Highest paid public employee by state

[pokerfan]

[exboyfil]

1. The Dakotas have their priorities straight

I hate how my state lists the football coach. In our football coach's case, the regent's tried to utilize some oversight but were promptly shot down by the rabid fan base. Those very same fans, including a noted sports "reporter" are now calling for Ferentz's scalp. The problem is that his mutiyear deal will put a real pinch on the sports budget for Iowa.

[elleng]

2. This shows us to be a very sad culture.

[NightWatcher]

3. It has been a week or so since this picture was posted....

Like it or not, these coaches bring in a lot of money to the state universities and as a result get paid a lot of money. Sure, we should be paying a third grade music teacher a lot more, but she doesn't bring in millions a year for the schools.

[okaawhatever]

6. Agreed. While many don't like the athletic programs, the fact is they bring in tons of money for the

schools. I only wish more of it went to the players for their well being.

[pokerfan]

10. Endless apologies

Neil deGrasse Tyson ‏tweeted it just an hour ago and that's where I saw it. Yes, college athletics bring in money but in most cases not enough money to offset their expenses.

Myth: College Sports Are a Cash Cow

Most NCAA Division I athletic departments take subsidies

[LittleBlue]

11. The link you just posted stated clearly that football funds itself

and has money left over for the other sports that generate big losses.

The problem is not football. Without football, the athletic departments would have to rely wholly on diverting money from education.

[pokerfan]

12. for some schools....

Only seven other athletics programs at public universities broke even or had net operating income on athletics each year from 2005-2009, according to data provided by USA Today to the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics (for which I consult). The others were Louisiana State University, The Pennsylvania State University, and the universities of Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas at Austin.

In other words, 10 programs will have a net income of $9 million, and the remaining 990 will lose $1 million. Despite the almost certainty of substantial loss, in the past decade only two institutions have left this marketplace—Birmingham-Southern College and Centenary College of Louisiana. In fact, Division I has added 21 member institutions since 2000, bringing its total membership to 337.

[LittleBlue]

14. That's after the unprofitable sports take their chunk from the football

profits.

In other words, football makes the profits and the sports nobody watches spends those profits, which for all but about a dozen schools ultimately generates a loss.

If football is done away with, virtually all athletic departments would need to shut down or beg for millions more from either the general fund at the schools or from the legislature.

[Sgent]

15. Yes but the knight report

is dealing with total athletic expenditures / revenues, not football revenues / expenditures.

I'm not saying its 100%, but I'd be hard pressed to think of very many division I teams which lose money in football. Men's football and basketball make money, baseball might make money depending on the school, everything else loses money.

If you take away the football and basketball revenue, you either severely restrict the athletic department or require a lot more in subsidies from academics.

[pokerfan]

16. "Even in football and men’s basketball, the numbers aren’t exactly stunning."

Even in football and men’s basketball, the numbers aren’t exactly stunning. According to 2010 research by University of Oregon PhD student Christopher Lee, only 57 percent of college football programs are profitable. And the numbers are the same for collegiate basketball: only 57 percent of them make money.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/blog/the_profit_in_college_sports.php

[joeglow3]

17. Stunning to justify the graph

One only needs to look at the states that are not blue and can quickly identify which person is highest paid. One can also quickly see these people are clearly making a lot of money for their role.

[Sgent]

19. Fair enough

that's better research than I've seen -- although it uses statistics that are 10 years old (2004-2009). That said, the 57% number should put all AQ (BCS) schools in the black, and more than a few of the mid-majors. The salaries that we are seeing are coming from AQ schools.

[Fred Sanders]

4. And if Jock Coach is not number 1, it is number 2 no doubt.....priorities....bet in China it is not.

[ck4829]

5. Bread and circuses... well, maybe not so much bread because that would be "SOCIALISM"

But circuses, lots and lots of circuses with flashy lights and funny commercials.

[Boom Sound 416]

7. The schools don't pay the coaches. Sorry.

[LittleBlue]

8. Ummm those football programs fund the athletic department

at most of those schools. Even after what they pay coaches, they are hugely profitable and the excess funds unpopular sports. Football is also the reason for big donors build campus infrastructure and put money into the athletics department.

[LordGlenconner]

9. Good points

But at DU everyone who laces up a pair of football cleats is either a rapist, or a rapist waiting to happen. The sport is deeply unpopular with many here for that reason. That said, you speak the truth.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

13. Priorities aside, are people with the tools to be successful coaches that scarce a commodity?

[joeglow3]

18. It is a unique set of skills

both on the field and off (working with 100 18-22 year olds).

[W.J. McCabe]

20. Our priorities...

are completely fucked.