Life Imitates Basketball
In the current economic climate where bubbles rise and burst faster than French Champagne in a tall flute, everyone in the top earning sector is being paid too much, no matter how worthy and wise. This is the time for reality checks, not personal checks or inflated paychecks. Elite pay scales, have to scale back in humility and shame. Bubbles must be popped. Sincere budget review is in order for all of us, and that glass of champagne just might come in handy.
What true value should be placed upon state college sports, million dollar football and basketball coaches, titles and championships? I love sports. Football is great and basketball is sublime, but not more important than the stability of our state and our finances. What message are we sending to the people of Connecticut when our budget deficit is at $944 million while our public university pays its coaches multi million dollar salaries?
UCONN football and basketball along with Coaches Randy Edsall, Jim Calhoun and Geno Auriemma could take this opportunity to be true role models. A time when we need heroes now more than ever. A time when President Obama is calling for executive salary reform to max salaries out at a half a million dollars. The coaches could, (in the spirit of Leonard Abess Jr., a Miami banker who gave his millions to bank employees and retirees), distribute their excess surpluses to others more needy than they.
As a UCONN Alumni, nobody loves UCONN Men's and Women's basketball more than I. As a freshman, UCONN had a second rate hoops team, a modest pavilion that seated the students, faculty and fans with room to spare. We even had space for weight training and other athletic endeavors. Nonetheless, hale and hearty students stampeded the pavilion with faces ablaze in blue and white, husky hats on clever noggins and anything that could make one hell of a racket in support of a sweet foul shot.
It was a simple time full of fun, but the sports program at that time did not draw the talent and interest that makes a good university great. With the hiring of Jim Calhoun and Geno Auriemma a bright new era was ushered in to dear old UCONN. Some might say, rightly, that those coaches, "made" UCONN. A top notch university that now benefits to the tune of $12 million from those world class coaches.
But we all know the jig is up. The inflated must deflate so we can eat, save, borrow and lend again. When things like home prices, food costs, healthcare costs and extreme salaries are once again in line, everything else will be on it's way to in line as well. The good that the coaches have done is not debatable. They are stars that have created stars. But, we need homes, balanced budgets and access for all children to healthcare and University. We need these things more than they need million dollar salaries, chartered flights and five star restaurants. It will not be right until our heroes along with the rest of us can sit down together with a nice glass of Champagne, something modest like Veuve Clicquot NV Brut Yellow Label, and toast prosperity in life and in basketball.
Printed in the Connecticut Post
