Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

Money talks.

Even, now, in college football at the major college level.

Amateur football used to exist in colleges across the country.  Perhaps some athletes who played hoped to make it as a professional after college.  Now, they no longer have to wait; they can earn money in college.  Sometimes loads of money. 

According to Mr. Google, “stories about money in college football revolve around massive player NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deals, multi-million dollar coach salaries and buyouts, and the shift from unpaid amateurs to quasi-professionals, creating a high-stakes environment where top athletes transfer for bigger paychecks and boosters essentially ‘buy’ championship rosters, leading to debates about fairness, competitive balance, and the future of the sport.”

I question the future of the game of football that I used to love to watch at the college level.  How far can money go?

Look now only to coaches’ salaries.

Kirby Smart, the head coach at Georgia, is, insofar as we know, the top wage earner with more than $13 million on an annual basis.  He is followed closely by Ryan Day at Ohio State, and recent additions like Lane Kiffin, now with LSU after bolting from Mississippi State, and Curt Cignetti from Indiana.  They get nearly as much as Smart — in the $10M-$11 million range annually. 

At University of Oregon, near where I live, head coach Dan Lanning also earns around $11 million annually after a contract extension in early 2025. 

Are these coaches worth the money?  Specifically, for example, are they worth more than the college presidents where they are employed?

I say “no,” but there are others who “yes.”  answers.  One is retired Nike CEO Phil Knight.  Every year, he plunks down big bucks to finance the pro game at the U of O, his alma mater.  [to be fair, Knight also has invested in the academic side of the school.]

On the player side, there was an interesting case a week dealing with Demond Williams, a University of Washington (U of W) quarterback who signed a contract to stay at Washington, then a couple days later backed out of that agreement to say he would be leaving school for a bigger paycheck elsewhere.

The U of W said “no” and threatened to sue Williams, so he backed off and said he would remain in school.

Here is how the Seattle Times described the background of the Williams case:

“After many long decades of playing for free, college athletes have been granted the power to monetize their days on campus.  They are now doing what any professional athlete with bankable skills does – look for a team that will pay more money and offer a better chance to win a championship.  Antique ideas like loyalty to fans or commitments to teammates outdated…”

For my part, there is far too much money at the major college level in football.  It tarnishes what we knew of the game – or at least what I thought I knew.

At the U of O, for instance, the team this year made it to the semi-finals of the college football playoff system.  But not before several major players had already opted out for what’s called the “playoff portal.”  So far, the total is about 25 departures and going higher.

For me, this makes it hard to root hard for a school when you are doing so an annual basis.

Som instead, I’ll continue to do two things:  First, I’ll watch small college football where athletes are also real students, and, second, I’ll tune in to professional football at the highest level, the NFL, not college.