Explain why coaches in an "amateur" sport like college football are paid $7 million a year

[ShootSpeeders]

The kids do the actual work and they are "paid" a $20,000 a year scholarship. Some will say "but then the kids got to the pros and make millions", but very few college players ever get to the pros.

The 20 Highest-Paid Coaches In College Football - Business Insider

dec 3 2014
As television revenue increases for conferences and the NCAA, and demand increases for schools to compete for national championships, salaries for the head coaches are skyrocketing.

So it is not surprising that the most successful coach in college football, Nick Saban, tops the list.

Using data compiled by USAToday.com, here are the highest-paid college football players.

#1 Nick Saban, Alabama — $7.2 million

#2 Mark Dantonio, Michigan State — $5.6 million

#3 Bob Stoops, Oklahoma — $5.1 million

#20 Bret Bielema, Arkansas — $3.2 million

 

[ShootSpeeders]

These schools are exploiting the kids something terrible. They're worse than child molesters.

 

[August West]

Furthermore, a coach can leave the school at any time abandoning the players that he recruited and made promises to but a player changing schools has to sit out a year. This POS informed his players of his departure with a text.

Todd Graham - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

 

[Oldstyle]

College coaches are not amateurs. Why wouldn't they be paid? As for what they ARE paid? I'm not arguing that head coaches at big programs make way too much money but just to put it in perspective your average head coach probably put in decades as a Grad Assistant coach, Positions Coach and Coordinator before they hit the Head Coaching jackpot.

I've got a college friend named Steve Spagnuolo who went into coaching and ended up as an NFL head coach making millions but for close to 30 years he worked his ass off in some very low prestige jobs making diddly for money.

Massachusetts
(Graduate Assistant)
Washington Redskins
(Player Personnel Intern)
Lafayette
(Def. Line/Special Teams Coach)
Connecticut
(Defensive Backs Coach)
Connecticut
(Def. Coordinator/DB Coach)
Barcelona Dragons
(Def. Line/Special Teams Coach)
Maine
(Defensive Backs Coach)
Maine
(Def. Coordinator/LB Coach)
Rutgers University
(Defensive Backs Coach)
Bowling Green University
(Defensive Backs Coach)
Frankfurt Galaxy
(Def. Coordinator/LB Coach)
Philadelphia Eagles
(Defensive Assistant)
Philadelphia Eagles
(Defensive Backs Coach)
Philadelphia Eagles
(Linebackers coach)
New York Giants
(Defensive Coordinator)
St. Louis Rams
(Head Coach)

That's pretty common for football coaches. It's a transitory life that's hell on your family life. Another of my college friends who became a coach is on marriage #6. Trust me, coaching has it's up side but it's also got some MAJOR drawbacks!

 

[PredFan]

Why? Because a good coach can bring in many many times more revenue to the school than they pay him.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Highest paid public employees, by state -

There are at least three problems.

1. Coaches don't generate revenue on their own; you could make the exact same case for the student-athletes who actually play the game and score the points and fracture their legs.
2. It can be tough to attribute this revenue directly to the performance of the head coach. In 2011-2012, Mack Brown was paid $5 million to lead a mediocre 8-5 Texas team to the Holiday Bowl. The team still generated $103.8 million in revenue, the most in college football. You don't have to pay someone $5 million to make college football profitable in Texas.
3. This revenue rarely makes its way back to the general funds of these universities. Looking at data from 2011-2012, athletic departments at 99 major schools lost an average of $5 million once you take out revenue generated from "student fees" and "university subsidies." If you take out "contributions and donations"—some of which might have gone to the universities had they not been lavished on the athletic departments—this drops to an average loss of $17 million, with just one school (Army) in the black. All this football/basketball revenue is sucked up by coach and AD salaries, by administrative and facility costs, and by the athletic department's non-revenue generating sports; it's not like it's going to microscopes and Bunsen burners.

 

[ShootSpeeders]

Why? Because a good coach can bring in many many times more revenue to the school than they pay him.

Stupid jackass. That's even more true of the players. You don't even understand what this thread is about.

 

[pismoe]

I'm not a sports fan but seems to me that in a 'Free' country a coach can sell whatever skill or B.S. that he has for whatever he can get !! Sports fans pay big money to go to games , schools and coaches get their cut and in my opinion that cut for coaches is whatever the market will bear. I think it works like that's but as I say , I don't follow sports .

 

[ShootSpeeders]

College coaches are not amateurs. Why wouldn't they be paid? !

