Dollars for Davis
Our editorial colleagues at the News & Observer lament the contract extension and $291,000 raise that recently went to a losing football coach,, Butch Davis.
You could pay two professors with the raise alone, they say.
And they are right. The big bucks for football say something screwy about priorities. But the truth be told, we want it that way.
It's not only UNC's prioirity; it's ours, too (fans, alumni, students). Or they wouldn't dare do it.
Nothing will change.
Comments (6)
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I am pretty sure this has been discussed here before and fairly recently. Collegiate sports is a business. A business which makes gazillions for the respective universities and their fellow ACC cohorts. Football and basketball at UNC-CH more than pay for themselves. They also help pay for nonrevenue producing sports as well.
When a professor can fill a 50,000+ seat stadium 5-6 times per year or a 20,000+ basketball arena 12-15 times per year, bring in millions in tv contract $$, bowl games (no jokes please), alumni moola, etc, etc, etc then maybe we have a discussion.
This isnt tax money the system is spending on the coaches it is money generated by the football and basketball programs, alumni, etc.
Posted on November 26, 2007 3:14 PM
Now it's Duke's turn. Open that wallet!
Posted on November 27, 2007 8:58 AM
And Georgia Tech's. And Michigan's. And Arkansas'. And Washington State.
Posted on November 27, 2007 12:20 PM
Even though these coaches make big bucks they are still at the bottom of the food chain so to speak. And there are, to be sure, out and out incompetent coaches, but things that may or may not be their fault happen, alumni get unhappy with A.D. AD fires coach, often times because there is nothing else he can think of to do. And then the cycle is repeated.
Look at Charlie Weiss. Two years ago he was on his way to Knutedom. Now he's just a newt and the alumni are starting to sing Anchors Aweigh.
Posted on November 27, 2007 2:59 PM
That's a good point. At least tenured faculty have job security.
Posted on November 27, 2007 3:12 PM
If the coaches just wisely invested the graft, I mean raises and salaries and bonuses, they'd have something just as good as tenure: an early retirement plan.
These guys might "bring in tthe bucks", but there are precious few schools where the income offsets the expenses incurred by big-time programs. And smaller schools end up in the red, too, more often than not on balance. The ostensible reason for sports is to recruit more non-athletes, too. Well, that may well be. Yet, as Allen points out, when the salaries reach these astronomical levels comparative to the faculty, it is dispiriting to the true enterprise of education. Frank DeFord has suggested colleges just make the coaches actual faculty, give students course credit for playing sports, attending practice, etc., just as if they were getting a degree in an art form. In fcat, he argues, sports should be considered a legitimate art form.
Posted on November 28, 2007 6:19 AM