Topic: Economics
College Sports Is ALWAYS About The Money Why is so much money lavished on college sports for even the worst programs?by Master C
(liberal)
Friday, September 26, 2008
Pardon me for a moment while I gag on some of the recent remarks of college football coaches. Several commented that the scheduling of games and other decisions of their conferences were implemented because "It's all about the money." Isn't that about as obvious as Tiger Woods saying that golf is all about putting?
Of course, it's all about the money! It's about time these coaches realized that. College athletics is about very little else. Of course, you have the men and women who actually compete in athletics who get lessons in sportsmanship, the benefits of hard work, discipline, fitness, and even some admirable travel opportunities, but for everyone else, it's all about the money. Unfortunately, it's not about the INflow of money, it's about the OUTflow.
Coaches of the major college sports make more money than almost anyone else on the campuses where they work. And, even that isn't enough to keep them from leaving their beloved programs for more lucrative jobs if they have a winning season and someone waves a wad of cash their way. The contracts they have are as easily broken as a teenager's curfew, so they just move on with that feigned expression of regret as they step up to the teller window to make that first deposit.
Then, there are hundreds of thousands of others who depend upon college sports for their jobs from the athletic director and staff, to the newspaper, radio, magazine, and television broadcasting teams, the equipment suppliers, fitness coaches, dietary experts, travel coordinators, stadium builders and turf providers -- not just for the major sports but for the most arcane as well. Who believes that golf, gymnastics, swimming, wrestling, track, cross country, tennis, softball, hockey, ice dancing, baseball, volleyball, or soccer bring in enough revenue to even pay the coach's salary let alone the cost of scholarships, equipment, travel expenses, facilities upkeep, and the cost of electricity?
The two major revenue-producing sports at most colleges -- football and men's basketball -- don't bring in enough money to support even their own programs let alone all the others that are part of the cash cornucopia that is spent on those who participate in athletics but are only a tiny percentage of the college's total enrollment.
Wouldn't the academic departments or student facilities all benefit from the millions of dollars spent so lavishly on this pittance of students in ways that would have a much greater impact on society and student recruitment?
Wouldn't many more students be influenced by lower tuition rates or better classroom facilities than would ever be influenced by the ranking of a college's golf or baseball team. And, do you suppose there are any non-athletes anywhere who would actually put the quality of the basketball or football teams at the top of their list of criteria for college? If so, how would Harvard and Yale ever survive?
This doesn't mean that college athletics should be discontinued, it just means that the cost of stadiums, arenas, equipment, coach's salaries, travel costs, scholarships, maintenance for these facilities, and the fawning adulation of newspapers, magazines, television, and radio -- for even the worst programs -- should be brought into perspective. Let these so-called "student-athletes" pay to play like the math, English, biology, and economics students have to if they want to take a field trip or recruit a guest speaker. Let them wash cars and have a raffle, or raise ticket prices to reflect the real cost to put on these extravaganzas. How many "fans" do you suppose these programs would have if ticket prices had to pay for the total cost of putting on these contests? Would the baseball team still go to Florida for spring training, or the basketball team go to Hawaii to be in that tournament?
College athletics are also a cash cow for coaches, athletic staffs, facilities contractors, equipment suppliers, and those who provide travel accommodations for them. And to say that it's also providing an education for this tiny group of student-athletes is like saying that postal workers need limos to deliver the mail!
Yes, it's all about the money. But, it's how it's being wasted that makes it so disappointing.
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The views expressed in this
article are those of Master C only and do not represent
the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Master C is
solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an
employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
Solution is easy. If you don't like it, then don't watch sports and don't buy sporting event tickets. I don't like it either so I chose to not participate in such things.
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