How sad is this

[Osce0la]

the title alone says it all...

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/04/alabama.salary.ap/index.html

[OklahomaTuba]

State Rep. Richard Lindsey, D-Centre, chairman of a House committee that writes the education budget, agreed the lofty salary sends the wrong message. "I think we've let it get out of hand."

So free market capitalism is bad huh?

I wonder if he caught the part about NO tax money being used to fund Saban's salary??? What a dumbass.

[crawfish]

No question that coaches' salaries are way out of whack right now.

[OklahomaTuba]

BTW, I wonder how many jobs (Athletic Dept, construction, merchandise sales, game day economic boost, etc) can be attributed to successful OU football, which is a direct result of the hiring and retention of Bob Stoops??? What about donations to the University?

Remember when the school had to up the entrence requirements cause of the flood of applications to get in after the 2000 NC game? No doubt that was a positive for the school in some regard.

[sooner_born_1960]

"How do you make the claim for more public funds, which are scarce, if there are surpluses that permit $4 million coach's salaries?" he asked.
From a former member of the board of trustees.
None of this money is coming from public funds, dumass.

[NYSooner1355]

From a former member of the board of trustees.
None of this money is coming from public funds, dumass.

He wasn't saying that the money is coming from public funds - he is asking how can the university be asking for more public funding when they (the university) have the kinds of surpluses that allow hiring a $4 million/year head football coach...

[sooner_born_1960]

How is athletic revenue / athletic donations considered a surplus?

[royalfan5]

How is athletic revenue / athletic donations considered a surplus?
if they are more than athletic expenses, they are by definition a surplus.

[sooner_born_1960]

Coaches aren't athletic expenses?

[sooner_born_1960]

So surplus athletic revenue should pay history professors?

[royalfan5]

So surplus athletic revenue should pay history professors?
At Nebraska it does. The athletic department profits are plowed into academics. I think the argument is that increasing expenses reduces the surplus available for distribution.

[sooner_born_1960]

I'm sure Alabama's athletic dept. throws a little change into the general fund also. The athletic department's first priority is athletics, though.

[royalfan5]

I'm sure Alabama's athletic dept. throws a little change into the general fund also. The athletic department's first priority is athletics, though.
That still doesn't make it a smart contract. What happens if Saban repeats his MSU winning percentage. Bama has shown they won't stand for that. That will be a big contract to eat, and they had to eat a large one with Shula too. When you tie up that much cash in one person, it has to starve some other part of the athletic department.

[Scott D]

At Alabama, they don't have any other part of the athletic department ;)

except mens hoops.