When University of Connecticut men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun self-destructed at a post-game news conference on February 22, Mike Gundy knew what was coming next. 

Gundy is the Oklahoma State University football coach who had his own post-game meltdown last September after the Cowboys defeated Texas Tech.  Prior to taking any questions, Gundy launched into a tirade against a reporter, accusing her of trying to sabotage one of his players.  The episode became an instant YouTube sensation and, until Calhoun’s ill-timed comments, was Exhibit A of how not to conduct a post-game media interview when the cameras are rolling.

Calhoun was responding to a reporter’s inquiry about his salary, reported to be more than $1.6 million per year, at a time when the state of Connecticut’s economy is tanking and the governor is instituting cutbacks and employee layoffs.  When the reporter asked Calhoun about his salary, the coach responded emphatically, “Not a dime back!  I’d like to be retired someday.”  

Ouch.

Calhoun is the highest paid – and the highest profile - public employee in a state facing an estimated $8.7 billion deficit in the next biennium.  But he’s not unique.   A study conducted by the Chronicle of Higher Education suggests that Calhoun’s salary is not out of line with those of other men’s basketball coaches at public and private universities around the country.  In fact, at $3.5 million a year, Billy Donovan at the University of Florida, like UConn a public institution, is paid more than double what Calhoun makes.  And basketball coaches are a distant second to football coaches in salary at most schools, especially those in Division I.

But in these harsh economic times, critics are asking if a coach - especially one at a public institution – should be paid a seven-figure salary when many universities are experiencing cutbacks in their academic programs. Calhoun angrily defended his salary, saying the team makes $12 million a year for the university. That comment was disingenuous, if not downright inaccurate. According to public filings examined by the Hartford Courant, the $12 million figure is an estimate for gross revenue. After expenses, the net figure is closer to $6 million.

To be fair, the majority of most coaches’ earnings come from money raised by booster clubs and outside sources – media contracts, promotional activities, etc. – and not from taxpayer dollars. And as long as coaches are successful – Calhoun’s team has been ranked No. 1 in the country for a portion of this season – there is little likelihood of any backlash from fans, even those who are struggling to make ends meet in a downward spiraling economy.

For many people in this country, sports are an escape, a respite from the drudgery and disappointments of everyday life. They don’t see Calhoun’s salary as an issue for them any more than they think about global warming or the price of the Euro against the dollar.

Coaches, especially successful ones, make a commitment to their profession that is as difficult for the average person to relate to as it is for some coaches to relate to the millions of unemployed in this country. Coaches devote virtually every waking minute to their players and their team, at great personal and family sacrifice. Expecting Calhoun to understand the economic realities of fellow residents of the Nutmeg state is like expecting Manny Ramirez to relate to the collapse of the free agent market in the winter of 2008-09. It doesn’t apply to him.

But the fact remains that Calhoun could have and should have handled the questions concerning his salary differently, if for no other reason than he came across as insensitive, greedy, selfish and self-serving. Worse, with a week to reflect on his outburst, Calhoun failed to exhibit any remorse in an interview with Jim Nantz of CBS, leading one to believe that the coach’s original comments are a true indication of his feelings and character. Such defiance suggests that Calhoun doesn’t so much work for the university or the state of Connecticut as the other way around.

Had Calhoun’s response reflected a concern for the average citizen of Connecticut who is feeling the effects of the deepening recession, his comments wouldn’t have warranted a place in history. And Mike Gundy would still be the king of YouTube infamy.

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Jordan Kobritz is a regular contributor to the Business of Sports Network. He is a former attorney, CPA, and Minor League Baseball team owner. He is an Assistant Professor of Sport Management at Eastern New Mexico University and teaches the Business of Sports at the University of Wyoming. Jordan can be reached at \n \n \n This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it