Sad Day

[starsnuffer]

I remember when Cal Berkeley dropped Baseball, woman's lacrosse, rugby, and gymnastics a year or two ago. It's not just the small schools.

-W

 

[Elk Grove Hurricane]

Temple was actually doing well in football with AL Golden. Sad they couldn't continue to improve, the money is obviously in football in college sports and that's why everyone (think Savannah State, South Alabama, Texas San Antonio, etc.) want to play D1A football. They are getting squeezed now because their new conference gets little money from TV, and it will be hard to compete. Starsnuffer: Berkeley never actually dropped those sports, they found alumni donations to make up the difference in their budget and keep those sports. But your point is still well taken, it may be happening less frequently in the future with all the TV money the power conferences are getting.
The smaller conferences are going to continue dropping sports I fear. I actually heard the Asst. SEC commissioner say with no giggles that the new College football playoff will benefit the Sun Belt Conference, but please, the competitive disadvantages will grow astronomically now.

 

[James Smith]

I am more concerned with HS and below dropping sports then colleges, you do not have a lot of choices for HS and below.

It sounds like Temple is doing the best they can for their current athletes, lousy situation to be put in for the vast majority of them.

 

[CoreSoftball20]

Football is the biggest money maker in college and you don't have to be a good team to make money. So for the most part, football will never be cut, nor should it.

 

[JAD]

Money generating sports (typically football and basketball) are subsidizing the non-money generating sports at most colleges and universities. If the football and basketball teams are operating in the "red", there is a good chance substantial cuts in the athletic department budget are forthcoming.

 

[redhotcoach]

Just interesting that they, Temple, have to "budget cut" sports and the football hc makes $1.2mil a year...

If they capped the top 10 paid public officials in the country (college football coaches) to a salary of $2 MILLLLLION dollars per year...just those 10... that would put $22.5 million dollars back into the system.

Pat Murphy's salary is $180,000
Nick Saban's salary is $5,540,000.

Football is big business yes, but is one government employee coaching a sport at the same school worth 30 times more than a coach in another sport? Private owned business, sure, pay whatever, that is your business, but there are only about 10 professional team coaches that make more than Saban, and he is our business (public), or at least should be. Especially in "these times".

I watched that documentary again last night. Adrian Foster of the Houston Texans is in it. He said of his time at Tennessee. "I would spend hours at a table signing autographs...people lined up for blocks...I was a celebrity...then I walked back to my 9X9 ft dorm room and opened my refrigerator and had nothing to eat. Fulmer (head coach) drove home to his mansion in his new $100k lexus."
Foster admits in the show to taking money on the side in his senior year. Said basically people were making millions of dollars off his labor, and he couldn't afford food or rent...said that 5 of them went to the coach one time and said they are hungry, had not eatin in a while. Coach went and bought them tacos...a ncaa violation...that player's would forever be labeled a cheat and "the bad guy" for.

I just think they (ncaa and football coaches) could spread the wealth. They can still be millionaires. Still be the highest paid public employees in the world. Just don't need to make $1-$6 million per year in a business (public university sports), built on the labor of unpaid employees...a business as a whole, that has to make "budget cuts".

I think the ncaa and public universities are going to have to make some big time changes, are it is all going to come crashing down.

 

[SoCal_Dad]

Just interesting that they, Temple, have to "budget cut" sports and the football hc makes $1.2mil a year...

If they capped the top 10 paid public officials in the country (college football coaches) to a salary of $2 MILLLLLION dollars per year...just those 10... that would put $22.5 million dollars back into the system.

Pat Murphy's salary is $180,000
Nick Saban's salary is $5,540,000.

There is a big difference between a coach's salary and their total compensation. USA Today breaks down their income as "School Pay" and "Other Pay".

SCHOOL PAY: Base salary; income from contract provisions other than base salary that are paid, or guaranteed, by the university or affiliated organizations, such as a foundation. Examples include payments in consideration for: shoe and apparel use; television, radio or other media appearances; personal appearances.

