Why college football and college basketball coaches are the highest-paid employees at universities
MID-NINETIES COMING UP.
>> LET'S TALK ABOUT THE NEW
HEAD COACH OF UNC MEN'S
BASKETBALL BECAUSE I KNOW THAT
A LOT OF YOU. JUST DON'T CARE
ABOUT THAT. ANDREA SAID WRAL
MAY BE OVERESTIMATING THE
UNIVERSAL INTEREST IN UNC
BASKETBALL. AND I GET THIS IF
IT'S NOT YOUR TEAM, WHY WOULD
YOU REALLY CARE WHAT'S
HAPPENING ON THE COURT? BUT
THIS STORY IS ABOUT MORE THAN
BASKETBALL BECAUSE IF YOU LIVE
AND WORK AND RAISE A FAMILY
IN THIS STATE, LAWMAKERS DON'T
CARE WHICH TEAM YOU LIKE ALL OF
US PAY FOR UNC. AND THIS NEW
COACH IS MAKING INSANE MONEY
TO COACHES. SPORT ROBERTS SAID
A COLLEGE BASKETBALL COACH
EARNING 50 MILLION OVER THE
NEXT 6 YEARS. WHILE EVERYONE
ELSE IS STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS
MEET. AND CHRISTINE SAID
50 MILLION DOLLARS FOR 6 YEARS,
RIDICULOUS AND OBSCENE. AND
IT'S REASONABLE TO SEE THAT
FIGURE IN THINK WHY ARE THE
HIGHEST-PAID EMPLOYEES AT A
PUBLIC UNIVERSITY AND PEOPLE
WHO COACH SPORT? I THINK I
KNOW. I KNOW. I THINK I LIKE
NOW. WELL, WELL, LOOK WHO IT
IS. MY LESS ATTRACTIVE TWIN
BROTHER, DON. GOOD TO BE BACK.
GREAT TO BE BACK TO WEARING, BY
THE WAY, NC STATE, UNC IN THE
SAME OUTFIT. CAN YOU EVEN DO
THAT? WHAT KNOW DUKE ALL DUKE
GUY? I KNEW IT. YOU GOT THAT
FIVE-DAY. ALL RIGHT. THAT'S NOT
WHY YOU HEAR. I'M HERE TO
EDUCATE YOU HERE TO HELP.
I WANT YOU TO KNOW THINGS.
50 MILLION DOLLARS. YES, IT IS
A LOT FOR SURE. BUT THAT MONEY
ISN'T COMING FROM TUITION OR
CLASSROOMS. IT COMES FROM THE
SPORTS SIDE FROM THE ATHLETIC
DEPARTMENT, A TV DEALS, THE
TICKETS, THE SPONSORSHIPS, THE
DONOR'S MONEY THAT ONLY EXIST
BECAUSE OF THE TEAM PERIOD,
NOT PERIOD, NOT PERIOD MAYBE A
SEMI COLON. THAT MONEY EXISTS
BECAUSE OF THE TEAM. YES.
AND BECAUSE OF THE UNIVERSITY,
I MEAN, THOSE ATHLETES ARE
STUDENTS. STUDENT ATHLETES IS A
SCHOOL WITH A BASKETBALL TEAM,
NOT A BASKETBALL TEAM WITH THE
SCHOOL AND EVEN IF MOST OF THAT
MONEY DOESN'T COME FROM
TUITION, SOME OF IT DOES STILL
COME FROM STUDENT ATHLETIC FEES
ARE 270 BUCKS A YEAR. UNC
CHAPEL HILL AND THERE IS HIGH
AS 900 BUCKS A YEAR. PLACES
LIKE UNC, ASHEVILLE. EXACTLY.
EXACTLY. TO PROVE MY POINT.
THE REASON CHAPEL HILL'S FEES
ARE ON THE LOW AND THAT'S
BECAUSE OF ALL THE MONEY COMING
IN FROM THE TAR HEELS. I MEAN,
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THE
BULLDOGS OF ASHEVILLE WON AN
NCAA TOURNAMENT GAME 2012
ACTUALLY THOUGHT YOU WERE THE
SPORTS GUY. THE POINT IS
TUITION IS GOING UP. FEES ARE
GOING UP. TICKET PRICES ARE
GOING UP AND PEOPLE ARE
STRUGGLING TO AFFORD COLLEGE.
