Coaches, Calipari Edition

So, yes, we hired Jon Calipari. For 2.9 million a year, plus a slew of benefits (cars, tickets, country club membership, camp profits, etc). Here is his employment contract, it is one of the more interesting I have ever read (who gets 3 million for wearing the right pair of shoes?). 

So, lots of people around the campus asked me what I thought about it (and why I had not posted yet - the blog is becoming more popular around here!), and my response is that I am mixed.

I like winning. My wife can tell you that I really get into the games and I am quickly becoming one of those crazed Kentucky fans that everyone talks about. On the other hand, as I have said earlier, I have serious legal reservations about schools being responsible for sports. And, on top of all that, I have concerns about money and priorities at the place that writes my checks. 

So, first, I don't have a problem with the money. Any academic department here would love to put that to good use, but the fact is that sports here at UK pays for itself and has money to spare, which winds up benefiting academics. The SEC and ESPN have a 2.25 billion dollar TV deal. Forbes ranked us #2 (to the Tar Heels) in the value of our basketball team and it said we have an operating income of 16 million dollars. Given our likely investment in a new arena, even that number is going to balloon in the coming years. So, it is not a money issue. Sports for UK is a financially profitable enterprise and that doesn't even count the value of having millions of kids in Kentucky and the nation wearing UK gear and helping us advertise our school. Sports benefit UK and winning helps in that regard. So, pay the man that runs the show (and it is a show ... pure entertainment ... UK basketball IS Kentucky's professional franchise). 

I also don't have a liability problem with this. Kids that get into big time college basketball know what they are doing and they know the risks. Also, although students do get hurt playing sports at UK, we have plenty of money to cover those risks.  

However, I do have a slight problem with the attention we pay to sports, though. We at the College of Ed. are in a Dean search right now (I am excited about our candidates) and the President of the University doesn't play much of a role as it is mostly handled out of the Provost's office. The Law School was also in a Dean search this year. The Dean of the College of Law and the College of Education at the flagship institution are incredibly important positions to the Commonwealth. These people are policymakers and their decisions affect everyone's future in the Commonwealth. We are literally educating governors in both of our Colleges (law)(education), yet these positions receive so much less attention. There are not reporters covering the candidate's front door to watch for someone to leave the house, for instance. And, it is not just that we pay less attention, it is also that we just flat pay less, period. The Dean of the College of Education oversees a 15 million dollar budget and the Dean of the College of Law oversees an 8 million dollar budget, yet these folks make only around $200,000 because there are no Nike contracts or ESPN deals. These people are just engaged in the hard work of actually preparing Kentucky's future and although there might not be television or corporate sponsors, one would think that our leadership would recognize this and commit to personally overseeing who fills those positions.   

This is sort of where I think we are missing the boat here.  What message are you sending teenagers in Kentucky right now? Our states #1 academic institution ... the best minds we got ... its #1 priority is sports. Talk about sending the wrong message to kids. Kentucky needs more doctors and lawyers and teachers and innovators and entrepenures, but the State just told all the kids in Kentucky that basketball is where it's at. 

Comments

[Kim Lake]

Morning, Justin, interesting post about Coach Calipari. Basketball is king in KY and that is a fact. The University of Kentucky does receive a lot of monetary benefits from it's storied basketball team. Did you know that the UK Athletics department was one of the main contributors to the building of UK's new library? The Athletics department contributed the majority of the monies to pay for the building of the William T. Young library. I'm also very sure that if you investigate further, that the Athletic department has paid for many additional facilities/programs at UK.
The culture in America is that sports is important, it has been that way for many years. Do I believe education should rank higher? Of course, I do! Do I want UK basketball to flourish and to rank in the top 10, again, YOU BET! I am an alumnus of UK and I want everything associated with UK to excel. I'm excited about Coach Calipari coming to the Commonwealth and I am looking forward to the 2009-2010 basketball season. In America today for my university to be one of the best, we have to find the best of the best....whether it be in academics and in sports. I am excited about UK basketball's future and do I want another title? Sure, maybe if the UK basketball program excels the education department will be a benefactor!! BRING IT ON!! Thanks!