Jim Calhoun’s post-game press conference was probably more entertaining than UConn’s win on the basketball floor on Saturday. During the post-game presser, a non-sports related “journalist” decided it was the appropriate time to ask Calhoun about his salary in relation to the current economic problems of the State of Connecticut. I think this was the most polite and justified usage of “shut up” that I’ve heard in a while.
If UConn basketball brings in $12 million per season, I think that Jim Calhoun is accurately paid in today’s marketplace for high end coaches. Is it completely out of line with the real world? Probably. But is it out of line with comparable coaches in big time college basketball? Absolutely not.
If it wasn’t for Calhoun’s ability to recruit and keep UConn relevant every season, I sincerely doubt that UConn’s men’s basketball team would be making as much money as it does. I guess the university would have to depend on women’s basketball to bring in revenue for the school. But if that were the case, we would be watching a Geno Auriemma press conference instead.
Maybe this reporter should be spending more time interviewing politicians instead of basketball coaches.
Matt Reitz
Matt Reitz is an NHL Writer for ProHockeyTalk on NBCSports and the Editor-In-Chief here at ViewFromMySeats.com. When he's not shoving a mic in the face of NHLers or explaining why home teams should wear white, he's usually trying to figure out what song to play next on his iPod. It's a never-ending job.