ALL WHILE COACH GETS PAID
50 MILLION DOLLARS, EVEN THE
BEST PAID PROFESSORS MAKE A
TEENY TINY FRACTION OF THAT
MONEY. YEAH, BUT YOU KNOW, THE
PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH, 101 ISN'T
EXACTLY PAVING THE WAY FOR
MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR TV DEALS
OUT A REPEAT THIS. I KNOW IT
HELPS YOU TO HEAR THINGS MORE
THAN ONCE THE SPORTS AND THE
SCHOOL. THOSE ARE 2 DIFFERENT
ECONOMIES. AND THAT IS NOT MY
OPINION, OK? THAT'S THE SUPREME
COURT'S OPINION. BACK FROM
1984, BACK THEN THE NCAA
CONTROL TV RIGHTS AND THEY KEPT
ALL OF THE MONEY WITH IT.
THE SCHOOL DIDN'T THINK THAT
WAS FAIR. SO THEY SUED AND THEY
WANT. THE JUSTICES RULED THAT
SCHOOLS AND CONFERENCES CAN
THEN CONTROL THEIR OWN TV DEALS
AND THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING.
AND IT'S WHY SCHOOLS TREAT
SPORTS LIKE A BUSINESS BECAUSE
FINANCIALLY IT IS ONE AND LIKE
ANY COMPETITIVE BUSINESS, YOU
PAY TO BE COMPETITIVE. TOP
COACHES COST MORE MONEY, BUT
WINNING BRINGS IN MORE MONEY.
THE TV RATINGS GO UP, DONATIONS
GO UP, APPLICATIONS GO UP.
IT'S COLD. THE FLUTIE EFFECT.
REMEMBER HIM? DOUG FLUTIE, THE
HEISMAN TROPHY WINNING
QUARTERBACK AUSTIN COLLEGE IN
THE 1980'S BY 1984,
APPLICATIONS TO BOSTON COLLEGE
SURGED 30%. AND THAT WASN'T
SOMEONE OFF A 2014 U PENN STUDY
FOUND A SCHOOL THAT IS INVITED
TO THE NCAA BASKETBALL
TOURNAMENT CAN ON AVERAGE.
EXPECT AN INCREASE IN SENT SAT
SCORES IN THE RANGE OF 2% TO
11%. IF MORE STUDENTS ARE
APPLYING TO YOUR UNIVERSITY,
YOUR UNIVERSITY CAN BE MORE
SELECTIVE. THEY CAN CHOOSE
SMARTER STUDENTS AND THAT
BOOSTS THE ENTIRE SCHOOL.
EVERYBODY OVERALL MORE
SUCCESSFUL GRADUATES, MORE
DONATIONS. SO YEAH, 50 MILLION
DOLLARS FOR A COACH SOUNDS
PRICEY BUT A WINNING TEAM CAN
BRING IN FAR MORE THAN THAT.
EVEN THAT STORY DOESN'T REALLY
FIT ENTIRELY FOR UNC. CHAPEL
HILL WAS CONSIDERED A TOP
ACADEMIC INSTITUTION. WELL
BEFORE ROY WILLIAMS OR DEAN
SMITH, THEY TURN AWAY 10'S OF
THOUSANDS OF QUALIFIED STUDENTS
EVERY SINGLE YEAR. SO IF THE
SCHOOL IS ALREADY A LEAD
ALREADY FULL ALREADY THRIVING.
WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE? I MEAN,
YOU KEEP CALLING COLLEGE SPORTS
A BUSINESS PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES
ARE SUPPOSED TO BE BUSINESSES
THEIR SCHOOLS. THEY'RE
SUPPORTED BY TAXPAYERS. UNC IS
A NONPROFIT PUBLIC UNIVERSITY.
THE NCAA IS A NON PROFIT
CONFERENCES LIKE THE ACC ARE
NONPROFITS AND YET A WHOLE
BUNCH OF COACHES AND PLAYERS
ARE MULTIMILLIONAIRES THIS NEXT
FEW. A LITTLE STRANGE TO YOU.
