In "College Coaches Pay to Find Out Who's on the Court," Pete Thamel for the Times writes about how cranky men's coaches are about paying a rather hefty for a packet of information (aka "entrance fee") so that they can watch potential recruits play on the summer circuit.

As he notes, the economic times have made those fees even harder to swallow. But, if Pete had had the time, inkling and/or space, he might have asked what those fees cover. While I'm not saying some organizers don't take a hunk off the top (on the men's side), it's interesting speaking with those who organize the AAU/summer camps on the women's side, where the big bucks are not as obvious.

In Pay-Per-View Recruiting: Looking at the cost of coach’s packets, coaches are given a template of sorts to assess the "legitimacy" of the fee they are paying.

1. The Packet: Beyond the basic, and not insignificant, cost of the production (photocopying, binding, design of special add-ins, shipping), it’s important to take into account the time and energy involved in the gathering of all the information. Someone is handling team registrations, chasing after incompletes, and updating the information. (And if they are not, they should be reported to the NCAA so they don’t get recertified next season).

One organizer put the raw cost of producing a packet at $25 each. Another offered a dollar-per-team formula while a third suggested $10-$15 a team. Packets can be produced in two weeks to four weeks or, depending on the registration process, drag on for months. And we haven’t even started addressing the added costs for those organizers who’ve introduced high-tech support like PDA downloads, information-rich websites and daily grid-sheets….

2. Referees: A relatively simple math problem: two or three refs (at $40-$60 each) for every game of the tournament.

3. Clock and Book: Another numbers game. Some tournaments use volunteers, some pay because, as Brandon Clay of Peach State Basketball has discovered, “It can get kind of messy.” Think $25 per person per game.

4. Athletic Trainers: The number and ease of availability of trainers is a concern to both coaches and operators. Of course, every additional trainer adds extra cost, which, of course, needs to be passed on to someone. $20/hr.

5. Event Staffing & Supplies: Again, it depends if the staff is paid, volunteer, or a mixture of both. How many of them are there and are any full-time?

6. The Venues: If you’ve ever had to rent a gym, you know what the costs can be. If you haven’t recently, simply ask about your institution’s rates. Clearly, price will reflect the location (D.C. is different than, say, Duluth), as well as the quality of the venue. (Is it old, fully equipped, air-conditioned?)

7. Insurance: It should come as no surprise to anyone that insurance is a major cost. “It used to be $2,000,” recalled Mike T. White, whose company oversees, amongst other tournaments, the Deep South Classic and Fall Finish. “The insurance factor has doubled in the last twelve months, due to some of the high school boys that have passed away on the courts recently. So, just to have insurance,” he explained, “you’re talking $12-$18,000 for a tournament, if you have more than 100 teams.”

The final ingredient is all this involves the intangibles of the event: Is it organized and professionally run? Do the games start in a timely manner? Are the game officials always ready and accounted for? Are the on-site needs of the coaches met? Was the information presented in a timely and correct way? Are the directions to each site accurate? Were there hi-tech perks and useful bonuses in the packets?

If the answers are yes, go back to the pants you’re looking to purchase: Are you willing to pay more for quality work?