It’s time to point the finger at those who support collegiate sports financially–donors.
Here’s a headline for you:
Donors at big-time college sports schools bankroll a rotten system.
Tell me I’m wrong. You can’t.
Because money makes the world go ’round–an adage that certainly applies to college sports–there’s no incentive for schools to reform athletics if they know donors will always be there, checkbooks in hand, ready to fund a school’s next “big ask.”
Donors help bankroll the head coaching endowment. Donors pay a big share of the cost for the new promenade…for that new locker room… for … well …for just about everything. And when donors keep giving–without demanding sports reform–those donors shoulder responsibility for enabling the system that exists.
But donors have the power to change the system because of their checkbooks. And many donors are flexing their muscles when it comes to academic philanthropy. “Big donors are becoming more aggressive in hammering out detailed contracts to replace accords that once amounted to little more than a handshake.” writes Bloomberg BusinesWeek.
It’s time for major athletic donors to take the same stance. In 2015 (the most recent year for which I was able to find data), America’s colleges and universities raised nearly $1.5 billion from athletic donors. So we’re not talking about chump change here.
There’s a big reason why donors should start putting strings on the money they give. That reason is ‘scandal.’ We’re seeing that happen at one school after the other. Consider what has happened in just the last week or so at Ohio State, UNC, and Maryland.
The Maryland story is especially concerning. Self-admitted negligence led to the death of Terrapin football player, Jordan McNair.
Maryland’s Jordan McNair died of heat exhaustion (photo, Tseudo Times)
Will a player’s death be the last straw? The answer is ‘probably not.’ Just look at what happened at Maryland.
McNair died months ago, but Maryland did nothing publicly until ESPN broke a story on August 10, which described the College Park football environment as ‘toxic.’ A few days later–on August 14–Maryland held a press conference, That’s when UMD admitted negligence in McNair’s death.
At Maryland, a player died. Football staff will be held responsible. School administrators will be held accountable. But what about athletic donors? Shouldn’t they share the blame?
I think they should. Why? The system that exists couldn’t possibly exist without them. But donors can be part of the solution if they start investing money in athletics reform.
Alma Mater needs help, donors. You have an opportunity to be champions of change.
