The University of Oregon head coach and offensive coordinator are leaving for greener pastures after a brief tenure here in Eugene. There is no allegiance by coaches or players nowadays. It’s just modern day gladiators seeking ever more riches and fleeting fame from us gullible spectators. There is something in our species since ancient times that gravitates to such spectacle.

Something is amiss in our society where a sports coach earns several million dollars a year, many times that earned by senior professors or top university administrators. Isn’t there some reasonable way to balance the college playing field of wealth?

I suggest the NCAA impose restrictions for coaches to a compensation package more in line with academic professors and that contracts include a significant penalty for early departure. It is disgusting that Mario Cristobal isn’t even seeing the team through the end of this season. I guess his only allegiance is to the almighty dollar. By doing so he sets a poor example to the young men he has mentored.

Robert B. Thompson

Eugene

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