The base salary, especially at public universities, is typically a relatively small piece of their compensation. Nick Saban's pay history demonstrates this as USA Today's definitions apparently changed in 2010.
- 2013: School $5.4mil, Other $150k
- 2009: School $225k, Other $3.675mil

The bulk of the big money is coming from outside the university and it only comes for the high profile coaches and/or programs. Capping coaches' compensation won't redirect that money back into the system. It will only give the private universities a huge edge.

 

[redhotcoach]

The school's board of trustees approved the contracts of both head coach Nick Saban and defensive coordinator Kirby Smart on Tuesday afternoon, agreeing to pay them $5.62 million and $1.28 million per year, respectively.

New athletic director Bill Battle's four-year deal worth $620,000 annually plus bonuses for academic and on-field achievements was also approved. He gets free use of a university plane for 25 hours each year.

The board also approved raises to offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier ($680,000 from $590,000), defensive line coach Chris Rumph ($360,000 from $310,000), linebackers coach Lance Thompson ($400,000 from $375,000), tight ends/special teams coach Bobby Williams ($400,000 from $350,000) and running backs coach Burton Burns ($315,000 from $290,000).

Additionally, two-year contracts of three new assistants were approved: Offensive line coach Mario Cristobal will make $475,000 in base salary while wide receivers coach/recruiting coordinator Billy Napier and defensive backs coach Greg Brown are set to make $300,000 each.

Strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran received a $25,000 raise, bringing his annual salary to $350,000.

New director of player personnel Kevin Steele's two-year contract was approved at $200,000 per year.

Bama contract salaries. So the tight ends coach makes more than twice as much as the head softball coach

 

[SoCal_Dad]

I watched that documentary again last night. Adrian Foster of the Houston Texans is in it. He said of his time at Tennessee. "I would spend hours at a table signing autographs...people lined up for blocks...I was a celebrity...then I walked back to my 9X9 ft dorm room and opened my refrigerator and had nothing to eat. Fulmer (head coach) drove home to his mansion in his new $100k lexus."

Foster admits in the show to taking money on the side in his senior year. Said basically people were making millions of dollars off his labor, and he couldn't afford food or rent...said that 5 of them went to the coach one time and said they are hungry, had not eatin in a while. Coach went and bought them tacos...a ncaa violation...that player's would forever be labeled a cheat and "the bad guy" for.

I call BS on Foster blaming the univ/NCAA for not being able to afford food or rent - they're given the choice between living on campus or receiving money to live off campus. Like any other student-athlete, choosing the latter means having to manage their money. They can't blow it on other things (e.g. bling, clothes, tattoos, entertainment, etc.) and then complain they can't afford food/rent.

I am sympathetic to players that miss meals due to their class/workout schedule. I also feel that players should be compensated for autographs and endorsements, but it is very difficult to structure so boosters can't abuse it.

 

[SoCal_Dad]

Bama contract salaries. So the tight ends coach makes more than twice as much as the head softball coach

Saban will make nearly $45 million over eight years in base salary ($245,000) and what Alabama calls "talent fees." The contract represents a $500,000 raise in talent fees plus longevity pay and the built-in raises.

Saban's base salary is $245,000. Most of the rest is "talent fees" that are a means to circumvent limits on base salary. You may think it's semantics, but it demonstrates they'll do whatever is necessary to pay market rates. If you close the "talent fees" loophole, they'll go back to having the outside money paid directly to the coach instead of running it through the university.

The disparity in coaches pay is simply their market rates and that is largely due to the amount of money each sport generates (or doesn't). If you really want to change things for non-revenue sports like softball, you need to increase the money it generates which requires increasing their popularity and ratings.

Another factor on a coach's market rate is professional sports. Colleges have to offer competitive pay to the NFL, NBA and somewhat MLB. Softball coaches don't similar pressure on their market rate.

Murphy was actually paid $240k in 2013 ($200k base + $40k talent). He got $225k in 2012 ($180k + $45k)

The baseball coach gets $300k ($200k + $100k) and the womens gymnastic coach $330k ($245k + $85k, 6 national championships including 2011 and 2012).