Something about this just doesn't feel right.
Ohio State athletic director
Gene Smith has been awarded an $18,000 bonus because a Buckeyes wrestler won an individual national championship.
According to
TheRepublic.com:
Quote:
Smith signed a new contract this year that pays him a bonus for "exceptional athletic achievements," including Final Four and Bowl Championship Series appearances or titles won by individuals in any of 20 sports. |
Logan Steiber -- the 141-pound champion -- of course gets to keep his scholarship and will carry the memory of his victory the rest of his life. Those things are irreplaceable and don't hold monetary value. But that's probably a good thing, because extra benefits or rewards for Steiber's accomplishment could put him at risk for receiving impermissible benefits. Permission to profit off athletes like Steiber, however, is something Smith decided to grant himself in his contract.
If Steiber was to graduate and rocket to a career with NASA, would his science professor get a boost in pay for overseeing his greatness? I think we all know the answer to that. Gene Smith, however, gets to fatten his wallet with the equivalent of an extra week's pay while the rest of us debate the legitimacy of college athletics compensation.
Sound Off: Should school administrators be allowed to receive extra benefits for individual and/or team accomplishments?
Sports Headlines for March 26, 2014