A new car for a new job? Not a bad trade-off. Some high school football coaches get things in exchange for accepting a job. Has high school football become too serious? Is the pressure of winning too high? Does this happen in your state?
Poynter's Al Tompkins writes
in his column, Al's Morning Meeting:
A new vehicle, clothing endorsements, consulting and
speaking fees - coaches of about half of Alabama's
powerhouse high school football programs are receiving perks
once reserved for college coaches.
Four of the top-10 ranked Class 6A coaches receive
vehicles from dealerships in their community. Another
top-ranked coach received a vehicle until a short time ago.
The story continues:
Some coaches are concerned about the direction of high
school football. But others defend the practice of coaches
receiving perks, saying no one is getting rich coaching high
school sports. Perks and outside business ventures, they
say, compensate for the extreme pressure to win.
"High school football is a different world now,"
said Glenn Vickery, head coach at Daphne High School in
Baldwin County, one of the top-ranked Class 6A football
teams in the state. "Talk about changes. Twenty years
ago, who would have thought a high school game would be on
national television? Back then a high school coach
didn't get fired unless he slapped somebody. Now he
gets fired if he loses."
Vickery, who receives a new vehicle from Terry Thompson
Chevrolet every 4,500 miles and $20,000 in consulting fees
from the City of Daphne each year, said extra benefits are
common.
"I have had guys who interviewed at small, rural
schools and part of their package is to be a member of a
hunting club or something," he said. "This is a
part of high school athletics now. I know a lot of people
who get vehicles."
