of the rebuttal were that Connecticut is facing a billion dollar budget deficit and the three highest paid state employees are the UConn men's basketball coach, the UConn women's basketball coach and the UConn football coach. The men's basketball program does generate $12 million in revenue but also has $6 million in expenses. My thoughts are that the situation in Connecticut is probably universal across all 50 states. Coaches at state universities probably are the highest paid state employees. Right or wrong, college athletics are obviously big business. That said, the $6 million in profits from the men's basketball program probably never leaves the athletics department but is used to fund other sports that don't generate much revenue. Calhoun was wrong to go off on the reporter but it's really sad that coaches get huge salaries and raises when professors and researchers get squat. Just another one of our national priorities that I can't agree with.

I agree with you for the most part, Mike, especially how athletics dominate our national priorities, but I disagree that Calhoun shouldn't have gone off on the reporter.

The reporter's entire line of questions were intended to create the impression that Calhoun was personally grossly overpaid. As pointed out by others, UConn's basketball program is entirely self-sustaining. In fact, Uconn's b-ball program nets the university millions of dollars in additional revenue every year, and this is in large measure due to Calhoun.

While college coaches might be "grossly overpaid" as a general proposition, that's a societal issue which is something which might be discussed at a round table forum on Sunday morning talk-shows.

Individual coaches, however, are paid what the market will bear. In other words, the reporter was suggesting that people shouldn't be rewarded for being successful, and tried to paint Calhoun as the "bad" greedy guy.

IMO, it was a stupid question simply, because it ignorantly implied that the $2 million salary was wasteful despite the easily traced revenues to UConn which far outstrip his salary. Not only did this question pander to the ignorance of the audience, I also think it was deceitful because the reporter surely knew of the net revenue benefit that Calhoun brought to the school. This reporter intentionally chose to ignore them in his effort to stir the pot, so he deserved everything he got.

I'd bet $1000 that this reporter was an Obama supporter. :)

[MikeKy]

I wish I had done a better job of expressing my thoughts. I wasn't defending the reporter, just kind of regretting that Calhoun lowered himself to the reporters level and pretty much played into his hands by responding the way he did. IMO, Calhoun came off looking like a jerk. I don't doubt for a second that the reporter was a plant but it looks to me like he won the battle if not the war. I don't begrudge the salaries the coaches make because I am a free market supporter. However, in the rebuttal report I heard it was mentioned that 6 or 7 states already have included college coaches in mandatory unpaid days off in order to save tax dollars. That appears to be an inaccurate and misleading statement if tax dollars or general fund dollars aren't used to pay their salaries. Of course the rebuttal spot was on NPR so anything is possible. I do still think it is sad that there is such a disparity between coach's pay and some professor's pay but that doesn't include professors like Obama's recent appointment to some position(can't remember the rube's name or position) that is a Harvard law professor that advocates letting animals sue people and forcing folks to become vegans. Harvard might need to reexamine their Hire the Handicapped program. I think it is supposed increase job opportunites for physically handicapped folks, not idiots.

[Xi Bowhunter]

I think it is shameful to pay a coach that much when the tuition at the colleges go up EVERY SEMESTER! They should at least cut his salary in half and divide it up between the professors.

[buckfever]

I think it is shameful to pay a coach that much when the tuition at the colleges go up EVERY SEMESTER! They should at least cut his salary in half and divide it up between the professors.

Xi - LMAO. . . .You've the Obama plan down to a "T". Create disincentives for success by redistributing.

UConn has a golden egg in Calhoun, and you want to fire him and pay somebody else 1/2 his salary. Classic!!! Once Calhoun leaves to go coach at Texas or St. John's, who's going to cover that extra $6 million in lost revenues that's going to inevitably happen once the basketball program crumbles?

[Tim T]

I think it is shameful to pay a coach that much when the tuition at the colleges go up EVERY SEMESTER! They should at least cut his salary in half and divide it up between the professors.


The tuition hikes are not because of the athletic department. Tuition hikes have ZERO to do with athletics. Should all CEO's of the large coorporations that are succesful be paid the same as those whose companies are losing money and asking for bailouts?

[Xi Bowhunter]

Xi - LMAO. . . .You've the Obama plan down to a "T". Create disincentives for success by redistributing.

UConn has a golden egg in Calhoun, and you want to fire him and pay somebody else 1/2 his salary. Classic!!! Once Calhoun leaves to go coach at Texas or St. John's, who's going to cover that extra $6 million in lost revenues that's going to inevitably happen once the basketball program crumbles?

The tuition hikes are not because of the athletic department. Tuition hikes have ZERO to do with athletics. Should all CEO's of the large coorporations that are succesful be paid the same as those whose companies are losing money and asking for bailouts?


