Excuse my ignorance and lack of better knowledge with regard to American school system but what is the thing with high-paid coaches in school? What is the connection between a school and (semi?)professional sports?
A lot of schools charge admission to watch the sporting event, so even though the kids don't earn any money (and many times have to pay to play) the school makes a fair amount of money from the sports. The better the coach, the better the team. The better the team, the more people will come and watch. The more people that watch, the more money for the school.
The kids are not paid directly[1], but the kids that go to the schools that you see on TV are paid indirectly in the form of scholarships and other perqs.
Depending on the school, a full ride scholarship has a value in the range of $10,000 to $50,000 and up.
[1] "Gifts" do happen, but there are severe penalties for both the kids and the schools when caught.
