John Calipari gets a reality check on how capitalism works originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Arkansas Razorbacks men’s basketball coach John Calipari isn't a fan of players getting paid and wasn't shy about letting everybody know. During a press conference on Thursday, the longtime coach took on the topic of supporting the Protect College Sports Act.
PNeedless to say, he drew a line in the sand for this debate. Calipari, like most coaches and former coaches, who can't fathom players making a fair market rate, aired out his feelings on the matter.
“Right now, we need something to give us some semblance of order, and some guardrails,” Calipari said. “There’ll be people against it that think there should be unions, they should be unionized, agents should have a free hand to do what they want. They talk about, well what about coaches? I’m going to say this, I probably shouldn’t. Nine of my players make more than my assistants. And the other three make more than all my staff. And we are not one of the highest payers. We’re just not.”
Calipari wants anybody who's listening to know that it's ridiculous that a player could potentially make more money than a coach. This sort of thing happens in the NBA, if he forgot. The better question should be. Has college basketball in the current era passed Calipari like college football did Nick Saban?
“Then you can say, ‘What about you?’ I’ve been doing it 40 years," Calipari added.
"Started as a volunteer, two years as a part-time assistant, and I have kind of done okay at different programs. So yeah, they’re paying me. But how about this? All the coaches on this campus, in every sport, make less than the rev share, which is $22 million, and it’s much less. So the players are getting more than the coaches. I just don’t understand who could be against it."
Calipari is against the idea of college athletes being able to collect on their fair market value. However, welcome to college Athletics in 2026. This we'll be like trying to drink out of a fire hose for Calipari, if he cares to stick around. When he uses the terms “guardrails” or a “semblance of order," he's calling to make college basketball great again. Right now, more coaches should get used to having players make more money than them. No coach at the NBA level is barking about this.
The Protect College Sports Act passed a vote in the U.S. Senate earlier this week, bringing the legislation one step closer to becoming law. Some coaches have been lobbying the hardest for the bill to pass. But why should spending on players be capped, while coaches' salaries are set by a market built around capitalism?
College sports are evolving with some scared to face the music.
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