Coach Who??
After last year’s almost victory in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament it is understandable that the average Memphian is upset. Not only did the Tigers get eliminated in 2009’s march madness way too early (Thanks Mizzou), it’s a big blow that Coach Cal (Calipari) announces leaving the team only days after the upset to go work for…. of all places, Kentucky. The state where “the Colonel” supposedly invented fried chicken (or at least a secret recipe for it). John Calipari is leaving Memphis behind for what is rumored to be a five million dollar a year contract.
Excuse me?? Five million dollars a year? For a college basketball coach? Home of the Tigers, the University of Memphis, even tried persuading him to stay with an even bigger offer! What is wrong with this image?
I enjoy college sports (unlike Don Imus who called the NCAA women’s champs “nappy headed hoes”) but I don’t enjoy it five million a years worth! From personal experience I know (although that could be considered personal opinion) that the UoM internship program is badly mismanaged. I offered several internships to this city’s brightest students only to find out (on 3 separate occasions) that the student in question wasn’t even qualified to apply. Who checks this stuff? Not the Basketball coach! He is too busy managing his assets!
Coach Cal accepted a transfer to a five million dollar a year contract, making him the best paid college basketball coach in history. Good for him, I wish I made that kind of money! But let’s face it… There are 65 teams entering the NCAA tournament each year. Let’s assume that the other coaches get only one fifth of Cal’s money, that is 65 million dollars a year that universities pay that is NOT going towards education. I wonder how many bright students I could give a full scholarship to one of this nation’s Ivy League school with that kinda budget!
And I am wondering why I can’t get qualified people to work for me? Stop crying about losing your coach Memphis. Maybe a book and some proper health care is a little bit better investment in your future then an orange ball we try to throw into a netted hoop!
March 31st, 2009 at 4:42 pm
As a student from U. Memphis, I have to say that there is a flipside to the money issue. It’s not just dollars being spent on basketball. Money comes in to the University as a result of basketball. And that money supports the academic side of the house. Not to mention the fact that national attention garnered by the Tigers basketball team puts us on the map for lots of students across the country. It’s not simply an unjustified expense for the school - it’s more of an investment in our development.
Yes, 5 million dollars is a lot of money. And people are especially sensitive to the issue during this economic mess. But don’t pretend that this is equivalent to an AIG or auto industry bailout.
At the same time, your situation with Memphis interns does not surprise me. There are a lot of under performing students coming in to the school. But where do you think some of these students went to high school or middle school? Right here in Memphis City Schools. The entire situation is a mess, but it would be unfair for University of Memphis to be pinpointed as the faulty cog.
I say we keep our heads up, mend the remaining pieces of our basketball program, and look forward to future opportunities.
March 31st, 2009 at 4:59 pm
The university admitted the students, at that point it no longer matters where they went to high school. I blame the Univ. for giving me candidates that don’t qualify. If a university needs a sports program to attract bright students, they are doing something wrong. I don’t hear MIT bragging about their football team! Instead I hear them bragging about innovations they made…
The students I am talking about trying to enter my internship program were not under-qualified. They were all perfectly capable of performing the tasks I laid out for them. My beef is with the fact that a 1st semester CS student doesn’t get told she can’t apply for an internship until semester #2. She is allowed to apply anyway and after I am ready to offer the position she is told she needs to pull out. Her high school diploma has got nothing to do with wasting my (and her) time…
April 2nd, 2009 at 9:16 am
I agree that there is value in a sports program. I fully understand that a good sports program provides income for the school. I also know that most of a coach’s salary is not paid by the school but rather by outside contracts. Advertisement, endorsements, etc… But it seems odd to me that boosters would pay these amounts of money when they could pump that same dollar amount into the inner-city schools where the money is needed much worse…
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Gelukkig maak je je druk over een centenkwestie, ik dacht even dat je je voor sport intereseerde.