Mitchell Blog... Saban: Forbes Most Powerful?

“Sports Most Powerful Coach” or “Coach Whose Agent Negotiated the Sweetest Contract”?

First off, this is great press for CFB in general, and the SEC in particular. And full disclosure: Nick’s a bit overrated, given his overall football scorecard (See: just three seasons with fewer than three losses - one at Toledo). But is Saban the most powerful coach in the world of sport as Forbes suggests?

Recognizing right off the bat that these type of surveys (not to mention the word “power” itself) are inherently subjective, and that magazines that “shock” typically sell better… But Saban isn’t even the highest paid coach in his own conference - that “honor” goes to LSU’s Les Miles, has repeatedly said he has no more control at Alabama than during any of his previous CFB posts, and hasn’t had a double-digit winning season since 2003 – and has only two period! (2001: 10-3; 2003: 13-1)

And he’s the most powerful coach in sport?

Not Bill Belichick (Saban’s mentor) with the perennial champion New England Patriots? He’s building a dynasty in NE – no, scratch that. He’s built a dynasty in NE, makes more money, has indirect control over nearly everything Patriot – if not the city of Boston... And I believe he’s taller.

How about Phil Jackson with the Lakers? Sure he’s had great talent, but isn’t that a main plus of Saban’s (his ability to attract talent)? And Phil’s got NINE NBA Championships (plus two as a player).

Or Coach K at Duke? An NCAA record 69 Tourney victories. An NCAA record NINE 30-win seasons. According to Wikipedia, 61 of the 65 players he’s coached that stayed around for four years have played in a Final Four. Are you kidding me? And for his summer job, he’s coaching Team USA in Bejing.

What about Tressel and Carroll? Heck, what about Ottmar Hitzfeld? Who? One of the world’s greatest soccer coaches – one of only two that have won the European Cup with two different teams, has 18 major titles, and can stop traffic from London to Tokyo. Is Saban more powerful than Ottmar?

How about if we define power differently, as in the ability to attract eyeballs (which translates as "cash" if you're an AD)? Is Saban the most powerful there?

He certainly has magnetism. And Alabama is a big draw in the South. However, past the Mason Dixon line, this decade has seen Alabama’s stature slip. Ask a CFB fan in the Midwest or West if they’re going to watch an Alabama v. South Carolina game or a conference matchup, and most will opt for the local contest.

Alabama was a mediocre 6-6 in regulation last year, and doesn’t run a particularly dynamic offense – certainly not like the exciting offenses you see at WVU, BYU and TT - which might get one to watch a team outside of one’s own region that’s not in the top 25.

Saban certainly has one of the greatest agents of all time. Jimmy Sexton has done more to advance the salaries of SEC coaches than perhaps any single man, and the package he helped craft for Saban at the 11th hour was, well, very generous. Besides the salary, and quoting from the Forbes article, “(Saban's) deal includes, among other perks, 25 hours of private use of a university airplane, two cars and a country club membership, extras that make his annual compensation closer to $5 million a year...” Plus no Buy Out clause. But do wealth and perks make Saban the most powerful coach?

To borrow loosely from Coach Green, Saban is who we thought he was: a very good FB coach, and an excellent recruiter and presenter; he sells well. But Forbes stretched a wee bit with this one. Could there be a backlash in this for Saban or CFB? Probably not. It's more likely that Forbes' reputation will take the bigger hit.

Then again, would it be generating all this attention if Forbes had chosen Belichick?