Tom Izzo feels underpaid

I don't know what you make, but let's say that you make more than the median American family. You had some crappy part time service jobs in high school and college, but those don't really count. You entered the work force at 22 as a tech guy or a teacher or in management at a casino, and you were underpaid. Let's say you started at $38,000 in 2013 dollars. Over the course of your career you got your salary into the 40s and then the 50s and then the 60s. Or maybe you got laid off and had to start back in the low 40s.

You retired at 66, which means you spent 44 years in the workforce. The median American salary (for a male full-time worker) is $43,317. But you did better than that. Let's say you averaged $52,000 over the course of your career (damn that layoff!).

Your spouse, meanwhile, worked for 10 years, and took the next 25 off to raise the family. At the end your spouse worked another 10 years. She only averaged $33,075 (the average full-time female salary), but spread out over your 44 year work span that really added $15,000 a year to your income. So, as a couple (no divorce here), you brought home an average of $67,000 (in 2013 dollars) for 44 years. That's a total of $2,948,000, and is more than 2/3 of American families will make in their lifetimes.

The reason I bring this up isn't just to graciously award you a salary well above the median Americans. I bring this up because Tom Izzo, at a speech in Birmingham, AL, had this to say about his salary: "I used to think I made too much. Now, I think I don't make enough because the social media added so many significant problems. There's a price to pay for being a coach. It usually affects your families, your kids, your health."

Tom Izzo, it seems, feels underpaid.

For reference (don't forget your $67,000 salary per year), Tom Izzo makes $72,034. Per week. In one year he will make the money you would have made if you and your spouse would have retired at the age of 79.

Don't you feel bad for Izzo?

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