When I think of Louisiana State University (LSU), the first thing that pops in my head is

their powerhouse football team under the direction of Les Miles, in the South Eastern

Conference (SEC). Although I do know the football coaches name, I do not know the name of

LSU’s president, even though he is the highest person on the hierarchy at LSU. The president is

in charge of the university, dealing with both the athletic and academic department but more

importantly dealing with all the 30,000 students while Coach Miles is in charge of the 100 or so

football players. The most surprising thing is their new president, King Alexander, is set to make

a salary of $600,000 (Hodges, 2013) while Les Miles is making $3.7 million (Cooper, 2013).

With the rise of big time sports in colleges, head coaches are being paid more than the university

presidents. A debate stirs around the question at to whether football or basketball coaches should

be paid more than the presidents, when that implies that the university prioritizes athletics over

the academics and the mission of the university. I believe college football or basketball coaches

should be paid more than the university presidents because they are the biggest contributor in

terms of revenue, help attract more applicants, and create a better academic reputation.

In the last four BCS National Championships, the University of Alabama’s football team

has won it three times under head coach Nick Saban. His previous salary was $5.4 million but

the university is reportedly raising it to over $7 million (Smith, 2013). Many find that absolutely

absurd considering the university president, Judy Bonner, only makes $535,000 and that is

regarded as a slap to the face to the mission of universities across the nation (Roberts, 2013). I

find it financially smart and appropriate because they bring in the bulk of the revenue for the

university. In my opinion, I believe Judy Bonner should be content with Nick Saban being paid

more than her because it will only benefit her in the long run as the football team continues to be

successful. When Saban took over the head coach job in 2007, their football team was worth just

Hale1

$72 million and after last years season, they are worth $95 million (Smith, 2013). Although

worth is not a revenue generating number, it is important to note how Nick Saban’s tenure

increased their worth and this does link to revenue. After the 2012-2013 season, Alabama’s

football team brought in $89 million in revenue with a profit of around $50 million that helped

support non-profit sports (Smith, 2013). More importantly, they ended year with $34 million in

the black and used this money to contribute around $6.5 million to university for faculty support,

non-athletic scholarships, and facilities (Smith, 2013). It would only make sense to increase

Saban’s salary because he has created a dynasty with his football program that helps fund items

like facilities and buildings on both the academic and athletic side. Nicer facilities give athletes a

more competitive advantage, keep them more attracted to the school, and motivate them more.

Therefore there is a better chance of success for the program, which ultimately attracts more

applicants, leading into my next topic.

According to the Pope’s study, winning a national championship in football results in a 7-

8 percent increase in applications while a top 20 finish still has a 2.5 increase in applications

(Dosh, 2013). The Flutie Effect emerged after the Boston College quarterback, Doug Flutie,

threw a last-second “Hail Mary” pass that was caught for the game-winning touchdown and

subsequently applications went up the next two years (Silverthorne, 2013). This can explained in

Georgetown’s applications multiplying by 44 percent from 1983 and 1986 after a surge in

success for their basketball team (Silverthorne, 2013). On a deeper level, universities are

concerned with diversity of a school, in terms of race, ethnicity, and geography, and college

athletic success helps bring in more out-of-state students rather than in-state students. When

TCU made their appearance in the Rose Bowl in 2011, they saw a 200 percent increase in

applicants from Oregon and 109 percent from California (Dosh, 2013). Although were talking

Hale2

mostly about bigger schools in big conferences, there is an effect on smaller schools. Boise State,

in the Mountain West Conference, had a boost in applicants by 5.6 percent increase after their

2010 Fiesta Bowl win (Dosh, 2013). I would argue it is more important for colleges to pay

coaches mass amounts of money at smaller schools because they need to attract more students so

they can bring in more revenue from tuition. Smaller schools like Boise State are not as well

known as schools like Auburn or Oregon, so having successful athletic programs helps them gain

media and television attention that leads to national attention.

Successful athletic teams like football and basketball link to a better academic reputation

because schools can be more selective in choosing applicants. After the 2006 national football

title, the University of Florida saw a an increase in applicants where then- UF provost Janie

Fouke said, “Suddenly it allows you to be more selective because you have a bigger pool (Dosh,

2013). When Nick Saban took over the Crimson Tide in 2007, acceptance rate was 77 percent

and now it is 53 percent (Smith, 2013). This ultimately leads to a better academic reputation

because now universities can bring in more academically strong students. In 2006, 15.3 percent

of the incoming freshman had a GPA below 3.69 but by 2011 there were only 3.4 that had below

3.69 (Dosh, 2013). Another way to look at it is SAT scores. One study found that big time

athletic programs lead to a 3 percent or 33-point increase in SAT scores for incoming freshman

(Dosh, 2013). During the years 1980-1989, there was an average of 3 percent higher for SAT

scores for freshman with athletic programs in AP Poll top 20 than schools without programs in

top 20 (Dosh, 2013). Although UF is a much better academic school than Alabama, it’s more

important to keep Saban and increase his salary because every university wants to be known for

their academics.

Hale3

In conclusion, it makes complete sense why Les Miles is paid more than King Alexander.

Big time athletics have become part of a trickle effect. The more successful the football team is

at LSU, the more applicants they will retrieve, and the better academic reputation they build

because the school can be more selective with their applicants. Therefore the school should be

willing to and want to pay coaches like Les Miles or Nick Saban ridiculous amounts of money,

exceeding the president’s salary, because they create winning athletic programs that lead to far

more things than just championships.

Hale4

Works Cited

Cooper, John. "A Look at the SEC Head Coaching Salaries, as Muschamp Gets Raise to Nearly

$3 Million - Saturday Down South." Saturday Down South. N.p., 26 July 2013. Web. 17

Sept. 2014.

Dosh, Kristi. Saturday Millionaires: How Winning Football Builds Winning Colleges. Nashville:

Turner, 2013. Print.

Hodges, Quincy. "LSU Board Approves President King Alexander's New Contract." N.p., 17

Apr. 2013. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.

Roberts, Ken. "University of Alabama's President Earns about $2 Million Less than Auburn

University's President." Tuscaloosa News. N.p., 14 May 2013. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.

Silverthorne, SEAN. "The Flutie Effect: How Athletic Success Boosts College Applications."

Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 29 Apr. 2013. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.

Smith, Chris. "Why Nick Saban Is Worth $7 Million Per Year." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 16

Dec. 2013. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.

Hale5