University Sports or Nobels?

---

This irritates me as much as the Hollywood people paying to get their children into private universities. What do you think?

The highest-paid public employee in 40 U.S. states is either a football or basketball coach.

It's no secret that professional athletes can rake in the cash, but did you know the same can be said for their coaches? Actually, it's even true of coaches at the college level. In fact, chances are high that the highest-paid public employee in your state is a coach. In August 2019, GOBankingRates broke down the data as of 2018, explaining that "out of all the highest-paid public employees on list, 29 held head football coach positions, and most pulled down a hefty annual salary of $1 million or more." They also note that "not a single basketball coach on the list earned less than $1 million in 2018. In fact, a collegiate basketball coach takes the top spot, bringing home a staggering annual salary that exceeded $9 million." Looks like the rest of us picked the wrong jobs!




This bothers me, particularly here in California, where either UC Berkeley or UCLA often has the highest paid public employee in the state. They make more than either the Governor, the President of the U.C. System, or a lowly professor who has won a Nobel Prize.




Along the same line of thinking, the athletes should no longer take up valuable academic space. Pay them a stipend, and if they make the pros, let them pay the university a fair return on their investment! Just forget about trying to educate these athletes in a traditional manner, unless they (a very few) want an academic future. Let them learn some life skills, how to set up a household, manage their finances, buy a car or rent an apartment, hire the right agent. Please don't take up space for our (yours too) grandkids!! And the Lori Loughlins of the world, may you rot in hell. If my parents were alive today, they would be SICK!! They worked so hard to put us four kids through college!!!




Photos: Dr. Melvin Calvin, the Father of Photosynthesis, the Berkeley Nobel winners from my days at Berkeley, and parking spaces for Nobel winners.



So, when you watch the National Championship game tonight between LSU and Clemson, ask yourself which school is more likely to discover life changing research, innovative design, or remarkable discovery. I would bet neither!!!

---