Posted on 01/03/2015 6:15:15 PM PST by iowamark
The University of Michigan’s decision this week to commit at least $40 million to Jim Harbaugh over the next seven years raised quite a few eyebrows. Forty million dollars — $5 million a year to start, along with a $2 million signing bonus — for a football coach?
Can jock-Armageddon, when the entire bloated-with-corporate-dollars sports world explodes, be far behind?
Actually, Armageddon has already pretty much come and gone in college athletics. The attitude of many players at the most visible schools was summed up by a tweet sent two years ago by Cardale Jones, who will start at quarterback for Ohio State in the national championship game on Jan. 12: “Why should we go to class if we came here to play FOOTBALL,” he tweeted shortly after arriving at Ohio State. “We ain’t come to play SCHOOL, classes are POINTLESS.”
To paraphrase “A Chorus Line”: Honesty 10, grammar 3.
Harbaugh won’t be the highest-paid coach in college football in 2015, even if you calculate his first-year salary at $7 million (bonus included).
Alabama Coach Nick Saban will make $7.2 million. In fact, at least a dozen football coaches will make at least $4 million in the coming year. According to USA Today’s annual report on coaching compensation, almost every football coach among the 65 schools in the “power-five” conferences makes seven figures, and, as Harbaugh’s deal proves, there’s no sign of that trend reversing itself anytime soon.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Why? Because a bunch of Michigan Men can’t stand losing to O$U. Simple as that.
The media spin on this is, Harbaugh’s been a hit-and-run coach, tiring of his current jobs one after the other, but will be happier, possibly, coaching teams where the players are always cycling through in four years. I don’t like him or U of M, but frankly their football team was beginning to embarrass me as a Michigander.
Almost as galling as a bunch of Michigan Men losing to Minnesota. Bad;y.
Or Appalachian State.
Well, I didn’t go to Appalachian State, but that’s a better example :)
The basketball team lost to New Jersey Institute of Technology earlier this season. Talk about a team I’d never heard of. There are O$U alumn who welcome Harbaugh because they want competitive games.
Makes me glad I’m not a football fan. The Tigers give me enough stress as it is.
A hero returning home has big value especially in Michigan. He made sure he wasnt the highest paid in the big ten. I think it’s a great story.
I’d trade Stoops for him tomorrow and stoops has a bigger contract.
I don't begrudge him a single buck.
All paid for by the U.S. taxpayer.
How is NCAA football revenue “paid for by the US taxpayer”?
How so?
But all those student loans will be paid back. Every single dime. ;>)
Well good luck with all of that all you Old Blue.....Harbaugh hasn’t been long term anywhere. He has a short attention span and your rebuild needs more than that. Perhaps you will find that he isn’t the answer
Except of course he didn’t get tired of his SF job, they sabotaged him. 3 trips to the NFC title game in a row and they “leak” that ownership is tired of him during the off season.
Is UM not a public institution? As of 2013, the highest paid public employee on 39 of our states were college head football and/or basketball coaches.
ping
Losing to Sparty 6 of the last 7 doesn’t build much job security either.
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