ALL RIGHT. BUT LET'S BE FAIR
HERE ON A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT
MONEY EARNED FROM SPORTS
DOESN'T JUST SIT IN SOME
SCROOGE MCDUFF VOTE. IT FUNDS A
LOT OF THINGS. ALL OTHER
SPORTS, THE ONES THAT DON'T
MAKE MONEY. SOME OF THEM DIDN'T
EVEN LOSE MONEY. THOSE PROGRAMS
DON'T EXIST WITHOUT THE MONEY
COMING IN FROM THE TOP. I MEAN,
WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE THE MONEY
GO TO THE PROGRAMS OR TO THE
ADMINISTRATION IN LINING THEIR
POCKETS? I RATHER HAVE THAT
MONEY GOING BACK TO THE SCHOOL,
TO THE STUDENTS, TO THE
TEACHERS, TO THE PEOPLE
STRUGGLING RIGHT NOW TO SEND
THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOL WITHOUT
THE SAME DEBT THAT SADDLED
THEM, YOU KNOW, KEPT WITH THE
COACHES CAN MAKE CAP WHAT THE
PROGRAMS CAN SPEND. EVEN THE
PLAYING FIELD A BIT AND THEN
SEND REST THE REST OF THAT
MONEY BACK TO THE SCHOOL.
LOWER TUITION PAY TEACHERS,
INVEST IN EDUCATION. ALL WHAT?
BRILLIANT. WHAT A GREAT IDEA.
YOU SOUND SO SMART EXCEPT THEY
CAN'T DO ANY OF THAT. THE
COURTS HAVE ALREADY LOOKED AT
THIS AND THEY SAID NO, A HUGE
MATCHUP IN 2021. NCAA VERSUS
ALSTON. THE NCAA TRIED TO LIMIT
HOW MUCH ATHLETES CAN EARN
FINAL SCORE. SUPREME COURT 9,
2, 0, THE RULING. YOU CAN'T
DO THAT.
JUSTICE BRETT KAVANAUGH WROTE
THE NCAA IS NOT ABOVE THE LAW.
PRICE-FIXING LABOR IS
PRICE-FIXING LABOR. HOW CAN
THAT BE ME? EXPLAIN THAT TO ME.
OTHER LEAGUES DO THIS. THE NFL
HAS A SALARY CAP. YOU'RE RIGHT.
IT'S A GOOD POINT. AND IT'S
BECAUSE OF COLLECTIVE
BARGAINING. YOU SEE IN THE NFL,
THE LEAGUE AND THE PLAYERS,
THEY AGREED TO THE RULES
INCLUDING SALARY CAPS.
EVERYBODY NEGOTIATE EVERYONE
SIGN-OFF COLLEGE SPORTS.
THEY DON'T HAVE THAT. NO
UNIONS, NO NEGOTIATION. SO WHEN
SCHOOL TRIES TO LIMIT MONEY ON
THEIR OWN, THE COURT IS IN THE
OLD THE KEN BOEHM, A COMBO.
YOU KNOW, OKAY. ALL RIGHT.
>> WE'RE ALREADY BRINGING PRO
LEVEL MONEY TO COLLEGE SPORTS.
WHY DON'T WE BRING COLLECTIVE
BARGAINING ALONG WITH IT?
WELL, THAT'S WHERE THINGS ARE
PROBABLY HEADED CONTRACTS,
NEGOTIATIONS, MAYBE EVEN SALARY
CAP. SOME PROGRAMS RIGHT NOW
ARE ALREADY EXPLORING THESE
MORE PROFESSIONAL MODELS.
YES, PROFESSIONAL PROFESSIONAL
SPORTS AT A PUBLIC COLLEGE, A
PLACE THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE
ABOUT AFFORDABLE EDUCATION.
CAN HAVE BOTH SURE, SURE WE
CAN. BUT SOMETHING JUST DOESN'T
FEEL RIGHT. YOU KNOW, WHILE SO
MANY PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING TO
AFFORD COLLEGE, THE SPORTS
TEAMS THAT ONLY EXIST BECAUSE
OF THE COLLEGE ARE SPENDING
MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF
DOLLARS ON LOCKER ROOMS AND
COACHES. IT JUST FEELS OFF.
I THINK YOU'D FEEL DIFFERENTLY
IF YOUR TEAM WON A
CHAMPIONSHIP, OK, ALRIGHT,
THAT'S ENOUGH. THANK YOU, DON.
CUT. CUT HIS CAMERA. YOU CAN
GO. LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.
SEND ME AN E-MAIL. 07:00PM AT
WRAL DOT COM. AGAIN, THIS IS
ALL ABOUT MORE THAN WHAT WE'RE
SEEING ON THE FIELD OR ON THE
COURT. IT IS ABOUT MONEY AND
AFFORDABILITY AND PRIORITIES
WHEN IT COMES TO SPORTS AND
EDUCATION. LET ME KNOW WHAT IS
ON YOUR MIND AND WE'LL DISCUSS