The Final Four That Never
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SPORTS Assignment editor: Dan Ruthemeyer 360-416-2143 / [email protected] COMMENTARY COMMENTARY Which college coach will step up, give up salary amid coronavirus crisis? By MIKE BIANCHI but tens of thousands of Orlando Sentinel students across the nation will be asking for room OK, who wants to be and board refunds, which first? will cost every major Who wants to be the university mega-millions. first benevolent big-name And, by the way, did college head coach to you know many of these voluntarily step up and billion-dollar university give up his salary to save endowments are invested jobs amid the coronavirus in the plunging stock crisis? market? Will it be Alabama As for college athletics, football coach Nick even if there is a football Saban, who makes $8.9 season, the pockets of million a year? those wealthy donors Clemson football won’t be nearly as deep, coach Dabo Swinney, booster contributions will who makes $9.3 million be way down and, with CURTIS COMPTON / ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION VIA AP a year? Perhaps Duke less disposable income, Michigan guard Trey Burke walks off the court as confetti falls on Louisville players after the NCAA championship basketball coach Mike fans simply aren’t going game on April 8, 2013, in Atlanta. The 2020 Final Four was scheduled for this weekend in Atlanta. Krzyzewski, who makes to flock into stadiums like $9 million a year? they once did. If there’s Come on, guys, some- a season, those 100,000- body has to be the first seat stadiums might only and then you know the have 50,000 fans in them, others will follow. which means concessions, THE FINAL FOUR And, believe me, if parking and sales of $60 you’re the first, you will be hoodies with university held up and lauded as a logos will be cut in half. hero among the fans and But before college ADs national media. start slashing salaries, lay- THAT NEVER WAS Here’s hoping college ing off cafeteria workers sports isn’t like so many and cutting nonrevenue By PAUL NEWBERRY dressed up today in his Final Four A series of free concerts were set to other corporations dur- sports, the first thing that AP Sports Columnist gear.” She added the hashtag: “miss- be held at Centennial Olympic Park, ing economic downturns needs to happen is these ingthemadness.”“ capped off by one of Taylor Swift’s few when the bigwig bosses big-money coaches need ATLANTA — It would’ve been a Who knows which schools live performances in 2020. keep raking in their to take one for the team. magnificent weekend. would’ve made it this far? If we go by On Sunday, the NCAA Division seven- and eight-figure Iowa State tried getting Hoops. Music. A confetti shower at the final poll from The Associated II and III title games were scheduled salaries while the entry- ahead of the economic the end. Press, Kansas, Gonzaga, Dayton and for State Farm Arena, sandwiched level employees are jet- downturn earlier this A real celebration of basketball. Florida State were the nation’s four between the stadium and the park, tisoned and relegated to week when it announced Heck, the persnickety spring best teams. adding to an already tantalizing line- a $300 a week unemploy- a one-year reduction in weather in Atlanta even turned gor- Ahh, Dayton. Now that was a team up of hoops and tunes. ment check. In my mind, salary to coaches and staff geous Friday, as if it didn’t get the we all could’ve embraced. Now, nothing. the first people to take that would save $3 mil- memo that there won’t be tens of The Flyers were in the midst of a Not even a single shining moment. pay cuts during the mas- lion and another one-year thousands of out-of-town guests. magical season, rolling into tourna- “We put in a lot of lot of work the sive financial decline that suspension of coaching Birds chirping. Azaleas blooming. ment play on a 20-game winning last two years,” Corso said Friday in a is about to hit the college bonuses that will report- The temperature climbing into the streak that had lifted spirits in a city telephone interview. “Today, we were athletics industry should edly save another $1 mil- 70s. battered in the past year by a mass going to see it come to fruition.” be the high-profile, multi- lion. Why? Because AD But this will always be remembered shooting and devastating tornadoes. For Atlanta, this was supposed million-dollar-a-year Jamie Pollard said Iowa as the Final Four that never was, Alas, we’ll never know if this was to be its fifth time hosting the Final coaches who can most State athletics is con- called off because of the coronavirus a team that missed out on its best Four. The city likely won’t get another afford it. fronted with a $5 million outbreak and one of the most sober- chance to claim its first national title. shot until 2027, since the NCAA has It’s obvious that every- shortfall alone from the ing reminders of what this pandemic “The storm don’t last forever,” already doled out its signature event body in practically every cancellation of the Big 12 has cost the world of sports. senior guard Trey Landers wrote early for the next six years. business is feeling the and NCAA tournaments. “Given today’s weather and the Friday on Twitter, no doubt mindful Out of fairness, the organization devastating economic Iowa State has the right forecast for the weekend, it’s another that he could’ve been in Atlanta this should seriously consider pushing ramifications of the glob- idea, but wouldn’t it send gut punch to know what could’ve weekend. “Always remember that!” everyone back a year, so the A-T-L al coronavirus pandemic. and even bigger, brighter been,” rued Dan Corso, president of Landers has moved on, signing can get a do-over in 2021. College athletics cer- message if Saban or Swin- the Atlanta Sports Council. with an agent in preparation for the But that doesn’t seem to be an tainly is not going to be ney or Coach K stood up The four teams would’ve been in NBA draft. option. spared from the economic and said, “These are tough Atlanta already, getting in their final Dayton’s high-flying star, AP player Instead, Corso said, the city is carnage. I’ve already writ- and trying times and I practices at mammoth Mercedes- of the year Obi Toppin, won’t be back pushing to receive an automatic spot ten the gloom-and-doom want to do my part to Benz Stadium in preparation for next season either. He gave up his in the next round of Final Fours, stories of how the entire help. I’m here today to tell today’s semifinal games — among the final two years of eligibility and will which will cover the 2027-31 period. system could come crum- you that I am giving up greatest days in sports, without ques- likely be one of the top picks in the The bidding process begins next sum- bling down if we don’t my entire salary for the tion. draft. mer. have a football season. upcoming season to keep The 3-year-old, $1.5 billion sta- For Dayton, the Final Four window “We’ve had conversations with the “There better be (a sea- the volleyball team from dium, a retractable-roof wonder has likely closed. But we should make NCAA about seeing if we can get in son) or many programs getting axed and to save normally used for football and soccer, sure this special team will never be the next cycle without potentially will be out of business,” the jobs of Sue down in would have undergone a hasty recon- forgotten, even without a title on its going through the bid process,” he one athletics director told marketing, Al in the ticket figuration to essentially construct a resume. said. “Kind of an automatic bid.” college football insider office, Betty the recep- new lower deck stretching all the way “Although we feel like there was Of course, with the world coming Brett McMurphy of tionist, Danielle in video to courtside. more for us to try to accomplish over to a standstill as it battles the deadly WatchStadium.com. services and Earl the part- Those seats would’ve been filled the course of the season, there’s noth- virus, sports is hardly the most press- Another AD was more t i m e j a n it or.” with 80,000 fans. ing that can take away what these ing concern. But it will surely be a blunt: “If there’s no sea- If the Texas Roadhouse It would’ve been electric. young men did out on the court welcome salve when games are able to son, we will be f-----.” CEO can give up his sal- “My son would have been a ball throughout the entire season,” coach resume. Obviously, all of us ary to save jobs, then boy this weekend at the Final Four,” Anthony Grant said. Unfortunately, there’s no getting hope there is a football why not a college football CBS Sports reporter Tracy Wolfson While the Final Four was the star back this Final Four. season in some form or or basketball CEO? No, tweeted. ”Something he was of course attraction, this weekend in Atlanta It’s gone. fashion, but even if there they aren’t required to really excited about.