How college coaches dominate state budgets: By the numbers

The odds are pretty good that the highest-paid employee in your state is a football coach — or some kind of sports coach

University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari
(Image credit: Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)

When people think of (and sometimes criticize) the pay earned by public employees, they don't usually think of college football coaches. But it's "a gross mischaracterization" that the football coach is the highest-paid employee in every state, says Reuben Fischer-Baum at Deadspin. "Sometimes it is the basketball coach."

Fischer-Baum combed through media reports and public records to find which state employee draws the biggest salary in each state. It's a real eye-opener. (See his infographic below.) The coaches probably aren't sucking up your tax dollars, Fischer-Baum notes, since most are paid out of the revenues their teams earn through ticket sales, licensing deals, and TV contracts. But most state college athletic departments actually would be heavily in the red if not for "student fees" and other "university subsidies."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.