Make up your mind. You can't say "It's an amateur sport so the players don't get paid. But it's a pro sport so the coaches do."

THINK

 

[ShootSpeeders]

I'm not a sports fan but seems to me that in a 'Free' country a coach can sell whatever skill or B.S. that he has for whatever he can get !! Sports fans pay big money to go to games , schools and coaches get their cut and in my opinion that cut for coaches is whatever the market will bear. I think it works like that's but as I say , I don't follow sports .

Fine but why doesn't that same logic apply to the players - the ones doing the work and drawing the fans and enduring the injuries? Why aren't they paid what the market will bear.? THINK

 

[Oldstyle]

College coaches are not amateurs. Why wouldn't they be paid? !

Make up your mind. You can't say "It's an amateur sport so the players don't get paid. But it's a pro sport so the coaches do."

THINK

The players in a way do get paid. Let's say you're a student attending USC. Your tuition, room and board for a year is going to run you about $60,000. If you attend college on a football scholarship then none of that is coming out of pocket which means you are essentially being paid that amount to play football at USC.

 

[Oldstyle]

You're also being trained to take that next step towards possibly becoming a pro player. What is that training worth if it results in a ten million dollar a year contract to play in the NFL?

 

[Oldstyle]

And as an added bonus you're getting an education not to mention becoming part of a network that could very well provide contacts that could be used even if you DON'T ever play in the pros. Alumni of schools who love their sports also have a fond place in their hearts for those who represented their school and they hire ex-players all the time for positions not related to football.

 

[pismoe]

I think that 'Old Style' said it pretty good 'SSpeeders' plus I thought that college sports was amateur . Just my opinion , last football game I watched was in the early 60s on Thanksgiving . I watched a whole ten minutes of Green Bay versus whoever it was !! Personally , I think that college would be better off without sports except for a good Rifle shooting / marksmen program . Same for High School !!

 

[SmarterThanTheAverageBear]

The kids do the actual work and they are "paid" a $20,000 a year scholarship. Some will say "but then the kids got to the pros and make millions", but very few college players ever get to the pros.

The 20 Highest-Paid Coaches In College Football - Business Insider

dec 3 2014
As television revenue increases for conferences and the NCAA, and demand increases for schools to compete for national championships, salaries for the head coaches are skyrocketing.

So it is not surprising that the most successful coach in college football, Nick Saban, tops the list.

Using data compiled by USAToday.com, here are the highest-paid college football players.

#1 Nick Saban, Alabama — $7.2 million

#2 Mark Dantonio, Michigan State — $5.6 million

#3 Bob Stoops, Oklahoma — $5.1 million

#20 Bret Bielema, Arkansas — $3.2 million

Where in the world can you attend college for $20K a year?

 

[SmarterThanTheAverageBear]

And as an added bonus you're getting an education not to mention becoming part of a network that could very well provide contacts that could be used even if you DON'T ever play in the pros. Alumni of schools who love their sports also have a fond place in their hearts for those who represented their school and they hire ex-players all the time for positions not related to football.

And most of the time, those players aren't even qualified to get into college if they didn't play sports.

 

[M14 Shooter]

The kids do the actual work and they are "paid" a $20,000 a year scholarship. Some will say "but then the kids got to the pros and make millions", but very few college players ever get to the pros.

Sports, especially football, bring a lot of money to a university.
Good teams bring more money.
Good coaches create good teams.
Good coaches cost money.

 

[SmarterThanTheAverageBear]

The kids do the actual work and they are "paid" a $20,000 a year scholarship. Some will say "but then the kids got to the pros and make millions", but very few college players ever get to the pros.

Sports, especially football, bring a lot of money to a university.
Good teams bring more money.
Good coaches create good teams.
Good coaches cost money.

Something else to consider , big schools use winning football and mens basketball teams to pay for every other sport. No other sports even pay for themselves. So if you dont have a football coach who can win and bring in the money, you won't be able to fund the women's volleyball team.

 

[MXdad]

It's the free market your worth what the market will bear. Some think that many professions are overpaid however it's what the market will bear. Many think folks in my profession are over paid. Why should I be compensated as much as many of the doctors I sell to when they went to med school and have all the risk of the procedure. It's simple I'm in demand and the market says im worth a large check. On another level my company feels I'm a great investment.

Free market

 

[RoshawnMarkwees]

....Have we got a college? Have we got a football team?....Well we can't afford both. Tomorrow we start tearing down the college.

Grouch Marx, Horsefeathers