This is written in response to Stacie Schultz’s opinion piece titled “Even for a fan, Calipari’s salary too much.” While it may be worthy to say that no single person needs $30 million, it is irrelevant when a basketball coach’s salary is compared to academic scholarships, dorms and professors.

Not that it makes much of a difference for her argument, but Calipari’s contract is for $31.65 million before incentives (which, by the way, include academic- and graduation-based incentives). What does the value of his contract have to do with the economy? Well, it certainly has nothing to do with anyone who is losing his job or house — it’s not like that money would have been dumped into the hands of Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Taxpayer. If anything, the more money Calipari receives will help those people even more. As a fan, you should have watched the news conference introducing him; if you did, you would know that Calipari and his wife donate time and money to the community. If you truly want to talk about the relationship between the basketball program and the economy, let’s start with the $24.9 million dollars the basketball program is projected to generate in 2009 (Forbes magazine). Even if you subtract out the $400,000 annual salary from the university, the program still generates $24.5 million. In case you are not aware, the athletic department donates a minimum of $1 million per year to the general scholarship fund (this doesn’t count the funds donated by the media broadcasting men’s basketball games).

Aside from the obvious financial benefits, how do you know that going to watch UK play basketball (and possibly win championships) doesn’t help those struggling people realize that there is good in the world? Rupp Arena isn’t packed with 24,000 people every game because they have nothing better to do — they go because they love the team, they love the sport and they love what going to a sporting event does for their feelings about life. When you look at numbers, which I’m assuming that you did not based on your opinion piece, it is clear that the university made an outstanding financial decision. Either way, your politics do not belong in sports. Everywhere you turn, someone is talking about George W. Bush, John McCain or Barack Obama. Why can’t you leave politics out of something that Democrats and Republicans both enjoy?

Joshua Parker

chemistry junior