Much attention was – and is still being – paid to that post-game press conference tirade of University of Connecticut basketball coach Jim Calhoun. Some scribe provocateur asked Calhoun how he justified his $1.6 million state salary when Connecticut is running a deficit of nearly $1 billion.
Before losing it on camera, Connecticut’s highest-paid employee pointed out that the UConn hoops program makes $12 million for the university. That was a good, legitimate answer. Intercollegiate sports at that level are very much a part of marketplace dynamics. What his salary says about skewed values, however, remains relevant.
However, an even more relevant question, given Calhoun’s track record, would have been a query about what his UConn graduation rate is.