Noted: Indeed, some observers think the incentive bar for coaches has been set too low. Wisconsin State Journal sports columnist Tom Oates took the University of Wisconsin athletic department to task in March for paying head football coach Bret Bielema a $100,000 bonus after leading the Badgers to a 7-6 record and a 42-13 loss to Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl â?? the fifth of seven bowl bids awarded to Big Ten teams. “Even though the bonuses are paid with booster money and therefore don’t cost the school a dime, this is all about perception, and the perception is this is easy money for coaches while the rest of the state-supported university struggles to make ends meet,” Oates wrote. “If UW wants to change that perception, coaching bonuses should be earned, not handed out like Halloween candy.”
Office of Strategic Communication