Trending
By Jim Caltagirone
For the Mirror
Joe Paterno was fond of using the phrase "out of whack" to describe situations or performances that did not conform to normal standards or match expectations for achievement.
You need not be a coaching legend to conclude that there is plenty out of whack on the business side of college football these days.
It remains possible to love the sport while detesting developments which have transformed supposedly amateur athletes into entrepreneurs and college programs into small economies.
Just as heads stopped shaking over a flurry of multi-million-dollar college coaching contracts, news broke that the University of Texas football program spent nearly $630,000 on two recruiting weekends in June of this year.
Of that figure, almost $280,000 was spent on the official visit of nine recruits, including quarterback Arch Manning.
That's an average of $31,111 per recruit. And what did these high school students experience that could possibly cost that sum?
According to The Athletic, the recruits and their family members enjoyed accommodations at the Four Seasons Austin (a five-star hotel where Queen Elizabeth II once stayed), airfare, car service, related travel expenses, a photo shoot at the stadium, a trip to a national chain driving range, and a breakfast at the home of head coach Steve Sarkisian.
The Athletic reported the hotel rooms were stocked with the favorite candies and snacks of each recruit, along with personalized cookie cakes and customized six-inch round cakes with a Longhorn logo on the top and "TEXAS" around the side.
Family members were treated to socials, lavish meals at an upscale restaurant and a boat cruise on Lady Bird Lake.
Apparently, college football programs are inflation-proof.
The extravagant recruitment practices at Texas reflect an ever-evolving trend across the sports landscape.
Those complicit in perpetuating this marketplace of athletic talent are the families of recruits who eagerly embrace every perk as they crisscross the country on official visits.
The avalanche of money pouring into athletic department budgets from television contracts and corporate sponsorships has created a culture predicated on the belief that to win big, you have to spend big.
To impress recruits and keep up with the competition, universities are also pouring millions of dollars into new and renovated facilities.
Last year, 247Sports ranked the 25 best facilities in college football. Ohio State's facility was ranked sixth. It includes a 42,000-square-foot players lounge, kitchen and nutrition area, barber shop, basketball court, golf simulator, cryotherapy chamber, sleep pods and an illuminated waterfall.
Oh, let's not leave out the arcade.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said his players could easily spend all day utilizing the amenities at the facility.
"We want them to feel like this is their home," he said.
What ever happened to spending part of the day in the university library? That's another story.
Clemson earned the top ranking with a facility that features a basketball court, miniature golf course, whiffle ball field, bowling lanes, arcade games and a giant slide.
Like it or not, fans are helping to subsidize the recruiting budgets and facility upgrades by purchasing the products advertised during college football telecasts. Simply paying a cable bill also makes you a collaborator in this fiscal exercise of frivolous spending.
In an era when a selection of carefully chosen candies is integral to a team's run at the national championship, Paterno's signature phrase perfectly characterizes the state of college football.
Jim Caltagirone resides in Altoona. He is a monthly contributor to Voice of the Fan.