Page 24 - Florida Sentinel 1-11-19

Sports
Bucs, Cardinals Trade Draft Picks As Part Of Bruce Arians Deal
The Money Clemson , Alabama And Coaches Make Is Unbelievable
TODD BOWLES
BRUCE ARIANS
BYRON LEFTWICH
HAROLD GOODWIN
The College Football Playoff radically changed the sport's post- season, and so far it's been a roar- ing success. Last year's championship game drew more than 26 million viewers, making it the sixth-most watched cable broadcast in history - and that's despite a decline in viewership from the prior year's champi- onship game.
No wonder ESPN is paying some $600 million per year to broadcast the playoff, and charg- ing advertisers as much as $1 mil- lion for just a single 30-second spot. But while most fans are likely aware that there's a ton of money behind the sport's re- vamped postseason, they may have been surprised to learn that there were also millions of dollars riding on the outcome of Mon- day’s college football champi- onship game.
Yet winning a national cham- pionship can still have a signifi- cant impact on a team's revenues. Title-winning teams move more merchandise, have greater de- mand for game tickets and receive much more money in the way of alumni contributions.
Clemson saved a ton of money by winning Monday night. That's because the athletic department took out an insurance policy to protect it from the expenses asso- ciated with championship bonus payments.
Clemson spent $272,000 on a policy that capped the school's bonus exposure at $2 million. That means the win saved the ath- letic department $1.2 million, while a loss would still leave the
DABO SWINNEY
athletic department more than $500,000 ahead of where it'd be otherwise.
As always, the coaches also have some money on the line thanks to the sort of performance bonuses that Clemson insured it- self against paying. And few coaches have more incentive- heavy deals than Dabo Swinney. The ninth-year Clemson coach has already earned $1.3 million in bonuses - $150,000 for winning the ACC, $150,000 for winning eleven games, $400,000 for mak- ing the playoff, $400,000 for making the championship and $200,000 for finishing the year ranked among the top five, which is all but a certainty at this point. For comparison, this year Swin- ney will make $4.6 million in base pay.
Swinney took home another $100,000 for a win over Alabama. Nick Saban's total bonus in- come pales in comparison. He's received $125,000 for winning the SEC, $200,000 for making the playoff and $100,000 for making the title game. But that's likely of little concern to Saban, whose contract pays him some $7 million
NICK SABAN
in base salary every year, the sec- ond-most of any coach in college football behind Michigan's Jim Harbaugh. Saban, like Swin- ney, also had a $100,000 bonus riding on Monday's game. Swin- ney made an extra $100,000 for winning on Monday.
And naturally, the worst off in this ordeal are the players, who don't get paid a thing despite being the ones actually playing the game. There are the bowl game gifts, but those don't quite com- pare. Clemson players got a watch, a backpack and some Playstation swag for their semi-final game, while Alabama players got a watch, a bluetooth speaker and a $300 gift card. Playing in the title game comes with the reward of an unknown "iconic gift," but it's safe to say that whatever that is won't be worth quite as much as that $100,000 bonus for the winning coach.
The championship offers the sport's biggest spotlight and will be the most recent game film for those headed to this year's NFL draft. This will have an impact on some of those players' future earn- ings. Still it's highway robbery.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Arizona Cardinals actually traded draft picks as part of a deal for Bruce Arians.
The Bucs hired Arians on Tuesday as their new head coach, giving him a four-year deal with an option for a fifth. The Cardi- nals argued that they held Ari- ans’ rights since he retired after last season.
Rather than have a contrac-
tual dispute about Arians’ rights, the sides agreed to swap draft picks for Arians.
The Bucs sent Arizona their 2019 6th-round pick and receive Arians and a 2019 7th-round pick in return.
Arians is reportedly plan- ning to add Todd Bowles, Byron Leftwich and Harold Goodwin as assistant coaches on his staff.
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