I could give a crap about basketball really. I enjoy watching it but that is about as far as it goes. Education should be top priority, and I think millions paid to a coach could be better spent to lower the cost of tuition to give more people a chance to attend. The teachers and students make the school, NOT the basketball program.

[slickhead slayer]

I could give a crap about basketball really. I enjoy watching it but that is about as far as it goes. Education should be top priority, and I think millions paid to a coach could be better spent to lower the cost of tuition to give more people a chance to attend. The teachers and students make the school, NOT the basketball program.

You have completely missed the point. UCONN hired one of the best coaches in the nation. When you get one of the best coaches, you get sold out arenas, national championships, lots of licensing agreements, lots of TV time, lots of athletic donations, etc. So yes he makes alot, but he makes alot because he generates large sums of money for the university. If you cut the coach at UCONNs salary in half, then you will get a lesser coach, which means less season tickets, less TV time, less athletic donations, less UCONN merchandise sold, etc, etc.
So you can pay a coach $3 mill a year, and the athletic dept will generate $100 mill, or you can pay the coach $1.5 mill, and the athletic department will generate $50 mill a year. Only a liberal would pick the latter.

[Tim T]

I could give a crap about basketball really. I enjoy watching it but that is about as far as it goes. Education should be top priority, and I think millions paid to a coach could be better spent to lower the cost of tuition to give more people a chance to attend. The teachers and students make the school, NOT the basketball program.


You are not getting it. The money that is being paid to the coach has nothing to do with the cost of tuition. When you were in school NOT ONE SINGLE CENT SPENT ON YOUR EDUCATION WENT TO FUND ATHLETICS!.

The millions paid to a coach are not coming from students or their parents who are paying tuition. Athletic departments are self sufficient.

If you want to cut a coaches salary, there goes a lot of donations. Many people that donate huge sums of money to build the new science building or what ever, are doing it because of the basketball or football team. Heck most of the coaches donate a chunk of their salary back to the university. Joe Paterno built Penn St. a library, and Pitino gave several million dollars to build a new state of the art dorm that is named after his BIL who died in 9/11.

[carpenterguy]

I think the reporter got what was coming to him...As long as the revenue is coming in pay him what it takes to keep the team winning and the people paying....

[buckfever]

I could give a crap about basketball really. I enjoy watching it but that is about as far as it goes. Education should be top priority, and I think millions paid to a coach could be better spent to lower the cost of tuition to give more people a chance to attend. The teachers and students make the school, NOT the basketball program.

I certainly agree that American priorities are out of whack with respect to our cultural emphasis on sports, but these same sports provide our universities with a lot of revenue b/c it's what Americans want to watch on TV.

If you eliminate the money from college sports programs, and you'll see tuition go up across the board.

[Xi Bowhunter]

You have completely missed the point. UCONN hired one of the best coaches in the nation. When you get one of the best coaches, you get sold out arenas, national championships, lots of licensing agreements, lots of TV time, lots of athletic donations, etc. So yes he makes alot, but he makes alot because he generates large sums of money for the university. If you cut the coach at UCONNs salary in half, then you will get a lesser coach, which means less season tickets, less TV time, less athletic donations, less UCONN merchandise sold, etc, etc.
So you can pay a coach $3 mill a year, and the athletic dept will generate $100 mill, or you can pay the coach $1.5 mill, and the athletic department will generate $50 mill a year. Only a liberal would pick the latter.

You are not getting it. The money that is being paid to the coach has nothing to do with the cost of tuition. When you were in school NOT ONE SINGLE CENT SPENT ON YOUR EDUCATION WENT TO FUND ATHLETICS!.

The millions paid to a coach are not coming from students or their parents who are paying tuition. Athletic departments are self sufficient.

If you want to cut a coaches salary, there goes a lot of donations. Many people that donate huge sums of money to build the new science building or what ever, are doing it because of the basketball or football team. Heck most of the coaches donate a chunk of their salary back to the university. Joe Paterno built Penn St. a library, and Pitino gave several million dollars to build a new state of the art dorm that is named after his BIL who died in 9/11.

I certainly agree that American priorities are out of whack with respect to our cultural emphasis on sports, but these same sports provide our universities with a lot of revenue b/c it's what Americans want to watch on TV.

If you eliminate the money from college sports programs, and you'll see tuition go up across the board.


Point taken. I am not a huge basketball fan by any means, so I guess that is why I don't look at it that way. Millions just seems like a lot of money to pay a coach of a college basketball team.

You guys are certianly right about the basketball programs bringing in a lot of money, but millions just seems over the top to me. I'm having to pay for my wife's tuition right now, and seeing it go up every semester and then hearing things like this makes everything seem out of whack.