Calipari's contract

by theoldman on Apr 1, 2009 2:14 PM EDT Comment 15 comments

I love college basketball with the same passion that most people at this site share. I revel in it each season; I have vanity over the fact that I once played the game. But even I can't ignore the problems manifest in college basketball, problems revealed by a cursory examination of Cal's new contract.

Base salary of $400,000 grand a year with $3.3 million for broadcasting and endorsement the first year; $3.4 million the following four years; $2.85 million the following three years. He get's even more if he wins the SEC, goes to the Sweet Sixteen or Final Four, or wins the national title.

Now here's the sad part: If his players meet "certain academic standards," he'll get an extra $50,000. Chump change; pocket money. Fifty grand compared to millions. Fifty grand for getting his kids to go to class, which, by damned, should be a part of any coach's friggin' job description.

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True...

but its all about winning no matter where your at.

by ihateukul on Apr 1, 2009 2:33 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

this is my big gripe with the mandatory 1 year college rule

college athletes are STUDENT-athletes. while education should certainly be the foremost thing, in our current set up, most kids and colleges just want to win at any costs.

at least there is something in his contract about that..

by jesco29 on Apr 1, 2009 3:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

50K for getting them to attend classes

thats funny..and all this time I thought they went for an education.

by twistedwedge on Apr 1, 2009 6:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The basketball team doesn't make more money if they go to class.

It’s simple really. If they win an SEC championship, they are worth more to the media, more t-shirts get sold, etc. Even more so if they go further in the NCAA tournament. Unless several donors step up and promise $30 million dollars to the team if they average a 3.5 GPA, you’re not going to see a coach get a significant amount of money for getting them to go to class. That’s the system, and that’s how it is everywhere.

by Dais on Apr 1, 2009 6:54 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

This

He’s getting paid to win games and generate revenue from basketball…not academia. I think it’s ludicrous that there’s an academic clause in a basketball coach’s contract. If using this logic, restrictions like this should be enforced more strictly in the players’ “contracts” or scholarships, if you will. The athlete’s personal responsibility trumps the coach’s responsibility in the classroom—the players know how much commitment is required and they can quit the game if it’s too hard for them to balance both class and ball. The players’ families have a much bigger responsibility in this regard than a basketball coach. Like others here, I was a 4-year collegiate athlete [at UK coincidentally] and the hectic schedule actually helped me balance the classwork more easily.

by UL is my hot hot sex on Apr 2, 2009 4:33 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Whoa

You were an athlete at UK and are a UofL fan? Nothing makes sense anymore.

by Dais on Apr 2, 2009 9:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I was basically given an offer I couldn't refuse to attend UK.

I grew up in the Ville & swear on my signed copy of Rebound Rules that I’ve only been in Rupp once when UL wasn’t playing and only worked concessions at Commonwealth Stadium during UK FB games…

by UL is my hot hot sex on Apr 2, 2009 2:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just out of curiostiy...

What sport did you play?

by anothermissed3byE5 on Apr 2, 2009 6:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

soccer, why?

by UL is my hot hot sex on Apr 3, 2009 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just curiosity, no real reason.

by anothermissed3byE5 on Apr 3, 2009 6:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Q

I don’t know how these kindsa things work, but where does this money come from?

by speedcard on Apr 1, 2009 7:11 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

General Athletic Fund.

Which includes money not only donated by boosters, but also money from proceeds collected from sporting events. That’s why coaches at more successful programs get paid more; because they create more revenue.

by CARD_G6 on Apr 1, 2009 7:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This isn't anything new...

Milt Wagner was here from ‘81-’86 and never got a degree.

In any case, the players that want to get an education (read: Will Scott) will do so. Most of the players that don’t want the education probably wouldn’t be in college if it weren’t for sports, so it’s not like they’re coming out behind. It’s just the way that it is.

by CARD_G6 on Apr 1, 2009 7:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

the real problem...

especially with the “one and dones,” is the unabashed exploitation of these so-called student-athletes. The millions paid to the coach may be somewhat deserved but it’s the players who are really bringing in the money. The tenets of amateurism are absurd and have ALWAYS been a means of exploiting athletes for the benefit of the suits. People like Miles Brand, making more money than any of the coaches, are simply hypocrites.

And a scholarship is not compensation, especially for kids who have no intention of going to class. Which is OK, by the way. I know it’s taboo to say that out loud, I know, but it is something that needs to be said. There is no reason to expect a kid with enormous talent on a basketball court to spend four years on a degree that will be utterly worthless to him. I have an academic talent, so I spent four years on a degree fitting my talent. Nobody would expect me to play basketball between classes, why do we expect basketball players to want to go to school between games?

Why don’t we give them the cash to pay for classes at the start of every school year? If they choose to pursue a degree they can spend the money on that. If not I see no reason they shouldn’t be able to spend the money they have earned on an Escalade or throwback jerseys or a crate full of beanie babies, whatever. There is even a chance they’ll spend it wisely.

Sorry about the ranting and excuse the slight Marxist overtones, but its an issue that gets my blood boiling every time. Amateurism is a joke, right?

by yawnz on Apr 7, 2009 9:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs