Is John Swofford worth $2.7 mil?

[Dave85]

"ACC Commissioner John Swofford was the league's highest-paid employee, making $2.7 million in total compensation, an increase of $571,118 from the previous year." That's a 19% pay increase. Wow! I should have went to school to become a bureaucrat! engineering!

"The ACC's revenue soared to just over $403.1 million, a record amount and a massive increase from $302,306,74 the previous year."

"Syracuse's $24 million distribution was the lowest in the conference, while Florida State's $27.6 million was the highest. Despite being last on the list, that was significantly more than Syracuse received in 2013-14, its first year in the league. The ACC sent Syracuse 19.2 million in Fiscal Year 2013."

ACC revenue increases $100 million over last year; Syracuse receives $24 million

 

[rstone7727]

He's worth every penny imo.. Larry Scott of the Pac-12 made $4.05m..

SU made out pretty good considering they missed post season in FB and BB, next year will be better after the FF run but when SU came in at $24m and Clemson didn't finish with the most money hardly seems to be fair to them after playing in the title game in FB.

 

[jr4750]

He's worth every penny imo.. Larry Scott of the Pac-12 made $4.05m..

SU made out pretty good considering they missed post season in FB and BB, next year will be better after the FF run but when SU came in at $24m and Clemson didn't finish with the most money hardly seems to be fair to them after playing in the title game in FB.

Wrong year for Clemson. Would be next year I think. This past filing represents the FSU CFP run. Clemson probably will make the most next year.

 

[Delmar]

The league can afford to pay Swofford that much because they don't pay the players.

 

[Dave85]

He's worth every penny imo..

He should double his own salary. Heck, why not $20 million!

Best cars for the super-rich

 

[orange79]

"ACC Commissioner John Swofford was the league's highest-paid employee, making $2.7 million in total compensation, an increase of $571,118 from the previous year." That's a 19% pay increase. Wow! I should have went to school to become a bureaucrat! engineering!

"The ACC's revenue soared to just over $403.1 million, a record amount and a massive increase from $302,306,74 the previous year."

"Syracuse's $24 million distribution was the lowest in the conference, while Florida State's $27.6 million was the highest. Despite being last on the list, that was significantly more than Syracuse received in 2013-14, its first year in the league. The ACC sent Syracuse 19.2 million in Fiscal Year 2013."

ACC revenue increases $100 million over last year; Syracuse receives $24 million

He should double his own salary. Heck, why not $20 million!

Best cars for the super-rich

Really not sure what the complaint is here. Leagues must pay what the market demands. Swofford's salary is right in the middle of the P5 commissioners, just as the ACC is right in the middle of the P5 per-team payouts.

 

[Dave85]

Really not sure what the complaint is here. Leagues must pay what the market demands. Swofford's salary is right in the middle of the P5 commissioners, just as the ACC is right in the middle of the P5 per-team payouts.

LOL! No idea.

 

[reedny]

Really not sure what the complaint is here. Leagues must pay what the market demands. Swofford's salary is right in the middle of the P5 commissioners, just as the ACC is right in the middle of the P5 per-team payouts.

I'm not getting into the executive salary debate (aren't they all overpaid?). But either way, the jury's out on Swofford at this point. Let's see what he does with the ACC NW first. And secondly, the whole Raycom/nepotism connection (Swofford's son) is embarrassing and useless to the conference. Raycom adds no value. It's an unnecessary 2d distributor in the market. It's coverage quality is terrible. And Raycom is only too happy to peddle SU game rights to carriers (e.g., FOX/MSG) that it knows are going not going to air the games in the prime viewing areas.

 

[retro44]

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2010/10/04/daily3.html?page=all

 

[reedny]

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2010/10/04/daily3.html?page=all

Pretty much sums it up .. nepotism without value to the conference, and an old-boy, tobacco-road antagonist to SU sports.

 

[MadNY3]

"ACC Commissioner John Swofford was the league's highest-paid employee, making $2.7 million in total compensation, an increase of $571,118 from the previous year." That's a 19% pay increase. Wow! I should have went to school to become a bureaucrat! engineering!

"The ACC's revenue soared to just over $403.1 million, a record amount and a massive increase from $302,306,74 the previous year."

"Syracuse's $24 million distribution was the lowest in the conference, while Florida State's $27.6 million was the highest. Despite being last on the list, that was significantly more than Syracuse received in 2013-14, its first year in the league. The ACC sent Syracuse 19.2 million in Fiscal Year 2013."

ACC revenue increases $100 million over last year; Syracuse receives $24 million

He helped increase league value by 25% - $100mm.

He should've gotten more.

 

[Toga]

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2010/10/04/daily3.html?page=all

Well isn't that just sweet. Sipping on a mint julep and swapping Barney Fife stories. Meanwhile ...

 

[Dave85]

He helped increase league value by 25% - $100mm.

He should've gotten more.

Just out of curiosity, how much is enough?

 

[TheCusian]

Just out of curiosity, how much is enough?

Two ways to look at this:

1. Mad that so much $ is involved in sports that guys make obscene amounts and that's unfair to school teachers and EMT workers, etc. Basically we've created a weird social experiment that misplaces the value of jobs. (This is not my bag, but if you want to get angry over it, be my guest)

2. A group of highly valuable companies pay a guy to ring more money out of an already valuable commodity. Guy does his job well and gets the companies 25% more money. Guy gets paid for a job well done. (When you remove the dollar amounts it becomes completely reasonable - even downright fair).

