Letter: What I thought I knew about the sports business was wrong

I’ve learned a lot about the business of sports recently.

For decades, I’ve assumed there were owners — or, in the new world of big-money college sports, universities — who were in charge and responsible for producing a quality team. For instance, Jazz ownership and league management make the big decisions, like where a team resides, who the players are, and so on. As part of that, teams are supported by local community members and businesses, who open their wallets and cheer on their success through good times and bad.

But it turns out I was wrong. In college sports, it appears that the head coach makes all the decisions. Sure, the support still comes the same way, with millions poured into programs by dedicated alumni and fans — those who attend games, as well as the majority who find other ways to contribute because they can’t afford a ticket.

Yes, it turns out that all a coach needs to do is build a great program on the backs of supporters, then pack it all up and move it to another part of the country where the pockets are deeper. I discovered this in dizzying fashion, before the ink was even dry on what I thought would be a season to celebrate.

I guess I was just naïve. Or perhaps the university administrators took their eyes off the ball. Either way, it’s a huge disappointment.

Richard L. Starley, West Jordan

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