High school football coaches should get more money. A lot more.
Three other coaches, including one who recently won a state championship, resigned from their current jobs on Thursday. Two have announced their intention to take jobs in states where they will earn significantly more than they do now.
It’s not a new trend; Thursday was just another reminder that something needs to be done to keep the good coaches in Florida.
More money would be a good start.
And before we continue, here’s a quick side note: Teachers should be paid more. Period.
But this is about paying the football coaches.
Here are three simple arguments why high school football coaches in Florida should get a big raise.
And let’s skip the obvious arguments like the fact that football coaching has more responsibility than other coaches because they have the largest programs numerically, or that coaches who win don’t get paid anymore – unlike most professions in the country where the Success financially is rewarded.
Did you know that the coach of a public school 0-10 team earns the same salary as a state champion coach in the same county? This means that the coach of a 0-10 team is actually paid more per game than a coach whose team goes 15-0.
Yes, that obviously doesn’t make sense.
youngest:More successful high school football coaches leave Florida for better pay in other states
Anyway. That’s obvious. Here are three arguments you might not have thought of.
1. Football pays off for other sports and clubs
If you’ve ever gone to a high school football game, you’ve probably seen some of the clubs that have their hands in football pockets. It is common for ROTC to charge for parking, the cheerleading or band sales programs, and the golf or bowling team operating the concession stands. Football may get a small portion of that, but in most cases these clubs and teams need that money to survive. The not-so-secret reality is that very few sports are profitable or breakeven. In many schools, football pays the bills for the other sports. With so many clubs and teams relying on football, logic would dictate that football coaches’ pay should reflect this.
2. Football is a year-round sport
I can already hear the screaming. “It’s Florida! Every sport is a year-round sport!” That is correct. That’s why there are association volleyball and soccer teams, travel baseball, and AAU basketball. It’s hard to imagine what these athletes would do without their after-school teams. Football is the only major team sport where players do not have a club or AAU option. Yes, there is 7v7, but it’s not the same game and it certainly doesn’t help with things like tackling or blocking (which most coaches say a lot of the game boils down to). High school football coaches are expected to conduct a year-round program, a weight room, off-season workouts, trips to camps, tournaments and colleges, and more. They should be paid like they don’t have much free time – because the good guys don’t.
3. Soccer coaches help players get a lot of scholarship money
A few years ago, a frustrated coach called me. He was disappointed that an assistant principal went out of his way to publicly acknowledge a math teacher who had helped a few seniors get small scholarships. Nothing wrong with that. But he found it odd that he had a signing class of more than a dozen players who received more than $1 million in bursaries, and the vice principal didn’t say a word. Besides maybe a careers advisor, does anyone at school help students get more scholarship money than football coaches? Coaches do a lot behind the scenes, doing everything from lobbying college coaches on behalf of their players to making sure students stay on track academically so they qualify for college. Why shouldn’t coaches be compensated for this?