The top 5 highest paid state employees are all from athletic teams
Can anyone explain to me why the top 5 highest paid state employees are all from the athletic sector. The University of Washingtons Steve Sarkisian, Head Football coach, and Lorenzo Romar, Head of Mens Basketball, are one and two on the list. Sarkisian makes 2.4 million while Lorenzo Romar makes 1.2 million dollars. The other three coaches were from Washington State University Ken Bone ($840,408 a yr)Head ,Basketball coach, Paul Wulff ($827,165) Head Football coach, and Nicolas Holt ($672,518) Asst Football coach. As a former athlete who played basketball for Lorenzo Romar, as well as Ken Bone I understand the role that coaches play. However, I never understood why coaches earned so much money especially when student athletes earn next to nothing and do all the strenuous work. Lets take a further look at University of Washingtons athletic program.
In 2011 University of Washington paid its coaching staffs a total of $27,136,443 dollars. In comparison student athletes altogether received nearly $9 million dollars from the athletic department for tuition and other student services. How is it possible that 86 coaches/staff members take in 38% of the 70 million dollars in revenue the athletic department earned, while the students who outnumber the coaches on the football team alone only make up 11% of the spending? Who do people go and see at these athletic events, The players or the coaches? Just last week the Basketball team put on a Alumni game showcasing players who have played for Romar over the last ten years. The event was sold out. I point this out only to say that Romar was not coaching, in fact the coaches were not the ones being celebrated by the fans, but rather the players. Fans pay big money for tickets to watch players, yet the coaches, along with Athletic Directors are the ones who profit. The majority of money being made by the athletic program is by the football team, with basketball coming in a very distant second. Money earned by the football team mainly as a result of ticket sales, and rights and licensing subsidize all the other athletic programs within the department. So football players are responsible for not only the well being of its own coaching staff, but the coaches of all the other sports, as well. Why aren’t we compensating if not all athletes at least the football players for their services. Why aren’t coaches fighting for players to receive compensation when they themselves reap the benefits of their players hard labor?