OTish - WaPo story on Athletic departments out of control spending.
December 30th, 2015 at 11:20 AM ^
Of course, fans get hit with highter ticket and parking prices to offset the increased wage expense for positions that are not even necessary.
December 30th, 2015 at 11:29 AM ^
December 30th, 2015 at 11:38 AM ^
The Washington Post is far worse than the contents of our cat's litter box.
December 30th, 2015 at 11:54 AM ^
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December 30th, 2015 at 12:39 PM ^
I think the national and international coverage are top notch, not quite as expansive as NYT, but better overall on political coverage. I can't speak to the entertainment, sports, or local sections as I don't read those.
Because you don't agree with the editorial staff's politics doesn't make a newspaper a rag, that's a standard brainless political trope.
December 30th, 2015 at 11:35 AM ^
I think it's hard to find an AD staff that can make profitable and attractive product. There are only about 20 FBS schools that are able to pull this off. Without a strong Football program it's damn near impossible. What are schools supposed to do? The market rate for a great football coach is 3 million+ not including the assistants. The salary problem is societal, ADs aren't any different than any other business.
http://www.politifact.com/virginia/statements/2014/dec/22/jim-moran/mor…
December 30th, 2015 at 11:49 AM ^
December 30th, 2015 at 7:29 PM ^
December 30th, 2015 at 7:36 PM ^
December 30th, 2015 at 11:39 AM ^
Athletics are meant for competition and to bring out the best in the players. We, the fans, all want to see and support a winner and departments are forced by us to be creative in fielding a winner. Until fans start placing less of emphasis on college athletics and look for something else to gauge our interests then these athletic departments will have to engage in their own competitions.
December 30th, 2015 at 11:56 AM ^
No way, you have it backward. The money race is not being forced by the fans, it is being forced upon the fans. We were just as passionate before the external greed decended upon us.
December 30th, 2015 at 7:27 PM ^
December 30th, 2015 at 12:12 PM ^
Money is ultimately toxic to soul.
December 30th, 2015 at 12:16 PM ^
December 30th, 2015 at 12:29 PM ^
There have actually been quite a few peer reviewed studies on the subject of happiness recently that have shown that beyond having enough money to meet your basic needs (shelter, food, family..) money does not make you happier. In fact social happiness decreases beyond critical income levels.
Biggie was right. Mo money, mo problems.
December 30th, 2015 at 3:04 PM ^
I would say in the modern era the number is about what, maybe $70,000 (obviously tons of factors)? Beyond that there is incrementally more comfort and fun for sure but there is also a lot more distraction and likely more stress from an occupation that pays handsomely. Time is money as they say; I personally read that as: with more time I got Mo Money. Money living that is.
Of course I live in an old miner's cabin on the flanks of the Continental Divide; perhaps not for everyone but great for me; hell, I am about to go out for a ski tour right now. Bottom line: to each their own but focus on what counts and use the dollar, don't be used by the dollar.
For me what counts is the longstanding passionate tradition of Michigan Football. Dollars play no role in that, in fact they often distract from it. Maryland. Rutgers.
December 30th, 2015 at 11:53 AM ^
Spending is out of control, but I don't see the "oh, the poor athletes" argument.
It is the athletes that beneift most from this outrageous spending.
You'll retort with "Look at the coaches salaries, look at the admin salaries."
Most coaches and admins are former athletes. Student athletes aren't just getting a scholarship, world class facilities to eat, sleep, play and train in, free food and clothing, world class training, bowl game gift bags with $350 Best Buy gift cards. They are also getting unique "internships" in college athletics. They are getting experience that could open doors later on.
Regular students and recent-grads take on poorly paying jobs all the time if it means that it could open doors later.
Yes, spending is out of control, but I really tire of notion that these athletes are beign taken advantage of.
December 30th, 2015 at 1:48 PM ^
Thats why the NCAA is so anti-capitalism. But instead run by the guys at the top getting rich offof everyone else. Its really akin to communism, in a way.
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December 30th, 2015 at 4:36 PM ^
If the NCAA wasn't "anti-capitalism" then we would only have football and men's basketball. That would literally be it. No hockey (even if a few teams are in the black, not enough for competition), no baseball, no softball, no soccer. No anything else. I don't want to live in that world.
I'd argue that an average football player that is unknown outside his team's fanbase is getting full market value, if not more. It's the top 1-3% that might not be getting full market value. For those, I say let them benefit financially from their likeness and autographs. I feel that's an easy fix and is fair.
December 30th, 2015 at 7:25 PM ^
December 30th, 2015 at 3:04 PM ^
The university is a corporation. At both the athletic and academic levels.
Tuition has increased (as student loan debt passes 1.2 Trillion --can't claim bankruptcy btw), uni administrators and coach salaries have sky-rocketed, and diversity has actually DECREASED at Michigan since the 1990s.
However, universities like UM are more profitable than ever. At the expense of the middle-class american people and debt.
It's not all the colleges or Michigan in particular. It has to do with the United States particular brand of capitalism and economic system (corruption/de-regulation/DC-to-Wall-Street/uninformed American voters), and it's underlying logic.
In short, the spending is there because the profits justify it.
End of story.
That's what capital markets do. (which isn't inherently good or bad)
And this is one of the most fundamental shortcomings of capitalism (not that I'm against capitalism as a whole--but it's funny I feel the need to append that), i.e. the ends justify the means, i.e. morality and ideals are thrown by the wayside.
It can have terrible consequences (and often does).
December 30th, 2015 at 7:15 PM ^
December 30th, 2015 at 2:57 PM ^
double
December 30th, 2015 at 3:15 PM ^
what will be the impact? I've read articles with various views on what might happen with changes regarding cable TV packages and what not, but not so much on how it will impact the incomes and cashflows of athletic programs. I'd assume it would be hard on every program, devastating to ones spending money to build their programs to elite status. Will we simply see less stadium- and facility-building projects, a reduction in non-revenue sports, or perhaps the scrapping of football programs at smaller schools?
I'll take my answer off the air.
December 30th, 2015 at 7:05 PM ^