UConn Post Game Turns Into Economic Debate

Sometimes reporters do stupid things that make the media look bad. Today after #1 UConn's 64-50 win over South Florida at the XL Center in Hartford, a self proclaimed "freelance journalist" may have asked a pointed question, but picked an inopportune time to ask it.

The man's name is Ken Krayeske, a 36 year old Hartford resident and political activist who apparently has made headlines in the area before. He decided Saturday afternoon to take the post-game press conference with UConn legendary coach Jim Calhoun and turn it into a circus.

Krayeske questioned Coach Calhoun about why the coach at a public university is making 1.6-million dollars when the economy is plummeting across America and especially in Connecticut. The question by itself might not be so outrageous, but it was completely inappropriate to ask him after a game. Considering it was the University of Connecticut that gave him his salary, he probably should have first talked to the administration. Furthermore, if he wanted to talk to Calhoun about this, he should have arranged an interview with him at another time to discuss it.

Calhoun at first jokingly said, "not a dime back" in response to whether he should give money from his contract back to UConn. Krayeske however, continued to fire pointed questions at him about the money he makes, when Calhoun understandibly started to get angry.

"My best advice to you is, shut up," Calhoun yelled back.

Maybe that wasn't the best thing to do. Maybe he should have acted more professionally. But Calhoun is a hot head and this guy was provoking him unfairly.

Then Krayeske threw the rest of the media he was standing with under the bus.

"If these guys covered this stuff, I wouldn't have to do it," he said.

Is this guy kidding? If Krayeske was an actual journalist, or at least one with any class, he'd never call out the rest of his "colleagues". Nor would he choose to make this post-game press conference into a debate. This isn't the time or place for him to be making political commentary.

"Quite frankly, we bring in 12 million [dollars] to the university, nothing to do with state funds, " Calhoun snapped back. "We make 12 million [dollars] a year for this university. Get some facts and come back and see me... Don't throw out salaries and other things... We turn over 12 million [dollars] to the University of Connecticut, which is state-run. Next question."

Calhoun felt the need to defend himself here, but really, he should have ignored this guy. Calhoun is a well respected, excellent basketball coach who is paid handsomely for bringing consistent basketball success to Connecticut. He doesn't decide his salary, and he's worth what the university is willing to pay him. Furthermore, just because the economy is bad and many people are struggling, why does that mean he should give back the money he's earned for success at his job?

Athletes and coaches are generally overpaid when you consider that they're multimillionaires for playing games for a living. There's no question that when you consider that teachers and firemen and policemen don't make even a fraction of the pay that Manny Ramirez gets paid to swing a baseball bat, it's unfair.

But the bottom line is this: people come out in droves to wherever Manny is playing and pay $100 or more per ticket day in and day out. The teams he and these other athletes play for are enormous money making machines beacuse of their performance on the field. Why shouldn't these guys get a piece of the pie? Why should Ramirez or Calhoun any other athlete or coach get paid a salary of a teacher when they are bringing millions upon millions of dollars to their respective teams and universities? Isn't this why we have a free market economy?

If people scalped hundreds of dollars to get tickets to watch firemen, they they could get paid more than they do. Nobody's buying tickets to watch teachers teach biology.

Jim Calhoun is right. Krayeske should shut up. And if he feels so strongly about it, write a column. Talk to the university. But don't blame Calhoun. He's just one of many people in many walks of life that makes more money than he needs. But it's not Krayeske's job to decide Calhoun's salary.