The term “wealth gap” has officially jumped the shark. It’s now being used to describe the disparity in spending among different college sports conferences.

Steve Eder of the New York Times reports:

Fears Rise Over Wealth Gap as Top College Conferences Push Overhaul

The head football coach at Alabama makes $6.9 million a year, and his staff is also very well paid. The offensive coordinator makes $680,000 a year, and the defensive coordinator makes $1.35 million. The strength and conditioning coach earns $395,000.

At Ohio State, the football team moved into a $2.5 million, 10,000-square-foot locker room at its training complex, complete with a deluxe lounge outfitted with high-definition televisions. It also has a waterfall.

When Florida State and Auburn qualified for last season’s Bowl Championship Series title game, their conferences each received
$18 million.

This is a portrait of life in the wealthiest districts of college sports.

The denizens of these rarefied quarters, universities like Alabama and Louisiana State, are still institutions of higher education. But athletics have become ever more central to their missions, and their bottom lines, thanks to the juggernaut programs that generate hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

Recruiters fly on private planes, athletes train on top-of-the-line equipment, and teams compete in mammoth stadiums that are the envy of many professional teams. It is not uncommon for a university’s athletic budget to exceed $60 million.