Two very different stories for the show's reporters roundtable.
First: this week, San Antonio Express-News editorial writer and columnist Josh Brodesky asked a provocative question. Should a nonprofit leader get paid almost $600,000 for putting on a single football game each year?
The game is the popular Valero Alamo Bowl and the man is Derrick Fox, CEO of the nonprofit that makes it all happen.
Brodesky was interested because the Alamo Bowl gives out $450,000 in scholarships a year, but the CEO makes more than that, and also had reportedly requested all staff be given a bonus to bring compensation in line with other bowl game staffers at equivalent organizations, a raise that included him and would have meant he received an extra $800,000.
The Valero Alamo Bowl's mission statement (below) is pretty straight forward, to create positive economic impact, and to bring attention to San Antonio and the participating universities.
The Valero Alamo Bowl was created in 1993 to bring enjoyment to South Texans, San Antonians and visitors alike while creating positive economic impact, experiences and national attention for the community and participating universities.
The Alamo Bowl's website says in the 23 they have been around $455 million in direct economic impact to the city has come out of the game. 7.4 million people watched the last one, all of whom were looking at San Antonio. They would likely point out that they are the second largest giver of scholarships in the bowl community. They also paid out $8 million to the school conferences that played in last year's game.
So, like Brodesky points out in his column, "There are a lot of different ways to frame Derrick Fox's Compensation..."
In the second half of our roundtable we talked with Julián Aguilar with the texastribune.org about today's article on getting immigrant children lawyers for their asylum cases.
The numbers coming up from Central America dropped, but the legal community was never able to provide the pro bono aid that these vulnerable kids - many of whom can't speak English - were in need of. Now, with numbers starting to rise again, the push to get kids lawyers, has run out of steam.
Guests:
- Julián Aguilar, reporter for texastribune.org
- Josh Brodesky, editorial writer and columnist for the San Antonio Express-News