Maybe a better way would be to ask you if you brought 25% more value to the company you work for - how much compensation would you require?

 

[Dave85]

Two ways to look at this:

1. Mad that so much $ is involved in sports that guys make obscene amounts and that's unfair to school teachers and EMT workers, etc. Basically we've created a weird social experiment that misplaces the value of jobs. (This is not my bag, but if you want to get angry over it, be my guest)

2. A group of highly valuable companies pay a guy to ring more money out of an already valuable commodity. Guy does his job well and gets the companies 25% more money. Guy gets paid for a job well done. (When you remove the dollar amounts it becomes completely reasonable - even downright fair).

Maybe a better way would be to ask you if you brought 25% more value to the company you work for - how much compensation would you require?

I would hope there were maybe another way of thinking about this where both of your ways of thinking were represented. But as far as I can tell, there is no socially acceptable limit. I see no reason why Swofford should not get $5.4 million. Or even $10.8 million. Just keep going. Who are we to judge how much is enough?

 

[SU2NASA]

I should have went to school to become a bureaucrat! engineering!

Join the government and do both.

 

[TheCusian]

I would hope there were maybe another way of thinking about this where both of your ways of thinking were represented. But as far as I can tell, there is no socially acceptable limit. I see no reason why Swofford should not get $5.4 million. Or even $10.8 million. Just keep going. Who are we to judge how much is enough?

The market decides, right? I'd bet all the conference commissioners know what each other make. Just like coaches and professional players know too.

 

[Dave85]

The market decides, right? I'd bet all the conference commissioners know what each other make. Just like coaches and professional players know too.

I did not know we had any free-markets left in this country. Just exactly who is the NCAA competing with?

 

[TheCusian]

I did not know we had any free-markets left in this country. Just exactly who is the NCAA competing with?

The market for conference commissioners is defined by the schools in the conference & TV deals. The NCAA has nothing to do with it.

 

[Dave85]

The market for conference commissioners is defined by the schools in the conference & TV deals. The NCAA has nothing to do with it.

I meant ACC. Your faith in Big Government is stronger than mine.

 

[TheCusian]

I meant ACC. Your faith in Big Government is stronger than mine.

Not sure what you're talking about...

ACC is competing with the other conferences?

 

[orange79]

I did not know we had any free-markets left in this country. Just exactly who is the NCAA competing with?

I meant ACC. Your faith in Big Government is stronger than mine.

You made the point about Swofford's salary. Whether you think it is defensible or not, it is in line with the market. In this case, it is a small market, but a market nonetheless - the market of P5 conference commissioners. If you think he makes too much, that's fine. But it wasn't the main thrust of the thread. And if you meant "Just exactly who is the ACC competing with?", the answer is the other 4 P5 conferences, and to a much lower extent, the G5 conferences (which, IMO, should be called the O5 - for Other 5 ). Unless I am totally misunderstanding your point, which is certainly possible.

 

[reedny]

You made the point about Swofford's salary. Whether you think it is defensible or not, it is in line with the market. In this case, it is a small market, but a market nonetheless - the market of P5 conference commissioners. If you think he makes too much, that's fine. But it wasn't the main thrust of the thread. And if you meant "Just exactly who is the ACC competing with?", the answer is the other 4 P5 conferences, and to a much lower extent, the G5 conferences (which, IMO, should be called the O5 - for Other 5 ). Unless I am totally misunderstanding your point, which is certainly possible.

Not trying to be argumentative, but I think your use of the term "market" is charitable. We're talking about fewer than half a dozen people at the top conferences. Is that really a market? Or are P5 executive salaries being decided ad hoc, with some exogenous influences, like the SEC's insane and ridiculous preoccupation with paying any amount of money to win (mostly) FB games?

At any rate, regardless of the above issue, we have the ACC NW ... that's apparently languishing. I don't see any particular leadership magic going on. And I definitely don't see how any ACC CEO can justify a multi million dollar salary given the Raycom situation. Not only is this reducing conference revenues by adding unnecessary cost, it's shafting Northern schools (like SU) who don't get the sweetheart media preferences granted to, say, UNC. It's an embarrassing and inappropriate old-boy system that needs to go away. Then we can talk about what these guys are really worth.

 

[Dave85]

Not sure what you're talking about...

ACC is competing with the other conferences?

I've been thinking about what you've said about competition. This is how you know there's no competition. There is no mechanism in the marketplace to wring out any inefficiencies in the pricing structure of the market. It really doesn't matter how much Swofford get's paid. There's really nothing that's going ever force him to take a pay cut or not take a 20% increase from year to year.

 

[TheCusian]

I've been thinking about what you've said about competition. This is how you know there's no competition. There is no mechanism in the marketplace to wring out any inefficiencies in the pricing structure of the market. It really doesn't matter how much Swofford get's paid. There's really nothing that's going ever force him to take a pay cut or not take a 20% increase from year to year.

If the big picture market, TV revenue takes a drastic hit (not likely) or a large reduction in shares for the schools or some unforeseen cataclysm - they'll get around to giving conf commish a salary reduction.

Basically if the role diminishes due to a steady decline in revenue - then compensation would change - OR more likely the commish would be replaced in favor of new blood.